On Sunday, October 7, we will show the following film at the Meeting House, starting around 12:30 pm after the service.  Everyone is invited to stay and watch.  This film has been chosen because the next day is Columbus Day, the US holiday so named to commemorate Columbus’ “discovery” of America.  There is a growing groundswell of opinion that the holiday should be renamed Indigenous Peoples’ Day, to honor and commemorate the millions who were present in the Americas already in 1492, and whose lives were irrevocably changed and ways of life destroyed by the arrival of Europeans.

The film, Reel Injun is a survey of how Native Americans have been depicted (and misrepresented) in cinema, from the silent films to the present.  These movie images have played a significant part over time in influencing the way indigenous people are perceived in the U.S.  One commenter on Amazon had this to say about this film: “Being part Native American, I get tired of the images Hollywood have created. I teach Native American history and the great diversity among the tribes. I have to first unteach what Hollywood portrayed. This DVD is honest and informative. I wished this could be shown in all the schools.”

Running time is 88 minutes.  There will be popcorn!