Fallen Eagle

Year Published: 1952

Creator: U.S. Office of Indian Affairs and the Department of Parks; P. Lorillard Co.

Format: 16mm

Sound: sound

Description: FALLEN EAGLE is a 1950s short film produced in cooperation with the U.S. Office of Indian Affairs and the Department of Parks. It was written and directed by Alan Shilin. The film is sponsored by the P. Lorillard Company, makers of Old Gold Cigarettes. A Sioux wearing an eagle-feather headdress sits on a horse (:58). In the 1860s, the Sioux were migratory, following the buffalo as it roamed across Minnesota to the western mountains (1:58). Belongings were transported by a horse pulling a travois (2:16). Women unload and set up a teepee (3:18). The men pay respect to the Chief (3:36) at his large teepee. An owl painted on a drum is shown (3:45). The group sits around a fire, sharing a peace pipe (3:53). In 1875, war bonnets hang in peace (4:19). A woman paints (4:54). Household objects are beaded (5:00). An old warrior tracks the winter count on a buffalo hide (5:26). Men hunt and kill a buffalo (5:49). Campfires illuminate the shadow of a man beating a drum (7:36), heard by an ill man and a warrior. We see the Medicine Man in action (7:53). A maiden goes to the river (8:29) and her suitor plays a flute (9:00). The warrior asks permission to propose (9:55). The bride bathes and is elaborately dressed, including beaded moccasins (10:27). Her hair is plaited with a combing stick (10:37). The guests arrive (10:53). The wedding feast is prepared in a buffalo paunch (11:14). Carved wooden utensils are used for serving (11:35). A Rabbit Dance (12:00) is performed. The two fathers share a pipe (12:32). Ceremonial tobacco pouches (12:55) are shown. The bride is escorted to her husband’s teepee (13:07). In early 1876, messengers bring word of war (13:24) and the warriors practice their skills (13:58) as smoke signals billow (14:32). Tombstones mark the graves of the Calvary under General George Custer (14:49), after their massacre on June 25, 1876 by Crazy Horse at the Little Big Horn River. But life has changed as combines thresh the wheat on the Dakota plains (15:26). The Sioux are moved to the Black Hills and the Badlands along the Missouri River (15:45). Mount Rushmore (15:56) looks on. A reservation woman (16:10) hand-washes clothes and carries buckets. Horses pull a wagon full of children (16:31). Western shows, such as in the Cheyenne stadium (16:40), have large advertising banners (16:44) and signs welcoming frontier visitors (16:48). They feature horseback riders (16:52), Sioux parading in full dress (17:00), and cowboys calf roping before a large crowd (17:14). The Rosebud Sioux Museum of Handicrafts (17:54) has a man buying a beaded cigarette case and inserting his Bold Gold pack into it (18:24). An operating room (18:39) and a healthy newborn (19:03) show medical advancements. Cattle (19:11) are watched by a Sioux cowboy (19:34). Hydraulic dams such as Fort Randall (19:56) and Fort Peck (20:07) on the Missouri River generate electricity. Industrial growth includes the Sioux Steel Company (20:36). The film ends with another view of Mount Rushmore (20:55).

Complete Record: Traces the culture and heritage of the Sioux Indians. Includes their present existence in South Dakota. NOTE: Two (or more) records have been merged together to create this data.

Metadata Source:University of Georgia Brown Media Archives