Walking in a Sacred Manner

Duration: 12:00

Year Published: 1982

Complete Record: Opens with flute music and an elderly woman singing in native American language. Moves into Native American voiceover of narratives (taken from oral history) and mythology. Still, sepia-toned photographs intercut with peaceful shots of Western wilderness and animals: plains, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, meadows, flowers, bears, elk. Also stories about nature and quasi-history of Native American life. Very calm and stereotypical Indian voice over. Birds sounds and sounds of wind below voiceover. Wilderness shots are in great color. Many Edward S. Curtis photos of Native Americans and their traditional life: Head dresses, peace pipes, horses, tipis, buffalo, eagles, etc. Eventually gets to drum beats and he sounds of a ceremony over Curtis’ photos of a ceremony. credits list sound recordings of ceremonies as sourced from Smithsonian Folkways. 1) “The Indian ways of life were centered on the natural world. There was harmony from childhood to old age, extending beyond death. This contrasts with the existence of most people today; many keenly feel a void in our turbulent world and search for inner peace. Others yearn for the natural. Perhaps the words and visions of these eloquent yet simple people will speak to us and guide us in this search. Certainly this artfully crafted film will help us understand the Indians of the past and present. The photographs of Indian life and by Edward S. Curtis are recognized as one of the greatest achievements in the art of photography. He recorded traditional Indian life ta the last moment it could still be found in a complete and authentic form between 1896 and 1930. Students of photography will be awed by his accomplishments and may want to research the difficulties he encountered in his venture. “ 2) “Words spoken by selected North American Indians over a 200-year period describe their life, land, and plants and animals. Contains photographs by Edward S. Curtis, who documented the last of authentic Indian life between 1896 and 1930.”