Indian Comics Irregular #83

With "Skins," "Christmas in the Clouds," "The Business of
Fancydancing," and "Skinwalkers" coming up, this may be a great year
for Native-themed films. But the Native movie of the year may
already be playing in art-house theaters.

"The Fast Runner (Atanarjuat)," directed by Zacharias Kunuk, is based
on an ancient folk epic. As A.O. Scott explains in the NY Times,
3/30/02:

Part of the wonder of the movies, even at this late date in their
history, lies in their ability to acquaint us with cultures and
places far removed from what we already know. The arrival of a
movie that expands the scope of our experience, that immerses us
in a radically different point of view, is always a welcome event,
and such a movie does not necessarily have to be great to be
interesting.

"The Fast Runner," however, is not merely an interesting document
from a far-off place; it is a masterpiece. Mr. Kunuk's film,
which won the Caméra d'Or for best first feature at last year's
Cannes International Film Festival, is much more than an
ethnographic curiosity. It is, by any standard, an extraordinary
film, a work of narrative sweep and visual beauty that honors the
history of the art form even as it extends its perspective.

In another article (7/14/02), Scott describes how movies can be a
powerful tool for preserving one culture and challenging another:

[Kunuk's] aim in making "The Fast Runner" was to preserve an oral
narrative tradition he believed was endangered by the integration
of Igloolik into modern Canada. "Four thousand years of oral
history silenced by 50 years of priests, schools and cable TV?" he
has written. "This death of history is happening in my lifetime."

Kunuk's attempt to keep Inuit history alive is also an exemplary
act of counterglobalization, turning the media that dissolve and
homogenize cultures into tools of cultural preservation.

Scott also notes how past stereotypes influenced Kunuk:

The director has written about his childhood exposure to John
Wayne movies and his deep alienation from them as a Native
American. In response, he has not only called into being the
first national cinema of the 21st century but also produced a
story whose primal themes and visual grandeur recall, among
other things, the great westerns of John Ford and Sergio Leone.

For more on "The Fast Runner," visit http://lot47.com/thefastrunner.

Arrow to the Sun

"Arrow to the Sun," a children's book by Gerald McDermott, is about a
Pueblo boy who seeks his father, the sun. It won a Caldecott medal
in 1975 and was made into a video with charming animation and a
catchy tune.

"An expression of the universal myth of the hero-quest, this
beautiful story also portrays the Indian reverence for the source of
life: the Solar Fire," said book distributor Ingram. "The key
reason to read this book is to see some of the most remarkable modern
renderings ever created of classic southwestern Native American
pictograms," added an Amazon.com reviewer.

I agree "Arrow to the Sun" is great. I noticed only one cultural
flaw: The mother's hair is done in traditional Hopi butterfly
whorls. In reality, this style is reserved for unmarried maidens.

9/11 Anniversary Coming Up

We're working on a 9/11 story to show how our Native characters might
have reacted to the attacks. We hope to publish it online and
reprint it in the next edition of PEACE PARTY. The script is posted
at http://www.bluecorncomics.com/pp911.htm, so check it out.

Rob Schmidt
Blue Corn Comics