266 years ago, New England colonists were legally allowed to kill Penobscot people
“Things like this live in the collective consciousness of the community,” Adam Mazo said. “We deserve to know the full truth of our history.”
“Difficult conversations are exactly that — difficult. But, more often than not, they are vital to have, so that all parties involved can learn, atone, heal and grow.
That’s one of the reasons why Maulian Dana, Dawn Neptune Adams and Tim Shay, all members of the Penobscot Nation, decided to collaborate with the filmmakers at the Upstander Project on a short film, “Bounty,” that details one of countless painful chapters in the history of Indigenous people in North America.
“Bounty,” available to watch for free online at bountyfilm.org, shows Dana, Adams and Shay reading aloud to their children the Phips Proclamation of 1755, one of the dozens of government-issued bounty proclamations that directed colonial settlers to hunt, scalp and kill Indigenous people for money.”
Continue reading at Bangor Daily News.
The View From Here: Native history is American history
“In “Bounty,” Dawn Neptune Adams, another co-director, tells about the scientific research that suggests that traumatic events can change DNA, leaving traits that are passed from one generation to the next. The terror of being hunted like an animal could be part of their descendants’ consciousness, whether they know the story or not.”
“When you walk on the Freedom Trail in Boston, the line between the present and the past can get hazy.
Stand on the corner where British soldiers fired on an angry mob, or sit in a pew at the Old North Church, you realize that the Boston Massacre and the midnight ride of Paul Revere are not just stories in books, but also messy events involving real people whose choices still affect our lives today.
One stop on the tour is the Old State House, which the guides will tell you is the oldest public building in Boston and was once the seat of power for the king’s vast New England holdings.”
Continue reading at Central Maine and The Portland Press Herald.
Indigenous film+ online 2021
“Unique in the US, Maine’s Peace and Reconciliation aims to heal the results of damaging policies of foster care of Indian children. Independent Lens”
“MORE ONLINE for NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
Why not take time to watch Native American film productions and to talk about what you watched with family and friends. This month some major features and numerous outstanding short films—genres include documentary, fiction, and experimental media— mostly streaming for free. Go to the online film festivals or link to PBS, Vision Maker Media, or the National Portrait Gallery. These are varied works, but they frame issues, and accomplishments, and histories in unique ways that reveal the special outlooks and contemporary presence of Native Americans and Alaska Natives and other Indigenous peoples in Canada, Australia, New Zealand/Aotearoa, South Africa, Mexico, Peru and Sapmi in Arctic Europe.”
Continue reading at Indian Country Today.
New film “Bounty” shifts documentary filmmaking by centering Indigenous voices
A review and interview with Adam Mazo, Dawn Neptune Adams, Maulian Dana and Carmella Bear.
“Documentary filmmakers at the Upstander Project have become deeply committed to a different way of filmmaking, according to the Boston-based nonprofit’s co-founder and director Adam Mazo. Central to that mission is overcoming indifference to social injustice by creating compelling documentary films that center the voices of those most impacted to reach the heart of social issues. The accompanying learning resources distributed alongside the film are part of a broad impact strategy that contextualizes the films for educators and general audiences while pointing them toward action-oriented campaigns for social change.”
Continue reading at The Scope Boston.
Maulian Dana interviewed on Downton with Rich Kimball
Listen to filmmaker Maulian Dana talk with Rich Kimball about Bounty and other Upstander Project films.
“Maulian Dana joined us on today’s show to discuss the new documentary, BOUNTY.”
Listen at WZON.
November is Native American Heritage Month
For Native American Heritage Month, NEPM offers a diverse collection of programs on TV, radio and online, including Dawnland.
“November is Native American Heritage Month — a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to honor the important contributions of Native people. It’s also a time to acknowledge the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges. NEPM is committed to inclusion and representation in media. For Native American Heritage Month, we offer a diverse collection of programs on TV, radio and online. Enjoy!”
Continue reading at NEPM.
Dawnland LIVE Q&A Event
Maine-Wabanaki REACH and Upstander Project present the Emmy Award winning film DAWNLAND + live Q&A
“Maine-Wabanaki REACH and Upstander Project present the Emmy Award winning film DAWNLAND + live Q&A
Watch the film on Thursday, November 12 at 9:00 pm on Maine Public Television and then join an online discussion HERE.
About this Event:
Presented by Maine-Wabanaki REACH and Upstander Project
For decades, child welfare authorities have been removing Native American children from their homes to save them from being Indian. In Maine, the first official "truth and reconciliation commission" in the United States begins a historic investigation.
DAWNLAND goes behind-the-scenes as this historic body grapples with difficult truths, redefines reconciliation, and charts a new course for state and tribal relations.”
Continue reading at Maine Public.
DAWNLAND
Dawnland airs on Maine Public TV with live Q&A.
“Follow the first government-sanctioned truth and reconciliation commission in the United States as contemporary Wabanaki communities in Maine witness intimate, sacred moments of truth-telling and healing. With exclusive access to this groundbreaking process and never-before-seen footage, the film reveals the untold narrative of Indigenous child removal in the United States.
Participate in a live Q & A with the DAWNLAND producers on Thursday Nov. 12 immediately following the broadcast. Details HERE.
For most of the 20th century, government agents systematically forced Native American children from their homes and placed them with white families.”
Continue reading at Maine Public.