NCJ Number
70240
Date Published
1976
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Beginning with the description of American Indians as a people hidden from public view and public conscience, the film explores cases defended by the Native American Indian Rights Fund (NARF), an organization begun in 1970.
Abstract
Issues of Indian rights explored by the fund include bilingual education; the right to freedom of religion, particularly in prisons; and water and fishing rights. Different Indian tribes are shown in varied situations. The Menominee in Wisconsin are engaged in the recovery of reservation land. The Paiute at Pyramid Lake, Nevada, set a legal precedent by suing a water diversion project that killed a number of fish. The fact that Indians make up a significant part of the prison population is emphasized, as is the need to sensitize prison officials to the Indians' unique cultural needs. Conditions at the Nebraska State Prison are discussed in particular to illustrate this need. The film also discusses the Native American Natural Resource Development Federation, which is concerned with natural resources on Indian reservations, and the suits pending in Maine for recovery of land by the Passamaquoddy and Peneobscot Indians.