| Inhalt | "One village, one tribe, one nation. Cape Flattery, the most northwestern point of the USA, is where the Makah Indians live. They call this place one of the 'four corners of the world' and have been living here for more than two thousand years in the midst of an enormously rich and varied natural environment. In the past, they used to hunt whale and seal, but nowadays they fish for salmon and halibut off the rugged pacific coast. The ocean is still their main source of food and livelihood. As a Makah saying has it, "When the tide comes in, the table is laid". This small ethnic group now has only 1200 members, most of whom live in Neah Bay, the last remaining village and port on the Makah Indian reservation. The Makah, too, were and continue to be threatened by the encroachment of US Americans and their way of life. Compulsory Christianisation and schooling, greed for the many coveted objects on the land, in the forests and in the sea, new, unknown diseases, alcohol as well as opportunism on their own part have decimated, demoralised and fragmented their people over the last 150 years. Frank Smith, a 74-year-old woodcarver and fisherman, does not join in the festivities. After 20 years of silence, he is now intent on passing on his knowledge of the traditional Indian way of life to the younger generations. The ancient and almost extinct tradition of canoe-building plays a key role in that endeavor. The canoe, hollowed out from the sacred cedar tree, was among the most important objects for the Indians of the northwest coast and a symbol for their continued survival. There are no longer many Makah Indians who are as undeterred as Frank in their will to assert their own cultural identity. A meeting with him and the others who still have or are now discovering the strength and energy to strenghten the group, provides a glimpse of the new Indian movement that is spreading across the entire American continent. The end of the film documents and encounter with whales such as the Makah have not had for many years. "When the canoes return, so will the whales", says Frank." (Quelle: Datenbank Göttingen Ethnographic Film Festival) |