Review: We Shall Remain January 26, 2012

If you’re looking to fill in some of your high school history curriculum’s blanks and learnabout Native American history, you could do worse than watching We Shall Remain, a 5-part series from PBS’ American Experience.

Though it originally aired in 2009, you can now watch full episodes online or download the episode transcripts on the PBS site, or download the series from iTunes.

Given the lack of accessible documentaries on Indigenous history, We Shall Remain is important. And on many levels it does a good job.

Each episode takes a crucial historical moment, starting with the first post-Mayflower conflict between the settlers and the Wampanoag, going through the struggles of Tecumseh and the Trail of Tears, and ending with the 1970s standoff at Wounded Knee. The history is given through narration (by Benjamin Bratt), reenactments, and interviews with academics specializing in Native American history and linguistics. More impressive were the many interviews with Native Americans themselves sharing oral histories, and in the case of Wounded Knee, first-hand experiences. (more…)