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Begin your experience at the Ziibiwing Center with one of our insightful and educational videos. For information about how to integrate a video into your next meeting or tour.
Please contact the Visitors Services Coordinator at 989-775-4750.

Ojibwe Waasa Inaabidaa We Look In All Directions Series (6 total):

Is a powerful in-depth portrayal of the second largest tribe in North America, The Anishinabe/Ojibwe (Chippewa) nation of the upper Great Lakes Region. The six-part series invites viewers through a portal of rich historical and contemporary scenes based on six main themes of Ojibwe life and culture from pre-contact to contemporary times.

Gikinoo'amaadiwin We Gain Knowledge (about education)

Explores the connection between the traditional Anishinabe/Ojibwe family structure and how individuals acquire knowledge through the four phases of life. This program presents powerful scenes from pre-contact traditional learning through the fur-trade era, land loss, permanent reservations, boarding schools and education reforms to contemporary tribal schools and colleges.

Gaa Miinigooyang That Which is Given To Us (about economic survival)

Explores the traditional Anishinabe/Ojibwe subsistence lifestyle based on the seasonal cycle and the belief that the individual is dependent on the group, the group is dependent on nature and nature is dependent upon the supernatural. Learn about the effects of treaties, land loss, relocation, economic reforms, self-determination, and modern Ojibwe economic systems.

Gakina Awiiya - We Are All Related (about the environment)

Learn about the Anishinabe/Ojibwe relationship with the land. This relationship is based on respect, sharing, humility, and responsibility. Explore the effects on the Ojibwe people of treaties, land loss, allotment, and the reaffirmation of treaty rights today.

Gwayakochigewin - Making Decisions the Right Way (about leadership and governance)

This video portrays the Anishinabe/Ojibwe decision-making process, emphasizing the roles of the individual in relationship to the family, the community, the clan, and the Creator. Learn about traditional Ojibwe organization as sovereign bands led by headman, councils of elders and spiritual leaders, to the effects of the fur trade, land cession treaties, reservations, the Indian Reorganization Act and self-determination on the decision- making process.

Ojibwemowin - Ojibwe Oral Tradition (about language)

This video explains the importance of the Anishinabe/Ojibwe language, its near disappearance and its renewal today. Learn about the rich oral tradition of storytelling, the beauty of the language, the assault on Ojibwe language, and the dynamic people and methods working to preserve the language for future generations.

Bimaadiziwin - A Healthy Way of Life (about health)

This video explores the Anishinabe/Ojibwe belief that a healthy way of life requires maintaining a balance between mental, physical, spiritual and emotional aspects of a person. This program traces traditional medicine ways through the impact of European systems, epidemics, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, the Indian Child Welfare Act, self-determination, the modern use of traditional medicine, and tribal clinics of today.

Where the Spirit Lives-96 min (high school, college/university, adult)

In 1937, a young First Nations (Canadian native) girl named Ashtecome is kidnapped along with several other children from a village as part of a deliberate Canadian policy to force First Nations children to abandon their culture in order to be assimilated into white Canadian/British society. She is taken to a boarding school where she is forced to adopt Western Euro-centric ways and learn English, often under brutal treatment. Only one sympathetic white teacher who is more and more repelled by this bigotry offers her any help from among the staff. That, with her force of will, Ashtecome (forced to take the name Amelia) is determined to hold on to her identity and that of her siblings, who were also abducted.

Ojibwe Music-30 minutes (all ages)

"Indian music is the first music of this part of the world. It is the original folk music of America. The sound of the music is the sound of creation itself." Eddie Benton-Banai, Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Wisconsin Public Television.

The Education of Little Tree-1hr 57min. (all ages)

Paramount Pictures presents James Cromwell (Babe) stars in this heartwarming adaptation of the acclaimed best-seller about and eight-year-old Cherokee boy in Tennessee's Smoky Mountains during the 1930s. That boy is Little Tree (Joseph Ashton), sent to live with his mountain-dwelling grandparents after the loss of his mother and father. It's the beginning of a new life for Little Tree, filled with joy, discovery, setbacks, triumphs, and good friends like mystical Cherokee seer Willow John (Graham Greene). Life is hard during the depression, but for Little Tree it's and unforgettable time of growing up.

Into the Circle-58 min. (all ages)

Long before this land was called America, native people danced in a circle around the drum for celebration, fellowship, renewal, and healing.

From many individual tribal ceremonies and songs has come the contemporary powwow, an Indian gathering of many tribes. Oklahoma, the original Indian Territory, is still home to more Native Americans and more tribes than any other state. It's an ideal location to see the widest array of dancers, singers, and regalia.

This hour long video is a colorful and informative guide on how best to enjoy attending a powwow.

Featuring experts of dancers across Oklahoma, you'll see the vitality and variety that make the powwow something special. Slow motion sequences of national champions show the grace, power, and intricate steps of dance styles.

Interviews with tribal elders, dancers and singers will help you know what to look and listen for. Historic photographs and eye witness accounts will relate how the powwow began and how it is still evolving. A written guide will help you find the dates and locations of powwows throughout Oklahoma.

In The Light Of Reverence-73 min. (high school, college/university, adult)

Across the USA, Native Americans are struggling to protect their sacred places. Religious freedom, so valued in America, is not guaranteed to those who practice land-based religion. Every year, more sacred sites- the land-based equivalent of the world's great cathedrals- are being destroyed. Strip mining and development cause much of the destruction. But rock climbers, tourists, and New Age religious practitioners are part of the problem, too. The biggest problem is ignorance.

In the light of the Reverence tells the story of three indigenous communities and the lands they struggle to protect: the Lakota of the Great Plains, the Hopi of the Four Corners area, and the Wintu of northern California.

Lighting the 7th Fire- 48 min. (high school, college/university, adult)

A Chippewa prophecy foretells a time called the 7th fire, when lost traditions will be recovered. Native American filmmaker Sandra Osawa examines how the Chippewa Indians of Northern Wisconsin have struggled to restore the centuries old tradition of spear-fishing and the heated opposition they have encountered.

Medicine Fiddle- 81 min. (high school, college/university, adult)

Fiddlers and dancers from Native and Métis families of the northern United States and Canada star in this documentary (1991). The fiddle was introduced to native peoples by French fur traders in the late 1600s and by Irish, Scottish, and Scots-Irish trappers, lumberjacks, and homesteaders in the 1700's. Over the past two centuries, this music has become deeply embedded in the cultural memory of mixed-blood descendants. Some of the music has acquired a Native sound, while an underworld of Native mythology sustains and interprets it. The film weaves tunes, dance, and oral history to join our minds and hearts and to make us aware of our connection to a much older and broader vision of America.

The Buffalo War- 57 min. (Grades 7-12)

The Buffalo War is the moving story of the Native Americans, ranchers, government officials, and environmental activists currently battling over the yearly slaughter of America's last wild bison. Yellowstone National Park bison stray from the park in the winter are routinely rounded up and sent to slaughter by agents of Montana's Department of Livestock, who fear the migrating animals will transmit the disease brucellosis to cattle, despite the federal Department of Agriculture's urging that this is unlikely.

This film explores the controversial killing by joining a 500-mile spiritual march across Montana by Lakota Sioux Indians who object to the slaughter. Led by Lakota elder Rosalie Little Thunder, the marchers express their cultural connection to bison and display the power of tradition and sacrifice.

Woven into the film are the civil disobedience and video activism of an environmental group trying to save the buffalo, as well as the concerns of a ranching family caught in the cross-fire.

Voices of the Land- 26 min. (high school, college/university, adult)

From Christopher McLeod (Downwind/Downstream, The Four Corners, and In The Light of Reverence) comes this short film dealing with our spiritual connection to the land.

Through interviews with a southern Ute elder in Colorado, Native Hawaiians protesting geothermal energy development in the rainforest home of the goddess Pele, and Dave Forman, co-founder of Earth First, the film explores why certain places are held to be sacred and how wilderness can reconnect us to our place in the larger scheme of things.

Chief Seattle- 57 min. (Grades 10-12)

Chief Seattle brings to life the legendary Puget Sound leader who welcomed the Americans to settle on the land that now bears his name. The film recounts the known facts of Seattle's life, casts a fresh light on the controversy over the famous speech attributed to him, and ultimately challenges viewers to reflect on our country and the history of its treatment of native peoples.

Viewers are taken on a chronological journey from Seattle's birth in the 1780s to his death in 1866 - a period of cataclysmic change for the First People of Puget Sound.

Seattle's life story

serves as a window into this hidden history - from the epidemics that decimated the native population in the 1700's to the displacement and survival of Duwamish people who became refugees in their traditional homeland.

In Our Own Backyards- 29 min. (Grades 7-Adult)

Uranium is a radioactive element which serves as the fuel for atomic weapons and nuclear power plants. So far, this precious mineral has been mined mostly in the Southwest, on and around the Navajo Indian Reservation, but attempts have been made recently to mine in Vermont, New Jersey, and Virginia. The mining and milling of uranium involves the stripping of vast areas of land, reduction of water tables, and the creation of huge amounts of radioactive waste. In Our Own Backyards explores the impact of the process on the environment and the health of the workers and nearby residents.

Baked Alaska- 26 min. (Grades 7-12)

Temperatures in Alaska are rising ten times faster than in the rest of the world. President Bush is ignoring the warning signs; he pulled out of Kyoto and now he wants to open a wild life refuge for oil drilling. Native Alaskans are divided. The Inupiat Eskimos want the jobs and the money, but the Gwitchin Indians fear it will destroy their reindeer. Alaska is rich from oil, but each barrel sent south comes back as damage to the delicate balance of Arctic life.

The Four Corners- 58 min. (high school, college/university, adult)

This renowned documentary examines the social, cultural, and environmental impact of energy development in the Southwest. The film takes its title from a National Academy of Sciences report which concludes that strip-mining in the fragile arid environment could permanently damage the land resulting in "National Sacrifice Areas." The film explores the hidden cost of uranium mining and milling, coal strip-mining, and synthetic fuels development in the "Golden Circle of National Parks." - The homeland of Hopi, Navajo, and Mormon cultures.

The Gift of the Little People (Pre-school, elementary)

Viewers young and old will delight in this mystical Native American Mohegan tale from a time when the Earth was pure and magical creatures called Little People populated the forests. But, when the arrival of the Europeans threatens the well being of the Earth, Little People Elder Granny Squannit falls ill. Follow Mohegan Medicine Woman Martha Uncas as she is called upon to cure Granny Squannit, and restore balance to the Earth. Join the warrior Weegan and his comical nephew Bent Feather as they escort Martha on an epic journey to the underground village of the Little People. But wait…Martha isn't the only human that visits.

Fancy Dance-30 min. (For all ages)

The old people call it the crazy dance…Born in the Southern Plains, its color, power, and excitement have become the highlight of the modern powwow.

• Tribal Elders tell the history of the fancy war dance
• Learn about a fancy dancer's outfit and how to wear it correctly
• Meet the championship dancers and the singers who create the music
• See the championship dance contests with close-ups of footwork

NOKOMIS - Voices of Anishinabe Grandmothers

The World of American Indian Dance

This video is narrated By Peter Coyote - A compelling story of tradition and spirituality.The beauty, artistry, athleticism, and competition of Native American dance are illustrated dramatically in The World of American Indian Dance. The one-hour documentary highlights the many dance styles incorporated into the culture from various Native American tribes and nations.

How to Dance Native American Style - Beginning Steps A perfect tape for beginners!

• Learn the parts of a war dance song.
• Master the basic step for men and women.
• How to dance "on the song".

Jingle Dress

See champion dances at Northern Pow wow contests.

• Featuring competition steps: Straight and Side.
• Enjoy the beautiful out-fits close-up.
• Learn how to make and attach cone jungles.
• Discover the history and evolution of the dance.

Mino Bimaadiziwin - The Good Life (with Teaching Guide)

This video is an integrated unit of study for Grades 7, 8, and 9.

Animals of the Wild

(with Teaching Guide - Animals in Their Habitat)

Brother Eagle, Sister Sky

(with Teaching Guide)

The Rice Dancer

(with Teaching Guide - Fall/Wild Rice)

What's In It for Me?