A vibrant and perceptive documentary that celerates the fiddling a dancing traditions of Native and Metis families on both sides of the U.S. and Canadian border. The fiddle was introduced to Native peoples by French fur traders in the late 1600s and by Irish and Scottish trappers, lumberjacks, and homesteaders a century later. Although Europeans in origin, the fiddling and step-dancing traditions of both Indian and mixed-blood decendants now reflect a strong Native influence and are sustained largely by Native spiritual ideals.
This remarkable film weaves music, dance, and storytelling into a compelling and entertaining experience. Viewers are guaranteed a toe-tapping good time and will come away with a greater understanding of and appreciation for a vital and unique cultural tradition.
The film features Michigan and Ontario Ojibwe, Wisconsin Menominee, Manitoba Metis, North Dakota Metis, and Ontario Ottawa fiddlers and dancers.
Awards: National Educational Film Festival Gold Apple Award Special Merit Award, American Indian Film Festival Society for Visual Anthropology honoree American Anthropological Association selection CIND Golden Eagle Award American Folklore Society honoree American Film and Video Festival honoree.
" ...proof that the Great Spirit made us all."
[Dave Brubeck]
" A beautiful study of assimilation. "
[Robert Black, Editor, Native American Quarterly]