"ABC newsman Sam Donaldson stands in front of the camera and reminds viewers: �The people you've seen and heard aren't actors. The thoughts they expressed reflect hundreds of years of separation from the land they inhabited and widely used for millennia, identifying themselves with the land as one and the same.

�They are real people.�

Donaldson serves as the narrator for �American Indian Homelands: Matters of Truth, Honor and Dignity-Immemorial.� The 78-minute film explores the loss of tribal lands through 120 years of federal policy and how the land loss affects Natives today.

The film was viewed by Natives and non-Natives before its release, drawing mixed reaction.

�The Indian focus groups that we showed it to absolutely loved it and thought every Indian should see it,� said Cris Stainbrook, president of the Indian Land Tenure Foundation in Little Canada, Minn. �They thought it should be longer.

�The non-Indian groups got a lot out of it,� Stainbrook added. �But their first question every time was, �Is this for real? Are these really facts behind this?' It's hard for people to understand how you can have an 80-acre piece of ground with thousands of owners.�"

Get the Story:
Jodi Rave: Documentary explores history, results of Native land losses (The Missoulian 7/23)

Relevant Links:
Jodi Rave - http://www.missoulian.com/jodirave

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