Te Ata is a Native American movie produced by the Chickasaw Tribe and starring Q'orianka Kilcher. It tells the story of Mary Frances Thompson Fisher of Te Ata. She was introduced to the stage at college, Oklahoma College for Women through drama instructor Frances Dinsmore Davis. Here she developed her passion of being a Native American story teller. Here senior presentation was a Native American monologue. SHe spent the summer in a traveling company presenting her story. From there she went to Carnegie Institute in Pittsburg. She did go to New York and perform on Broadway. However her true love was her one-woman show in which she told Native American stories. In New York she met Dr. George Clyde Fisher who became her husband. Her father is a traditional Native American and for him it is difficult to accept his daughters goals and career, and accept her husband.
This movie is very well done. It is interesting how it approaches Native American stereotypes without being over bearing. It does this by showing a movie cartoon with caricatures of Native Americans and the reaction of Te Ata to seeing this. It also approaches the prejudice of several people, including a politician. However it shows how the Chickasaw people refused to be conquered and to lose their culture.
I highly recommend this movie, and have greatly benefitted from being introduced to the life of Te Ata. She was an incredible individual who made a difference by presented her story and telling the story of Native American people to others; especially children.
No comments:
Post a Comment