The Drum

Duration: 15

Year Published: 1985

Creator: NEW DIMENSION MEDIA

Format: 16mm

Color: Color

Sound: sound

Description: This documentary records the gathering of Alaska's Native peoples at a spirit camp to re-discover a collective past, to consider the future and to join together in traditional ceremonies. To reverse the negative aspects of assimilation, tribal elders teach younger members Language and survival skills, like setting nets, cutting and drying fish and weaving baskets. They convey the significance of such rituals as the sweat lodge and talking circle. The film's centerpiece is the construction of a drum from the skin of a caribou and the singing of tribal songs.