Into the West

[Dawgwhisperer]

Ok, I'm all caught up. I had the last two episodes on DVR and just saw them yesterday. I thought that the massacre with the shattered pictures was a great way to give a visual of how horrible it was.

Even though I knew things were inevitably gonna go bad, it was difficult to watch....more so than I anticipated. I am hoping that it is equally as vivid to anybody that watches it. Just as Spielberg had the talent to depict the atrocities of WWII in Saving Private Ryan, he is giving a "snapshot" FINALLY showing some of the uglier moments in history. Actually, I'm hoping it get's more vivid and harder to watch like in SPR and The Passion of The Christ. Sometimes it has to be visually disturbing to make the point b/cuz people don't get it otherwise. Sad, but true.

[Yaquila]

So sad

Seeing this movie makes me think how nice it was before the white man came.The way of life in those days was hard but our people were happy.I wish the white man neaver came.Once the white man came all HELL came with them.Life was neaver the same again.It makes me cry to see what the white man did to our people.Our ancestors didn't have a chance.

[Plenty Fox]

Seeing this movie makes me think how nice it was before the white man came.The way of life in those days was hard but our people were happy.I wish the white man neaver came.Once the white man came all HELL came with them.Life was neaver the same again.It makes me cry to see what the white man did to our people.Our ancestors didn't have a chance.

So, now, we must live for the present!! Be the best person you can be! Don't live in the past. Beat the odds and make something out of your life!!!

[Dawgwhisperer]

Seeing this movie makes me think how nice it was before the white man came.The way of life in those days was hard but our people were happy.I wish the white man neaver came.Once the white man came all HELL came with them.Life was neaver the same again.It makes me cry to see what the white man did to our people.Our ancestors didn't have a chance.

Can't change the past, but we can make people aware in the present and possibly appreciate life and people more in the future....

[Plenty Fox]

Quote from Joseph Marshall, Lakota author and educator:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

"Indian history is like a song with many voices. It is time for Arapaho history to be told by the Arapahos and for the Lakota, Crow, <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cheyenne</st1:place></st1:City>, Arikara, Blackfeet, and so on to be told by members of those tribes. But we Indians must not tell our stories simply to vent anger, cause guilt, or generally to beat others with the bloody stump of the past. We must tell our stories to serve a purpose, to add them to the reality of the human history of this continent. In short, everyone must realize that without Indian histories, the human history of this continent is not complete."<o:p></o:p>

The Land<o:p></o:p>

"The soil you see is not ordinary soil. It is the dust of the blood of the flesh and bones of our ancestors. We fought and bled and died to keep other Indians from taking it and fought and bled and died helping the whites. You will have to dig through the surface before you can find the earth, as the upper portion is Crow. The land as it is, is my blood and my dead; it is consecrated, and I don't want to give up any portion of it." <o:p></o:p>

---Curly, Crow Scout for Custer,
speaking at a council considering sale
of Crow land, 1907<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

[txsndn7]

I agree with Sky. The truth must be put out there; and despite certain inaccuracies we've seen Spielberg has the ability to REACH his audience and the way he portrayed the massacre with the cracked photos had to have been burned into the brain of those watching. These were REAL people, Sand Creek and Wa*sh*t*a DID happen. Most non-Native people I've spoken to really have no idea about the repeated atrocities committed against our People; nor do they understand the anti-Indian mentality of the times. This show serves all of it up. I cried during that whole scene and really felt drained when the show was done.

Plenty, i agree with you totally, the fetterman fight was true to form as well. I have been telling these "stories" truths to my in-laws for twenty years. They all said "that's not what is in my history book, couldn't be true"- well, now i say to them- booyah-. I totally lost my composure watching the battle of Wa****a. I firmly believe that the more people thats made aware of the atrocities that has been committed against native peoples-the less republicans we will have.
wado
E

[orangepridendns1]

We too have been watching this series with baited breath- watching, learning, listening, remebering things that have been passed down. It has been powerful to watch in spite of inaccuaracies and as many have said we hope this will be a tool that will open the eyes and let the stories of our ancestors finally be heard as truth to more than just the native community. We have been watching the show and decided that we were interested in reading the book as well. It was a quick read- less than 300 pages and much of the book has been presented in the series. I am looking forward to seeing the remaining shows, though I know that they too will affect me and that it is important for this to be seen. Just my thoughts....
OP1

[Plenty Fox]

Plenty, i agree with you totally, the fetterman fight was true to form as well. I have been telling these "stories" truths to my in-laws for twenty years. They all said "that's not what is in my history book, couldn't be true"- well, now i say to them- booyah-. I totally lost my composure watching the battle of Wa****a. I firmly believe that the more people thats made aware of the atrocities that has been committed against native peoples-the less republicans we will have.
wado
E

Did you say "Guess who wrote the history books?"

Yeah, I'm so tired of hearing about how the White's were massacred, the glorious Bozeman Trail, etc... http://www.bozemantrail.org/newsnotes.html


postscript....okay, see that chainsaw skeleton? twice now I've inserted the old bearded man in the wheelchair, I've SEEN it. Then when I go to save my post to this thread it gets replaced by the chainsaw skeleton. WTF?

[Plenty Fox]

We have been watching the show and decided that we were interested in reading the book as well. It was a quick read- less than 300 pages and much of the book has been presented in the series.

Yeah, the book was no great literary masterpiece, but I picked it up just for grins.

[orangepridendns1]

Definitely not a literary masterpiece, but it was a good read....I was dissapointed at the end in not knowing where some of the characters ended up..it left me wishing the author had followed through a little bit more on some of the people....I was laughing as I read and noticed exactly how much of the books dialogue, language, etc were almost verbatim in the series so I guess that there wasn't a huge effort made into the screen play part...We'll keep watching though and it will probably be something we continue to talk about with our family and friends...

[orangepridendns1]

Interesting Information?????

http://www.maxmccoy.com/itw.htm

Into the West -- novelization May 2005; miniseries June 2005

Award-winning author Max McCoy writes the novelization for Steven Spielberg's epic television miniseries, which is the most ambitious original production TNT has ever undertaken.

From the TNT Into the West website:

The story of the opening of the American West is given epic treatment in Turner Network Television (TNT)'s 12-hour original limited series INTO THE WEST, produced by TNT in association with DreamWorks Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg. This dramatic tale of the adventurous exploration of the American wilderness, the clash of two cultures, the rush to riches in a new land and the building of a new civilization features a starring cast headed by Matthew Settle (U-571, Band of Brothers); Skeet Ulrich (Miracles, As Good as It Gets); Michael Spears (Dances with Wolves, TNT's Broken Chain); Tonantzin Carmelo (King Rikki, 187 Shadow Lane); George Leach (DreamKeeper, After the Harvest); and Zahn McClarnon (TNT's Crazy Horse and Cooperstown).

Currently shooting in Calgary and New Mexico, INTO THE WEST is slated to premiere on TNT in June 2005. Darryl Frank (Taken, Las Vegas) and Justin Falvey (Las Vegas), co-heads of DreamWorks Television, serve as co-executive producers, along with William Mastrosimone (Sinatra, The Burning Season), who also wrote the overall story for the series and the scripts for three of its installments. INTO THE WEST is produced by David A. Rosemont, executive producer of TNT's Purgatory and Emmy-winning Door to Door.

"INTO THE WEST is the most ambitious original production TNT has ever undertaken," said Michael Wright, senior vice president of original programming for TNT. "Producing something of this size and complexity would be impossible without the amazing talents and passionate hard work of those who are bringing it to life. We are fortunate to have some of the most talented people in the industry working on what we believe will be the television event of the year."

INTO THE WEST follows two multi-generational families, one settlers and the other Native American, each telling the dramatic stories of the development of the West from their distinct points of view. One family is the Wheeler clan, a Virginia family of wheelwrights making their trek westward. The other family is a plains Native American family hailing from the Lakota tribe. Throughout the series, the two families will experience the historical and cultural events that led to an epic clash of culture, often coming in contact with notable figures and events from the era.




So I guess that the author just wrote the book based upon the screen play and someone else's story- if I read this article correctly.......just thought this was interesting information to share...

[Dawgwhisperer]

Plenty.......thought I'd try the "old man in the wheelchair" trick.....

Also, forgive my ignorance, but I have a ? What is "wa*sh*t*a ?

[urbandn]

I agree that while the movie is not entirely accurate with many things, it does give people a look at what truly happened--the bad communication with the 'interpreters', the need to kill Indians so that troops continued to have work. The scene that covered the Sand Creek Massacre was almost too much to take. When the soldier knelt to shoot the baby laying next to his dead mother was surely an impact on many.
The school system does not have history books, but history stories that suit what they want the people to believe.

[Plenty Fox]

Plenty.......thought I'd try the "old man in the wheelchair" trick.....

Also, forgive my ignorance, but I have a ? What is "wa*sh*t*a ?

WASH
ITA

put it together...a massacre of NDNs at its' finest....Sand Creek, WA****A, Big Hole, Milk River.....

[Plenty Fox]

http://www.maxmccoy.com/itw.htm

Into the West -- novelization May 2005; miniseries June 2005

So I guess that the author just wrote the book based upon the screen play and someone else's story- if I read this article correctly.......just thought this was interesting information to share...

You are correct. The screenplay came first, McCoy came along and 'wrote' a novella to go with it.