Educational Media Reviews Online

After watching this video you can’t help but like Winona LaDuke. She is intelligent, passionate, down-to-earth, and sincere. Her causes make sense for her people.

Speaking before the United Nations in 1976 when she was an undergraduate at Harvard Winona LaDuke began her life as a public activist for Indian land and environmental issues. Since then she has written a successful first novel Last Woman Standing; acts as a spokesperson for Native American economic and environmental issues; teaches courses at the University of Minnesota; writes articles; administers the White Earth Land Recovery Project; has been a vice presidential candidate on the Green Party ticket with Ralph Nader, twice; and is dedicated to her children and family. She is described as ‘a woman in motion, a woman with a mission,’ by photographer Dick Bancroft. She inherited her zeal for her heritage from her mother and Ojibwe father, both social activists in the sixties. The film takes us to Winona’s home on the White Earth Reservation and engages us in the many activities of her busy life. She speaks of the loss of Native American land, of the genocide of the buffalo, and the American Indian, and questions why the white man names important things after notorious characters. We see the lakes of Minnesota and watch the harvesting of wild rice. Winona advocates for the self reliance so vital to the renewed pride in Native American culture. Winona’s new slogan is “wind not war.” If you haven’t met Winona yet this is a good introduction to her and the issues she is passionate about. She makes sense, is convincing, and in this video very likeable. Thunderbird Woman is an interesting and educational film about an important and special woman.