Educational Media Reviews Online

Experienced Native American filmmaker Sterlin Harjo here presents multiple stories. One is his own family history via snapshots, videos, and interviews, especially concerning the search for the body of his grandfather, missing after a car accident decades ago. At the same time his focus is on music, specifically Muscogee (Creek) language hymns sung a cappella in unison in Oklahoma’s Native American Protestant churches. Professor Hugh Foley, who graduated from Muskogee High School and has researched and written about Oklahoma music, provides both personal and scholarly perspectives on how these songs originated. Their entangled roots are grounded in Scottish missionary hymnals, African-American spirituals, and Seminole ceremonial musical tradition, justifying the film’s subtitle: “Stories of America’s First Music.” Another theme throughout the film is the place of music in community-building and the elders’ concern for whether these old-timer songs will remain important to future generations who may turn away from a religious history tied to maltreatment of native peoples. Plenty of musical pieces, many heartfelt comments from singers, and a website with extra features offer much solid information. However, the storytelling pace here is leisurely and general adults may have difficulty understanding some of the speakers (closed captions would have helped). Collegiate ethnomusicology students may be the main audience but this would also be a good program for an interfaith gathering interested in enlightening congregants about Native American Christian traditions.