Spilyay tymoo., June 13, 1980, Page 10, Image 10

Spilyay Tymoo
June 13,1980 Page 11
“ HantoYo” protest grows, ABC may scrap series
by Nancy Butterfield
of The Indian Voice
“The protest mounted by
Sioux trib al leaders and
scholars against Ruth Beebe
Hill’s “Hanta Yo” gathered
m o m e n tu m la st m o n th ,
attracting the attention not
only of the national media, but
of ABC—TV executives as
well.
The best selling novel,
published by Doubleday in
1979 portrays the lives of
several generations of Sioux
families from 1750 to 1835. It
has been billed as “the story of
the American Indian told for
the first time from the inside,”
and promotional literature is
replete with claims of the
books’s “authenticity.” ABC’s
David Wolper, who plans to
produce a TV mini-series of
Hanta Yo, has likened it to “the
Indian version of Roots.”
Sioux linguists and scholars
have identified num erous
errors in the translation of
language, the depiction of the
social and political organi­
zation of the tribe, and the
interpretation of metaphysical
concepts.
But probably the passages in
the book which Sioux people
find most offensive are the
descriptions (p. 89) of a Lakota
w o m a n c o n s u m in g th e
afterbirth of her newborn baby,
and the so-called “ Ceazin
Ceremony” (oral homosexual
acts involving male tribal
members) which is described
on p. 313.
A review of the book
prepared by the Lakota Studies
Department of Sinte Gleska
College, R osebud, South
Dakota, states that consuming
of the afterbirth by the mother
is “not a part of the normal
Lakota way of bringing a child
into this world. In fact, the
substance that accompanies the March 1980) disproving his their offices were deluged with
mail from tribal councils,
baby at birth was buried, claim to have had no white
Indian individuals and non-
burned, or placed someplace contact until age 12 or 13.
In d ia n s u p p o r t g ro u p s ,
where it was not disturbed by Guillen also received letters
expressing alarm and outrage
animals. To handle it in any .from the University of Kansas
other way is to invite personal and Northwestern University that “Hanta Yo” would be
televised.
tragedy. The consumption of in Illinois indicating that,
the afterbirth by a Lakota c o n tra ry to B la c k sm ith ’s
A BC e x e c u tiv e s a n d
mother is definitely not an biographical statement, he had attorneys agreed to meet with
a u th e n tic or tra d itio n a l , received no degrees from either Sioux leaders to discuss the
practice. ”
in s titu tio n . And G uillen proposed series, and according
Regarding the “ Ceazin obtained confirm ation of to Archambault, “they offered
Ceremony,” the Sinte Gleska Blacksmith’s 1932 .robbery us a number of compromises,
review says, “in the minds and conviction and subsequent including air time on TV talk
memories of the Lakota people prison sentence from Yankton shows to present our objections
we interviewed, this ceremony County, South Dakota, which to the book and membership
is non-existent. If it ever had been first discovered by on an advisory board to work
existed, then it happened with a The Indian Voice.
with producers and directors of
so cially d e v ia n t perso n .
D o n n a J o y N ew m an, the movie.
S o cially d ev ia n t perso n s Chicago Tribune reported,
“ But we presented a unified
neither were honored, nor, published similar findings in front, and told them we are
would a ceremony ever be her April 3 article, which irrevocably com m itted to
allowed for them.”
articulated the concerns of having the filming stopped.”
Outraged at what they feel is Sioux people who are trying to
A rc h a m b a u lt, w ho is
the blatant exploitation of their keep “ H a n to Y o” from
history and culture for profit, becoming a nationwide TV receiving some financial help
from M arlon Brando to
Sioux Tribal Councils, organi­ mini-series.
organize opposition to “ Hanta
zations and individuals have
And finally, Time Magazine Yo” nationwide, appeared at a
passed form al resolutions published
article in press conference in Seattle May
condemning the book and the its M ay a full-page
5 issue w hich 1. Held at Daybreak Star
proposed TV series.
A number of large-city daily concluded “(ABC’s David) C e n te r, H e a d q u a rte rs of
new spapers have recently Wolper, who sees a golden United Indians of All Tribes
picked up the story. While most television property turning to F o u n d a t i o n , th e p re s s
lead, has proposed setting up a conference featured a panel of
have reported merely on local
advisory board. For the distinguished Sioux scholars,
demonstrations as a news Sioux
that is not enough: at in c lu d in g V ine D e lo ria ,
event, others, notably the lobbyists,
week’s end . they were still
Seattle Times and the Chicago demanding that the TV project attorney and author of “Custer
Died for Your Sins,” JoAllyn
Tribune, have provided in-
Archambault; Victor Douville,
depth coverage of the issues be killed.”
This is, according to Jo Allyn C hairm an of the L akota
and personalities involved.
In a copyrighted front page Archambault, a Sioux P.H.D. Studies departm ent; Sinte
article May 1, Tomas Guillen candidate at Berkeley, the only Gleska College, R osebud,
of the Seattle Times supported solution which is acceptable to S o u th D a k o ta ; R o b e rta
Wilson, Director of the Tribal
th e fin d in g s of In d ia n the Sioux people.
A d m in istra tio n P ro g ra m ,
investigators who found the
A rcham bault, who has
background of Hill’s Sioux worked nonstop to organize University of W ashington;
c o l l a b o r a t o r , “ C h u n k s a oppostion to “ Hanto Yo” since Dale Running Bear, authority
Yuha,” (Lorenzo Blacksmith) the book’s first appearence, has on the Lakota and Dakota
to be grossly misrepresented.
been present at several recent languages; and K atherine
Guillen, at the insistence of meetings with ABC executives, O n e ita , c o m m u n ic a tio n s
his ed ito r, independently David W olper and Stan director for UIATF.
obtained docum entation of Marguilies.
In her opening statement,
Blacksmith’s boarding school
Network officials began to which was carried by all three
records, (see The Indian Voice, take the protests seriously after of Seattle’s network stations,
Archambault said, “This book
has been reviewed by a wide
range of Lakota scholars and
traditional people and judged
erroneous and misleading. In
every instance, Sioux people
who are knowledgeable about
their culture, history and
language find the book's
portrayal to be insulting,
offensive, pornographic, and
occasionally pathetic.
We
think that Ruth Beebe Hill has
used the Sioux people as a
screen on which to project her
own sexual fantasies and
intellectual speculations.”
The opposition to “ Hanta
Yo” has had some interesting
results. While David Wolper
initially lauded the book as “the
most definitive work on the
American Indian ever written”
he now says he regards it as “a
good fictional novel”, and
insists that his film would rely
on the book for only about 10%
of its content.
Hill herself, who has been
contacted by a number of
reporters for comments on the
controversy which surround.s
her book, has referred inquiries
to Blacksmith, who does not
answer his telephone or return
the calls.
Informed sources have told
us that, following a May 12
meeting with more Sioux
leaders, David Wolper has
decided to postpone produc­
tion of “Hanta Yo” film
until 1981. There is confusion
however, about the significance
of that decision.
As Celia Thomas, Indian
education director for the
Tacoma area express it, “we
don’t know if he’s trying ease
his way out ot an agreement
with Hill, or if he hopes that by
putting it off for a while, we
will all forget about it and go
;away.”
" .
Antl-“Hanto Yo” resolution proposed
Indian multi-media association close to being formed
Two hundred and fifty
Indian media professionals
g a t h e r e d a t A n a h e im ,
California for the fourth
A nn u al N a tio n a l M edia
Conference on May 12-14, to
exchange ideas and to explore
current Indian media policies.
P a r tic ip a n ts cam e fro m
Alaska, Canada and inland
United States.
William E. Hallett, BIA
Commissioner, W ashington,
D.C. was keynote speaker for
the co n feren ce w hich is
sponsored by the N ative
American Public Broadcasting
Consortium, Lincoln, N.E. and
by the American Indian Film
Institute, Culver City, C.A.
Frank Blythe and Michael
S m ith a n n o u n c e d t h a t
Albuquerque, N.M. is the
tentative site for next year’s
conference. Blythe is Executive
Director of NAPBC. Smith is
President of AIFI.
The conference is the only
national meeting which draws
In d ia n p ress, film , an d
broadcast personnel together
at the same time, notes Laurell
Schuerman, NAPBC Assistant
Director.
N IM C IV c o n fe re n c e
participants took a step toward
formalizing an Indian multi-
media association when the
closing conference assembly
passed a resolution establishing
an ad hoc committee to study
formation of an Indian media
association to encompass all of
North America.
A separate organization
■‘AIRS’’-American Intertribal
Radio Society-was chartered at
the meeting. Plans for that
group were formulated earlier
this spring at the National
Public Radio conference in
Kansas City.
In o th e r m a tte rs, the
conference assembly took note
of Sioux tribal and Sioux
Aliance opposition to the
controversial book “Hanta Yo”
an d req u e ste d th a t the
sp o n so rin g o rg a n iz a tio n s
distribute the resolution to the
mass media and to those
associated with the proposed
television production of the
book.
Conference participants also
called for the publication of a
n a t i o n a l I n d ia n m e d ia
personnel directory.
Throughout the three-day
m e e tin g , c o n c u r r e n t
workshops ran on topics
fo c u s in g on p r in t a n d
b ro a d c a s t p ro d u c tio n
techniques, facilities and
programming development,
and fund raising. Presentors
from federal agencies in
Washington, D.C. interfaced
w ith I n d ia n m e d ia
professionals who work on “the
firing line.”
Banquet guests, Indian film
s ta r W ill S am p so n and
television personality Teyanna
T orres, presented “ Indian
Man” and “Indian Woman of
the Year” awards to Richard
LaCourse, Washington State,
an d R o se R o b in s o n ,
Washington, D.C.
Indian opera star Bonnie Jo
H u n t p erfo rm ed a t the
banquet. Closing day luncheon
attendees were entertained by
Indian comedian Charlie Hill.
Decathalon Survivors
The Personnel Personalities took the trophy at the steno pool
Decathalon held on June 1. The winners are Margie Earl, Carol
Jenkins, Conna Converse, Chris Converse, and Julie Mitchell.
M ay Ann Gabriel is not pictured with her teammates due to a
broken shin bone suffered on the obstacle course. Other injuries
included a broken finger suffered by Andy Lucas, as well as bee
stings and rope burns. Despite the injuries, fun was had by all,