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THEY SAID IT Page 9 “Never eat more than you can lift.” Wednesday, November 10, 2004 MUPPETG“!?0S"“! INDIGENOUS REFLECTIONS rnuiu artu«L iu mt Hula, the "heart of the Hawaiian people,” is celebrated in “American Aloha,” a view of California's rich Hawaiian culture and three of its kumu hula, or hula masters. “American Aloha” will be playing at the Nickelodeon Theatre at 3 p.m. Sunday as part of the Native American Film Festival. Native American Film Festival to celebrate tribal heritage, culture at Nickelodeon Theatre By JAIME McSWEENEY THE GAMECOCK The Southeast’s only Native American Film Festival will present a multitude of independent films for its eighth consecutive year at Columbia’s Nickelodeon Theater. The Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois and United Tribes of South Carolina, Inc. has collaborated with the Columbia Film Society and the Nickelodeon Theatre in presenting the Native American Indian Video 8c Film Festival. November is National Native American Indian Heritage Month and in celebration, the Nickelodeon and the Columbia Museum of Art will be screening a host of films and documentaries Friday through Monday. Founder and coordinator of the Native American Indian Video 8c Film Festival Will Moreau Goins said he approached the Columbia Film Society and the Nickelodeon Theatre eight years ago, a time when Native American independent films were not shown in Columbia. “They agreed to partner with me in making this Native Film Festival a reality. It started with just one film and has expanded to a week of films being shown and screened,” Goins said. He added that the amount of programming and, additionally, the level of attendance at the festival have since grown. Since the inception of the festival, the first of its kind in the area, other Hispanic/Latino, Jewish and African-American festivals have emerged at the Nickelodeon. Anne Ramen, director of the theater, said the festival was important to Columbia and the community. “More than any other culture and peoples, the Native Americans have really suffered a tremendous loss of their culture, almost to the brink of extinction. And certainly have experienced extinction in their way of life,” Ramen said. “The images of Native Americans in film until recently have been interpreted and controlled by non Native Americans. There is a great deal of romanticism about Native American people and culture but little actual knowledge.” The Native American Indian Video & Film Festival is working to change this lack of knowledge and validity. A skewed portrayal of American Indians can be primarily attributed to depictions from Hollywood’s past. Goins said that through cinema, almost 500 tribes, bands, and villages have been reduced to “the homogenized film Indian stereotypes.” “Today, however, the Native Americans are making a concentrated assault on film and filmmaking, responding to almost a century of Hollywood Indians,” Goins said. “Talented and aggressive Native American filmmakers are producing films and videos that portray Native Americans in real-world situations, using ‘real Indians’ to play realistic parts.” Viewers have traveled from Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, to name a few, to attend the festival. There are other American Indian film festivals in the United States including ones in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and at the Sundance Institute, but the Native American Indian Video & Film Festival is the only one in the Southeast. The festival harbors a significant role in disseminating a realistic perspective of indigenous cultures. “The films investigate very critical issues. I personally learned so much that I was not aware of in terms of the treatment of Native Americans and the richness of their cultures,” Ramen said. This year, the Native American Indian Video & Film Festival will present different categories of film, including Commercial Feature, Short Subject, Music Video and Animated Short Subject. The films shown will include a comedy, “Don’t Call Me Tonto,” and “Tushka,” the first American Indian action movie. A new innovation this year at the festival is a family program that will be conducted at the Columbia Museum of Art on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Some of Goins’ films will be shown, followed by a storytelling session. At noon, the documentary “School Board Blues,” will be screened, detailing the controversy over an American Indian mascot in a Catskill Mountain community. “The division in the community about this mascot became such a big thing that it inspired anti-Semitic articles, punctured tires and escalated into a whole big national controversy,” Ramen said. Films depicting indigenous cultures from Hawaii, New Zealand and Central in mi.. ,—us—imm « ■•••- —jl:—< i —^ gJ PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK The short film “Becoming a Warrior” will be at the Columbia Museum of Art on Saturday. See www.nickelodeon.org for other show times. and South America also have been presented at the festival over the years. “This year we continued with our mission to share indigenous stories from throughout the Native Diaspora, reaching out specifically to our Latino/Hispanic native people and communities in Russia, and also featuring* the shared experiences of Native Hawaiians,” Goins said. The Russia documentary “Seeking che Spirit: Plains Indians in Russia” explores a group of Russian families who are attempting to recreate the Native American way of life. The documentary will be followed by a panel discussion. Another documentary, “The Healer,” features a native medicine man and explores traditional Native American health rituals. For more information about the Native American Indian Video and Film Festival, call 699-0446. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu Food festival to excite more than taste buds By MORIAH EMERALD McCarthy THE GAMECOCK If you are looking for food and fun, head west this Saturday for the Taste of Lexington, sure to be a day of delicious diversion for the 5,000 visitors expected to attend. In its second year, the festival has expanded to offer a range of children’s activities including a magic show, a dance show, face painting and a cookie-decorating contest. Admission is free for the festival, which runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The festivities kick off with the opening of the Children’s Art Show at noon in the Sessions Building on Main Street. At 1 p.m., the adult art show will open featuring the creative work of local artists. Attendees will have the opportunity not only to see the work of artists, but also to purchase select pieces. Outside on the main stage, The Black Bottom Biscuits will take the stage at 1:15 p.m., playing bluegrass, country and rock ‘n’ roll favorites as well as original tunes. You also might want to bring your dancipg shoes — at 5:15 p.m., all those who can shuffle, rock and turn smoothly will be invited to climb on stage and show off their fancy footwork for the open shag competition. The competition will end at 6:30 p.m., but the dancing will last into the evening when General Johnson and the Chairmen of the Board take the stage to perform beach music’s greatest hits. “We have a lot of great activities,” event chairman Mike Till said. “The weather is expected to be beautiful another great day in Lexington.” With a wonderful menu, everyone will have the opportunity to dig in. The highlight of the festival, naturally, is the food. Eighteen caterers and restaurants from the greater Columbia area will excite visitor’s taste buds with delectable treats. Vendors, which will include Fatz Cafe, Yummie Creations Inc. and Hudson’s Smoke House, will compete in taste contests for the title of best appetizer, entree and dessert. The competitions will be judged by local celebrities, including Scott Hawkins of W1S-TV, who will be judging the Sweet Tea Challenge, a recipe contest commemorating the 100th anniversary of the invention of the Southern beverage. A waiters’ race, designed to test waiters’ speed, agility and accuracy will begin at 3 p.m. Keep your eyes open for the snappiest servers in town. The Taste of Lexington supports The USC vs. Clemson Food Drive benefiting the Harvest Hope Food Bank. Show your support for USC and the fight against hunger by bringing a non-perishable food item for donation. The drop-off site will be at the festival’s entrance. Whether you’re in the mood to meander through prints, paintings and mosaics; to have an afternoon of family fun; to find unique handmade jewelry; to dance all evening; or to sample scrumptious dishes, you are invited to savor The Taste of Lexington. For more information, visit http://www.tasteoflexingtonsc.org/ or call 359-6113. Comments <m this story? E-mail gamccockfeatfnes@gwm.sc.edu I From left, Tao SB Rodriguez I Seegar, Ruth fig Ungarand U Michael B Merenda I experiment I with roots B music sounds. *,| PHOTO SPECIAL TO ■ THE GAMECOCK Folk group gets innovative with traditional songcraft By JULIA SELLERS THE GAMECOCK The sounds of bluegrass, Appalachian and folk music are traditional in their roots and beginnings, but The Mammals prove to be anything but the traditional sounds they draw on for their inspiration. j The Mammals %frill be taking the stage at the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. The event will be hosted by Gallery 701. The doors will open at 7 p.m. with the show beginning at 8 p.m. The Mammals, pegged an ‘old timey’ quintet, began in New York, not the traditional South, when singer and fiddler Ruth Ungar met songwriter Michael Merenda in a bar. According to their Web site, Ruth abandoned her acting career for more “creative ambitions” with Michael. The two eventually added guitarist Tao Rodriguez-Seegar, bassist Pierce Woodward and drummer Ken Maluri. ♦ Please see MAMMALS, page 10