Black Indians: An American Story

What I felt was missing from the video is the heart & spirituallity of the Indigenous people of the Mother land of Africa and Turtle Island, and that is the Drum.I think the opening of the documentary would have been much more powerful and spiritual in the introduction of our ancestors.Indeed, The drums ARE the voice of our ancestors.

Also missing was the honoring & celebration of our heritage. In true life, In our daily living ,You will find us giving thanks to the creator and remembering our ancestors and their teachings and celebrating the blessings of sacred Mother Earth .

I would have liked to see emphasis of our people at the powwows,not only dancing and participating in the ceremonies but making and selling their crafts.

I would have liked to see our children from infants on up being brought up the Indian way and learning their culture,customs,language and traditions.

Had all these things had been in the vidoe ,I would have rated it 5 stars, But it is an important start and I value it highly as a teaching tool which is why I give it 4 stars. I think the RICH HEAPE productions are to be commended for this refreshing and educational video on BLACK INDIANS.

I am African American/Montaukett/Brothertown/Narragansett


Black and Indian are Beautiful   August 2, 2003
Jacques COULARDEAU (OLLIERGUES France)
16 out of 19 found this review helpful

This documentary is essential to understand one side of American history, the possible union between the dispossessed Indians and the enslaved Blacks. This union never really succeeded, but the two blood lines intertwined because of marriages and various solidarities. Some Blacks escaped slavery by joining some Indians tribes and some children of the marriages of Blacks and Indians became very important and successful in American society. The descendants of these Black Indians still play an important role in American society. They got involved in the Civil Rights movement, led by the Blacks. And then they got involved in the Native-American movement that is still at work to permit these Native Americans to be recognized and accepted by American society. They had difficult periods in recent history because they were neither Black not Indians and they suffered the rejection by the Caucasians most of the time into the Black ethnic group, and yet they were not easily accepted in the Black community because they were not pure Blacks. The new generation that is born from them has to assume two cultural and ethnic backgrounds and this is very difficult. But this new generation is going to be the crossroads of the two ethnic and cultural lines and they can become the agents of an alliance between the two communities, which will represent a heavy argument for the opening of American society to diversity and to humane change. This alliance, that should not be closed to other cultural or ethnic groups, can push for a social evolution that could lead to a step forward in civilization, an example to the world how the joining of different cultural or ethnic groups can enrich each group and humanity as a whole. The future of humanity is in the crisscrossing of different cultural and ethnic lines in the respect and pride of each individual component.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Perpignan


Compelling, informative, highly recommended viewing.   September 7, 2000
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

Ably narrative by James Earl Jones, Black Indians: An American Story explores racial identity among Native and African Americans in an in-depth, one-hour, video documentary. Chip Richie (Director), Steven R. Heape (Executive Producer), and Daniel Blake Smith (Screenwriter), successfully collaborate to vividly bring to light a long suppressed and chronically neglected cultural heritage and racial aspect of the American population. This resulting history and presentation is compelling within a modern day context and highly rewarding viewing for students of multicultural studies, Native American Studies, Black Studies; and American history.


A Footprint for the World to See   August 23, 2000
lisa a. mason (Dallas, Texas USA)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

As the sun rises on 21st Century America our native people continue to dispel the biased shadows of history as a new generation of men and women join together to preserve a cultural legacy that is as critical to our future as it is telling of our past. Black Indians: An American Story is a provocative journey into the fusion of Native and African American cultures, a topic long-since ignored by mainstream interests, and often discounted by the annals of history. At first glance the subject may appear to target specific ethnic and minority groups, but the person who reaches this decision by the title alone forfeits a remarkable viewing experience. Black Indians makes its mark as a special interest documentary by surpassing the criteria utilized by this genre to inform, educate, and enlighten a demanding public audience. The story is told via an imaginative blend of resources that texturize its message and bring to light points of the human experience that each of us identify with, regardless of race, creed, or color. From the telling moment of the opening scene to its refective conclusion we glean an image of the struggles and victories that beset these people throughout the course of our nation's history. Information flows freely as people of this mixed-blood heritage share their experiences and insights. Whether the speaker is a common man seeking to understand how his ancestry places him against the backdrop of modern society, or an academician whose work pivots on the pursuit of providing answers to such difficult questions, both perspectives are pertinent and equally enlightening. As a myriad of thoughtful images enliven the screen the film's solid narrative content is brilliantly presented by James Earl Jones. The soundtrack tells a story all its own as the creative genius of both Native and African American artists meld to produce a haunting accompaniment to this polished piece. By documenting these previously overlooked areas of our native heritage, we leave a "footprint" in the sands of time to tell the part of the human story you won't read in a text book, or find in the national archives. Black Indians: An American Story takes its place along the path.


My Ancestors' Story   July 27, 2004
Big River
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

The history of my own ancestors is reflected in this documentary. I descend from a mixed people, often called Melungeons, or Tri-racials: Indian,Black,& White bloodlines. My great great grandfather, D.C. Goings, was Wappoo/Wapoo Indian, a Cusabo People from South Carolina. He is mentioned in a book by Lawrence and Ruth Hipp about the history of Grover Hill,located in Paulding County, Ohio.
I am a member of the Notoweega Nation, a multi-tribal nation, and a Notoweega Pow Wow was held June 5, 2004 on the farm property belonging to D.C. Goings in Paulding County, Ohio. It has passed to his Goings descendents. We are attempting to recover as much of our Native American culture as is possible.
While I am not a historian, with the time and resources to research and verify all that is covered in this documentary film, I know that it is the historical experience of many Black people in the United States. Growing up on the same Hollywood image of Indians(i.e.,only Plains Indians living in tepees and hunting buffalo) as everyone else, the truths about the many Eastern Woodland Peoples and their subsequent mixing with Blacks and Whites before their eventual removal has been deliberately obscured from the mainstream history books. We're still here in spite of Pencil Genocide.