About this film:
Since the beginning Native people have lived in
New England—but when Alexia asked her students at URI whether any “Indians” lived in Rhode Island —the answer always has been a resounding “no”— and so began our film. “Legacies of the Narragansetts” explores the history of the Narragansett people and their legacies —their invisibility, their struggle to maintain their cultural beliefs and the continued and systemic genocide of their culture, their people. It probes the political, economic, and the cultural warfare that has been raging prior to the Great Swamp Massacre of 1675. The film looks
for answers that have gone unaddressed and tries to encompass and to provide the different perspectives of living in Rhode Island as a Narragansett Indian in the 21st century.

  • View clips from this film online
  • Learn more about our crew

REVIEWS:
In the Shadow of the Crow: Legacies of the Narragansetts
"Acknowledgeable and passionately felt account of the history and the current crises of the Narragansett Indian Nation in Rhode Island is going around the state ..."
     • Read the entire review by Motif film critic Mike Fink

Telling the tale: The Narragansetts’ side of the story
"There are many things to learn in the simple, unpretentious documentary, In the Shadow of the Crow: The Legacies of the Narragansetts. Designed mainly for classroom use, the film delves into the history of the tribe more thoroughly than schoolbooks do."
     • Read the entire review by Providence Phoenix film critic Bill Rodriguez

Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas writes about Shifting Visions Films: "We applaud the efforts of this passionate group as they struggle to create a story on our behalf." Read the entire letter

An Interview With the the Producer, Alexia Kosmider
and the Director, Leslie Langley.

This interview was conducted on February 9, 2004
The interviewer was Debbie Monuteaux, a videographer with the film. Debbie conducted this interview on behalf of the Student Government Board of the University of Rhode Island, Providence, Feinstein Campus. The board is one of the sponsors of this project.
Interview conducted at Leslie Langley's home in Attleboro , Massachusetts at dinnertime.

Debbie Monuteaux :
Why another documentary about the Narragansetts?

Alexia Kosmider:
It's important to keep the Narragansett's issue alive. One way is to make certain that the Narragansetts remain visible.

Debbie Monuteaux :
Why do you think that the Narragansett are not visible and to whom?

Alexia Kosmider:
I know from four years of teaching Native American literature at the University of Rhode Island that many students are not aware at all about the presence of Native people in the New England area. The students whom I teach, I think, reflect the majority of non-native New Englanders' perspective on Indians.

Debbie Monuteaux :
But why is that so important to you?


Alexia Kosmider:
Because as a teacher of Native American literature—it is important that students and other non-natives know that literature comes from somewhere; Native people have a large body of literature, creation stories, poetry, tribal stories—to mention only a few-- that make a strong contribution to the history and culture of this area.

Debbie Monuteaux :
Why is it important that the average student know about Native cultures?

Alexia Kosmider:
This is a part of their history too—there are lessons to be learned—ways in which we have treated native people in the past play a part in the present –that we become aware of these lessons and learn from them.
Leslie Langley: The film is titled “Legacies of the Narragansetts”—unfortunately, the legacies continue. What I see is that the Narragansetts are being treated in the same ways in which they were treated prior to the Great Swamp Massacre. This needs to be looked at and addressed and then perhaps attitudes and relations between between Euro-Americans and Indian will change.

Debbie Monuteaux :
Visually –what is compelling about this story?
Leslie Langley: The Narragansetts people prior to the European invasion had it right. They seemed to take what they needed from the land, no more. Out of respect for the earth. They were and still appear connected to the earth. When their energies are channeled to survival—they can lose their vision. The Narragansett people had a vision—it is close to what they are. That's exactly what we're trying to portray—vision. The elders of the tribe are trying desperately to pass this on to their children. It is like Michael Bliss at the Rhode Island Indian Council spends every Friday evening, along with his wife and other elders, teaching young Indian children traditional dances so that that these young people feel connected to their tribe and histories.
Debbie Monuteaux :
Tell me a little bit about the “story.”

Alexia Kosmider:
It's to help dispel some of the myths about the Narragansett people.
Debbie Monuteaux :
What are some of the myths?

Alexia Kosmider:
Many people do not recognize that there are Narragansett people still present in this state.
Leslie Langley: Many people believe that the tribe was detribalized and eliminated and assimilated into the dominant culture. When the truth is that the tribe is still here and vital.

SCREENINGS:
In the Shadow of the Crow: Legacies of the Narragansetts
Bannister Gallery at Rhode Island College; January 12, 2006 at 6 pm
(

Images from recent screening at Bannister
Bannister Gallery audience	Panel: Leslie Langley. Mike and Gunise Bliss
Mike and Gunise Bliss Bannister Gallery panel	David Kahn and Julie Jenkins, Guest Curator of the Bannister Gallery
David Kahn

 

:: Shifting Visions Films Projects ::

In the Shadow of the Crow:
The Legacies of the Narragansetts
Main Info | View online trailer| Images | Reviews
Purchase DVD | Useful links

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Venus, Priests, and Superwomen:
Main Info | View online trailer | Images from protest | Reviews
Purchase DVD | Providence College Update | Premiere |
Useful links: | vagina vérité® | Rhode Island NOW | Providence College Vagina Monologues 2008

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Rolling with the Riveters:
Main Info | View online trailer| Images | Reviews
Purchase DVD | Useful links

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Alexia Kosmider:
Our purpose is to make the Narragansett visible that to a larger audience and to show what it is to be a Narragansett in the 21 st century.