A Thunder-Being Nation is absolutely a must-see for anyone wishing to better understand life in Native America, from past to present.
I came across this beautiful documentary 8-9 years ago as I was researching my grad school thesis to create a short docu-series on Native American teen life and developing youth empowerment programs . I specifically was looking for a documentary maker who successfully built deep, meaningful relationships with Native Americans and was able to tell their stories from a firsthand perspective, instead of as an "outsider".
I was fortunate to come across Steven Lewis Simpson's A Thunder-Being Nation and Rez Bomb at the same time.
A Thunder-Being Nation is the finest and most comprehensive documentary I have seen in my decades of viewing (and teaching) films about Native Americans.
Set on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota & filmed over 13 years, A Thunder-Being Nation features the Oglala Lakota & covers historical topics such as their origins, life before European arrival, propaganda films, pop culture portrayals, genocide, forced removal to reservations, forced sterilizations, boarding schools, Little Big Horn, Wounded Knee Massacre, forced religious conversion, & more.
The documentary delicately addresses today's challenges including poverty, unemployment, housing, health and social crises, tribal sovereignty, racism, & more.
In the trailer for the documentary, Leon Matthews from Off the Rez stated, "When I saw this movie, I knew it was world class. But what I think the director producer Steven does is he captures the whole spirit of Pine Ridge & I think that's a powerful thing to do. It's a great opportunity to feel what it feels like to be an American Indian".
A Thunder-Being Nation will help any non-Native American have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the not only the history and challenges faced in Native America, but also the strength, fortitude, and spirit that exists amongst its people.
