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Title: Urban elder Rating: 3.0 out of 4 Reference: Director, Robert S. Adams; producers, Robert
S. Adams & Peter Starr. Library of Congress subjects: Harper, Vern Indians of North America--Ontario--Rites and ceremonies Cree Indians--Ontario--Rites and ceremonies Indians of North America--Ontario--Toronto--Social conditions Indians of North America--Urban residence--Ontario--Toronto Video recordings for the hearing impaired Sociology subjects: Aboriginal issues The city Community activism (in part) Criminal justice issues (in part) Identity Religion & spirituality Reviews and Numerical Ratings 3 I learned about sweatlodges, urban elders, what some of a prison population was like. I liked that Toronto was the setting. But the video was overly concerned with spirituality, was too Oprah-sentimental, & had no women to speak of. The video raises some good questions about class differences for discussion. Lecture topics: contemporary Native issues, urban communities. Andrew Paravantes 3 Good overview & discussion of urban Aboriginal people and criminal justice issues. There probably aren’t that many videos on this topic. Lecture topics: Aboriginal peoples & criminal justice issues. Dawn Anderson & Peter Kiatipis 2 Dispels a myth linking Aboriginal people to the land by showing how culture is produced in urban settings. At the same time, watching ceremonies (which make up over 40% of the video) seems voyeuristic and useful primarily because of stereotypes people hold. The organisation is disjointed. Lecture topics: sociology of religion, assimilation. Kathy Bischoping & Riley Olstead 4 Revealed the possibility for Aboriginals to live
within two cultures, particularly in an urban setting. Although for
Aboriginals, land is often tied to ceremony, livelihood, culture, etc.,
the urban elder encompasses all of these elements, even in absence of
a land base. Without that urban elder, and what he symbolizes, Aboriginal
people would forget their culture and this would lead to drug &
alcohol abuse and crime. He helps them to cope with the urban life:
I think there needs to be an institution of urban elders, to reach out
to urban communities of Aboriginal people. I can relate in a way to
this because there are similarities between how some Black working-class
males can lead lives that are risky, and I think it would help if there
were a way like the urban elder to link them to their culture, which
isn’t taught in the high schools. That connection is what stood
out for me, as well as the importance of ritual, spirituality, and having
a community-base (rather than being individualistic). The video demonstrated
the importance of spirituality, ancestry, culture & cultural preservation
for the survival of minority groups. It gives you hope that we can live
together - he gave the example of his daughter, who wants to be a ballerina
& a medicine woman, and how he doesn’t have any difficulty
with this whatsoever. The video reveals Aboriginal issues and issues
of racism, identity & culture that would be good to show in both
Sociology & Anthropology courses. For students at any level. Kisrene
McKenzie (undergraduate)
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