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Native American film premieres in Tucson

In a cinematic first, a film written, directed, produced and performed solely by Native American women will premiere tomorrow night in Tucson.

"Naturally Native," playing at the Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd., follows the lives of three Native American sisters as they struggle to define their identities and start their own cosmetic business.

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation funded the movie about the sisters, who were taken away from their birth parents and raised by a non-native elderly woman.

"This movie is about identity and what does it mean to be a Native American today," said Irene Bedard, who plays Tanya Lewis in the film.

"How do you bridge the gap between the traditions that you know to be a part of your blood and yet come out and stand there with a cell phone?" she said. "That's really at the core of this movie."

Bedard's co-stars include Valerie Red-Horse, the film's writer and co-director, and Kimberly Norris.

"It's really important for people of our next generation that they get to see real contemporary Native Americans dealing with real contemporary issues of what it means to be a native person," said Bedard.

Some say that the film offers an often absent sense of community to Native Americans.

For Yvonne Russo, co-producer of "Naturally Native," holding on to her native heritage plays a crucial role in her life.

"The most valuable thing we have is our traditions. We're very rich in our traditions," she said. "Walking in those two worlds - holding our traditions dear to us but also being able to live in today's contemporary world ... Our culture is just very beautiful."

Ian Record, managing editor for Red Ink magazine, a literary publication that highlights Native American expression at the University of Arizona, said that films like "Naturally Native" are especially good for students trying to maintain their identities.

"It's definitely important for undergraduates. We have such a problem with retention rates," said Record. "(The students) are homesick and experiences like these help to develop a sense of community and a sense of purpose outside of their studies."

Norris said one aspect of "Naturally Native" that sets it apart from other textual representations of Native Americans is its similarity to the real lives of native women.

"We're not in buckskin and feathers here, speaking broken English - which is a lot of the parts we're offered as actresses," she said. "I feel a responsibility to my ancestors for the future generations. There's a picture much bigger than where we are in March of 2000 - that we can bring a different voice on what is important in life."

Bedard stressed the appeal of a film like "Naturally Native" to audiences everywhere.

"All people on this planet came from a tribe. We all had drums and songs and stories, with a relationship to the earth and our elders," she said.

Norris said she believes that for many Americans, maintaining a connection to one's heritage can be difficult, and thus people discover the lives of Native Americans.

"That's why you find people so enamored of native culture," she said. "There's something in them that rings true with native culture."

With wider distribution, Russo said "Naturally Native" will work on "changing public perception on how we live today."

Bedard pointed out the importance of films like these for people who would believe that native culture is dead.

"We're not in a museum," she said. "To see people who don't even know that there are native people left, that we're living and breathing and have oxygen in our blood."

Norris agreed, saying rather than resign themselves to antiquity, native culture is active and alive.

"I firmly believe that native people are stewards of this land. We are the landlords, the keepers of this land," she said. "Even though we may be small and perceived as weak, our spirits are strong."

In the future, Russo hopes to use her Native American culture to branch out even farther into the mass media.

"My long-term dream is to have our own network," she said. "I know we'll do it - by 2005 we'll have our own shows and sitcoms and news stations to give back to families and to follow our hearts."