Tag Archives: Northern Arapaho

Chiefs

I aw the documentary Chiefs a few days ago and enjoyed it. It deals with the Wyoming Indian High School basketball team’s efforts to win the state championship. The film follows the young men from this Wind River Indian Reservation team both at school and at home where they balance academics, sports and home life, including some of the young men’s interests (rodeo) and native cultural practices (sweat lodge).

The directors did a nice job of capturing subtle and not-so-subtle instances of discrimination. I also thought the scenes that dealt with the young men’s future prospects were particularly impressive. For some young men, basketball is their way out of the reservation and yet, all too often, young men leave only to come back without having accomplished what they set out to do when the left. This cycle seemed like it merited a film unto itself.

If using this in a class, it might be compared and contrasted with the feature film Edge of America about a female basketball team. While the team does not have as successful record as the Chiefs, the feature deals with some similar issues.