Powwow People
The great American dancer and choreographer Martha Graham said that dance was an act of finding yourself. In the second documentary feature by Sky Hopinka, this process is not just about one’s individuality, but also about the community and its history. American visual artist and filmmaker, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and a descendant of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians observes the pow-wow festivities, which are gatherings of Native North Americans. These meetings filled with song and dance are not just a multigenerational form of entertainment and an opportunity to renew old acquaintances or make new ones. The kaleidoscope of colors and sounds is accompanied by the protagonists’ stories about the meaning of pow-wow in shaping their identity, keeping up the tradition and strengthening the communal bonds. Dance is not just an answer to intergenerational trauma, but also an expression of readiness for change. It also gives a sense of belonging and freedom, allows to sink into the present – and to find oneself over and over again.
Sky Hopinka
American visual artist and experimental filmmaker who operates outside of traditional narrative forms. In his work he mostly concentrates on the identity of native Americans and on language as the basis for cultural autonomy. His works (photos and video art) are part of the collection of MoMA and the Guggenheim Museum, while his films have been presented at festivals in Toronto, New York and Sundance.
Selected filmography
2013 Trade (short)
2014 Kunikaga Remember Red Banks, Kunikaga Remembers the Welcoming Song (short doc.)
2016 I'll Remember You as You Were, Not as What You'll Become (short)
2017 Dislocation Blues (short doc.)
2017 Anti-Objects, or Space Without Path or Boundary (short doc.)
2018 When You're Lost in the Rain (short)
2020 Malni: Towards the Ocean, Towards the Shore (doc.)
2023 Sunflower Siege Engine (short)
2025 Powwow People (doc.)
Cast & Crew
