Posted by Diana on July 16, 2001 at 10:09:39:
In Reply to: Re: CSPAN Presentation on Black Elk posted by Theresa on July 15, 2001 at 12:15:46:
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: Diana! You're back! How were the Highland Games?
: Theresa
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Theresa:
Opps! I think you may have mistaken me for another. I have been to the Grandfather Mountain Highland games, but that was a few years back. They were fun and there were a lot of really nice people there.
Diana
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: : : Following up on a tip from Theresa, I had the good fortune to watch a 3 hour presentaion on Black Elk last night (preceeded by an interview with his great-grandaughter, Charlotte Black Elk).
: : : The show, originally airing live this past Tuesday from Little Bighorn National Battlefield, featured personnel from the Battlefield, including curator, Kitty Deernose, & superintendent/historian, Neil Mangum. Done in a viewer call-in format, it also included writer/historian/professor, Paul Hutton ("Boone & Crocket: The Hunter Heroes") & an American Indian professor from the University of Kansas, the name of whom I cannot recall at the moment.
: : : Besides showing some excellent panoramic shots of the Montana countryside where the battle was fought (Black Elk, age 13, was there), re-enactment footage, etc., etc., the show was one of the most honest, balanced, and fair presentations on the subject I have ever seen. It was fabulous. My only criticism would be of some of the assinine phone calls ... Here we had two scholars & other knowledgeable featured guests, really attempting (and suceeding, I might add) at presenting a factual & unbiased story of events, and the same old worn-out cliches & misstruths were being thrown out there by some of the callers. I really have to wonder about their "search for the truth." I found that extremely annoying, and was yelling at my TV set!
: : : Thankfully, the show's experts handled it all very well. Catch it, if you can ... don't know if it'll be re-airing.
: : : Though the show (The American Author series) was supposed to focus on the book "Black Elk Speaks," it really covered all tangents, with a heavy dose of Little Bighorn. "Black Elk Speaks" is a remarkable book ... one that caused me to sob uncontrollably for a good 15 minutes after completing the reading of it many years ago ... A must read!
: : : Thank you, Theresa, for letting me know of this wonderful treat!
: : Greetings:
: : I have really been enjoying C-Span's series this year. Each week I find myself running out to get another book which they've discussed.
: : Yeah, I get weary of the phone calls, too.
: : Diana