The Indianer-Inuit North American Native Film Festival, held March 21-25 in Stuttgart, Germany, was a little far for members of our NativeVue team to jaunt over to. Well, MOST of our NativeVue team.  Our in-house poet laureate John Blackbird, a Canadian Cree ex-pat living in Germany, not only attended the festival, he even had his coffee poured by Tantoo Cardinal! I’ve never had that privilege—usually I’m the one doing the pouring…oh, I digress. Read on as John writes about his experience in his own inimitable style…cql

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By John Blackbird

*Note to Self: Write down something that comes to your mind about Tantoo Cardinal. But then suddenly, everything slips away.  I must be nervous. 

Reading through my notes of things she said over her career; I glanced outside and noticed the German countryside pass by, along the Autobahn #7 towards Stuttgart in a blur, through a continuous grey cloud of fog and sleet.   

“For the past three Indianer Inuit: North American Native Film Festival, Stuttgart has been the home in Europe to American Indian filmmakers and actors," says Festival Artistic Director Gunter Lange. 

Two mugs of coffee are placed in front of us; we both look up and nod a simultaneous thank you to Tantoo Cardinal for pouring and serving us each a cup of coffee.  I am humbled. 

Adding sugar and milk, Lange tells me the importance of why the festival is located here…"It presents a real world view of Native North America, it helps to break the usual clichés and stereotypes presented in mainstream cinema." He continues, "Some people are surprised to see Indians singing, rapping and dancing, like the Tru Rez Crew music video for I'm a Lucky One."   

HIs interest began like any other young person in Germany, watching television programs featuring Winnetou,  a fictional Apache warrior developed by a German writer, Karl May.  He eventually met the actor playing the title role, Pierre Brice.  "Pierre Brice went to America to meet the real Indians to see their real situation," he notes.  Similarly, Lange eventually grew to the point where he wanted Indians to tell their real stories.  "I think their stories are touching." He pauses.  I finally have a moment to mix my coffee. 

Via a scholarship, Lange worked with Michael Smith, President of the American Indian Film Festival (AIFI)  which gave him the opportunity to work directly with Native artists, and visit Native communities with the AIFI Tribal Touring program.  "With this program we traveled to reservations in the USA, and presented workshops in digital filmmaking."        

Though the movies of Indianer-Inuit give a sense of the North American Indian reality, there are still some who have a sense of Indians as walking around with feathers and bows and arrows.  Gunter recalls actress and special guest Tantoo Cardinal signing an autograph for a young girl who later asked him, "Where her feathers were, if she were a real Indian."   

Tantoo smiles.  I hand her a cigarette, "for your interview," I say. She nods. 

Tantoo leans forward and accepts the tobacco, "Everyone knows how stoic, yet primitive and somehow not that intelligent we were.  So when I first began, I surprised people on the set with how I expressed myself."   

They offered her a role and immediately she broke a cliché. "The script said something about the action of my Indian character and it struck me.  I am hitting them with a totally different perspective. They never saw this truth before; this truth has kept me going."  In her early work every issue had to be addressed, "from the script, to how they wanted me to act, and even to the way we as Indians worked on set."  

Since she began, there has been a growth in the Industry in regards to understanding Indians working in the business.  "Sometimes in the past I felt that there needed to be some tobacco on set. I would get strange looks when I suggested it, but now, some time later, I once again felt the need to have tobacco on set. The Director had already made some available…It's a pleasure to work in an environment that has an openness and respect.  I can relax as an artist."  

"I was really angry when I was first starting out in 1969-70," She leans forward to Gunter, making like she's going to whisper a secret, "I felt like I was saying, ‘I'm gonna tell on them.’" 

Tantoo leans back, lights a smoke, looks over at me.  "I remember when I was little, and my granny took me to the movie theatre.  My mind was blown, it was a movie with Cree code talkers and it was just fantastic to hear such good Cree spoken by real Cree Indians on the silver screen, an immense pride rose up in me."  

From anger, to addressing issues and breaking clichés; then: to persistence.  Tantoo Cardinal learned Lakota for the Academy Award-winning film, Dances with Wolves.  "For Dances  I made an attempt to learn Lakota the same way I understand and speak Cree.  I wanted to honour the Lakota people, to do my best for them."  

Life in the business is also highly challenging. "Sometimes you are dissatisfied, it's difficult sometimes.  You're always thinking of how it could be better.  It's a 20-legged race, you don't work alone.  There are so many others working to tell the same story,” adding, “We as Indian artists don't have the luxury of being individuals.  We represent ages and ages. The work of an artist is a highly responsible one."    

She recalls a personal moment on the set of a comedy, "I lost someone close to me from back home, but I couldn't go home to the funeral.  I had to work.  Everything happens for a reason, there is something to be learned.  This something can help us to alleviate another moment, elsewhere."  

Lange nods, saying, "That's true."  He reaches for the coffee thermos and pours another round.    

Tantoo Cardinal is not only one of the most easily recognizable names and faces in the North American Indian film industry, she also carries an eloquent and poetic voice.  She has a personable and professional heart and soul for her Native people.   

"Finally," she says, "someday the dominant society is going to need us, and we'll be ready.  Right now as we speak," she pauses, and then continues as if thinking of someone, "our communities are over-flowing with talented and inspired artists.  The dominant society is missing out."