Urban Rez is a documentary that explores the history and modern-day effects of 1950s policies that encouraged American Indians to leave their homelands to relocate to urban areas across the country, including Denver.
Slated for national release in 2013, this film looks at the largely forgotten 1952-1973 and captures how individual choices and government decisions have impacted families for generations.
Director Lisa Olken is a documentary filmmaker with Rocky Mountain PBS who has worked on such productions as Rocky Mountain Legacy and Spirit of Colorado.
A screening of Olken鈥檚 work-in-progress film Urban Rez is being held in the Panorama Room of UNC鈥檚 University Center Wednesday, Nov. 14 from 7 鈥� 8:30 p.m.. The event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is needed. Call (970) 351-1909 or find details and RSVP .
Erin 翱鈥橳辞辞濒别: It鈥檚 now been 60 years since relocation began. Let鈥檚 start with a little background on these relocation policies 鈥� what was the idea behind them and where in the country did this go on?
Lisa Olken: It was from 1952 to 1973 where the U.S. government encouraged American Indians to leave their tribal lands and reservations and move to urban areas throughout the West. It was really throughout the country, but most of it was really throughout the West. And Denver was one of the first five cities in the 1950s where American Indians came to relocate.
It鈥檚 not only state history, it鈥檚 also American history. I certainly didn鈥檛 learn this in any of my classes. And even though it鈥檚 only been four generations since the end of relocation in 1973, I think a lot of people will be surprised to know that 65 percent of all American Indians now live in urban areas. Most of them are not on the reservation.
翱鈥橳辞辞濒别: In the course of making this film, you鈥檝e talked with a number of Native Americans who did relocate. I鈥檓 curious how they feel about the program now.
%22The%20people%20who%20stayed%2C%20the%20people%20who%20have%20come%20since%20the%201970s%2C%20find%20that%20they%27re%20able%20to%20walk%20both%20worlds...%20keeping%20their%20culture%20alive%2C%20keeping%20their%20tribal%20traditions%20alive%2C%20but%20also%20adapting%20some%20of%20the%20mainstream%20ideals%20that%20they%20want.%22%20-director%20Lisa%20Olken
Olken: I think that people who have relocated and stayed in cities have found the urban mainstream very interesting, and it has given them a great deal more opportunity than they would have gotten on the reservation.
I want to make it clear that there are a lot of native people who still return back to the reservation for celebrations, for naming ceremonies, to visit their families. So there are a lot of people who live in cities, but they don鈥檛 call the cities their home.
The people who stayed, the people who have come since the 1970s, find that they鈥檙e able to walk both worlds, keeping their culture alive, keeping their tribal traditions alive, but also adapting some of the mainstream ideals that they want. But nothing is being pushed on them anymore.
翱鈥橳辞辞濒别: There鈥檚 certainly a strong Colorado connection when we鈥檙e talking about relocation. I鈥檓 wondering - how did you end up working with the University of Northern Colorado?
Olken: Originally I wanted to take this relocation film through college people, and then go back through their ancestors, getting to their grandparents. That didn鈥檛 quite work out that way. I was able to connect up with some college students and definitely the UNC staff there, and Solomon Little Owl [director of UNC Native American Student Services].
What ended up happening is they invited me and my native crew 鈥� it鈥檚 an all native crew, I鈥檓 the only white person on the crew 鈥� to go to the Crow buffalo hunt. They have buffalo up on the Crow Reservation, which is southern Montana.
So we were able to shoot a huge aspect of the culture that has evolved to include non-natives, yet they are still reliving what their ancestors did. So it鈥檚 a very interesting twist on keeping tradition alive -- but adapting it to the 21st century.
翱鈥橳辞辞濒别: There鈥檚 a screening of 鈥楿rban Rez鈥� Wednesday evening at UNC in Greeley, to which the public is invited. What are you hoping people will take away from this film?
Olken: I hope they will see 鈥� at least the Native people that will be there 鈥� I hope they will see themselves in a positive light, and understand that this is American history, this is not just native history. And with the non-natives who will be there, I hope they鈥檒l learn something about their neighbors, and about their city and state that they didn鈥檛 know before.
It鈥檚 really 鈥� this idea of migrating to another city, relocating to another city -- it鈥檚 so universal. And I hope that people understand that this happens to all of us.
