Finding Recordings and Media in the Catalog
To search for media in the Library Catalog, you can do an "Advanced Search" for your search terms and change "Material Type" from "All Items" to "Video/Film" to limit your results to media.
We've highlighted two works from the collection below if you are looking for a place to start.
Sun, Moon & Feather by This prize-winning musical comedy/documentary, blending documentary, musical theater and personal memoir, is about three Native American sisters growing up in Brooklyn during the 1930s and '40s. It features Lisa, Gloria and Muriel Miguel, who have been performing their family stories professionally for more than a decade in a presentational style rich in humor and with an elemental power that recalls the spirit of American Indian myths.
Coyote's Journey by Traditional native California Karuk stories about the character Coyote, as told with a combination of shadow theater, singing, drumming and live actors.
You can also search for media related to Native American Studies through some of the Library's databases. Kanopy is a video streaming service that allows you limit by subject. Limit to "Indigenous Studies" to see a selection of related content.
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowKanopy is an on-demand streaming video service for educational institutions that provides students and faculty access to more than 26,000 films. Kanopy provides students access to one of the largest collections of films in the world – including award-winning documentaries, training films and theatrical releases.
Publicly Available Resources
The Hemispheric Institute, founded at New York University, hosts an extensive digital archive that includes media relating to Indigenous theatre and performance.
- Hemispheric Institute Digital ArchivesThe Hemispheric Institute gathers artists, scholars, writers, learners, and activists from across the Americas. Their focus is on social justice and politically engaged culture and performance. Their Digital Archives include photo galleries, videos, and textual resources on multiple Indigenous performance and theatre groups.
Key Indigenous Theatre Groups
As it can be challenging for libraries to collect a diversity of play recordings, you may want to search YouTube and elsewhere online to find recordings and media related to Native theatre. We've included a list of particularly influential Native theatre groups to check out. It is not an exhaustive or comprehensive list, but it may help direct your searching. For a more detailed and inclusive list of Native theatre groups and theatremakers working today, check out the suggestions on our Further Reading & Resources Beyond UIUC page, particularly the Indigenous Body of Work list.
- Spiderwoman Theatre
- Native Earth Performing Arts
- De-ba-jeh-mu-jig Theatre Group
- Native American Theatre Ensemble (originally established as the American Indian Theatre Ensemble)