COLUMBUS DIDN’T DISCOVER US

24 minutes

Director: Robbie Leppzer

Country: USA/Latin America

Year: 1992

Language: English

Overview:

This documentary features interviews with indigenous activists from North, South, and Central America who gathered at the First Continental Conference of Indigenous Peoples in July 1990. Native people speak about the legacy of Columbus and its impact on their cultures. We also learn of contemporary struggles over land and human rights, the importance of reviving spiritual traditions, and the efforts to alert the world to environmental crises.

Previewing Activities

• Who is Christopher Columbus? Why is he famous?
• What do you know about the civil rights of indigenous people?
• How have the indigenous peoples been treated?

Post-viewing Activities

• On what anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus was the First Continental Conference of Indigenous Peoples
• How did the people at this conference view Columbus?
• Was the discovery of the new world good or bad for the indigenous peoples?

Class Projects

• Research the treatment of the indigenous peoples in history and formulate you own opinion on the discovery of the new world.

How to Borrow this Video:

The videos owned by the UNC-Duke Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies are housed in the Outreach Office of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  They are lent free of charge.  For information on films and reservations, please visit http://isa.unc.edu/film/films_main.asp.