1491: The Untold Story of the Americas Before Columbus

Last updated

1491: The Untold Story of the Americas Before Columbus is an eight-episode docu-drama television mini-series based on The New York Times best-selling book 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann (Knopf, 2005). It was co-produced in Canada by Aarrow Productions (Victoria, BC) and Animiki See Digital Production Inc. (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and first aired in Canada on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in 2017. Filming took place in Canada, the United States, Mexico and Peru and its creation involved over 400 Indigenous cast and crew members.

Contents

Through dramatic re-enactment, narrator voice-overs and interviews with leading Indigenous scholars, the series illustrates that before the arrival of Columbus in the Americas the Western Hemisphere was heavily populated with Indigenous societies which were highly advanced in agriculture, astronomy, architecture, governance, medicine, technology, science, trade and art. Specific examples are shown from eight geographic regions covering the entirety of North and South America. Presented from an Indigenous perspective, the series follows a timeline from 20,000 years ago to 1491. [1]

Episode Guide

Episode 1: Origins Explores indigenous origin stories as well as discoveries by archaeologists, anthropologists, geneticists and linguists on how and when Indigenous people first arrived in the Western Hemisphere.

Episode 2: Environment Indigenous people created significant changes to their environment through resource harvesting, farming, urban development, irrigation, controlled burning and deforestation.

Episode 3: Agriculture Maize was first developed in the Americas from a wild plant known as teosinte. Crops like sweet potato, beans and cacao were cultivated and spread throughout the Americas via well-developed trade networks.

Episode 4: Architecture Indigenous people in the Americas developed iconic and innovative architectural styles depending on their needs for shelter and available resources.

Episode 5: Governance and Trade Governance models were developed by each Indigenous nation to control their citizens and establish normative behaviours. The Americas are replete with a variety of examples: from patriarchal and matrilineal-based societies, to complex political systems governing multi-nation empires.

Episode 6: Science and Technology Scientific and technological ingenuity in the Americas is apparent through specific examples such as the earliest use of the number "0", the mapping of the planets and the stars, the development of multi-year calendars, and the invention of writing systems.

Episode 7: Art Depending on the natural resources in each region, art was created which reflected a specific Indigenous world view. Many of these artistic expressions have survived to this day through the preservation and perpetuation of each unique style.

Episode 8: Continuance Despite 500 years of pressure to assimilate, Indigenous culture has been retained and reclaimed through repatriation of material culture and programs promoting language preservation and indigenous literacy. [2]

Key Creative Contributors

Co-Produced by: Aarrow Productions (Victoria, BC) and Animiki See Digital Productions (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Executive Producer: Pat Ferns

Writers: Barbara Hager (Cree/Métis) and Marie Clements (Métis)

Directors: Barbara Hager (Cree/Métis) and Lisa Jackson (Anishinaabe)

Composer: Russell Wallace (Lil'wat)

Production Designer: Teresa Weston

Costume Designer: Carmen Thompson (Nuu-chah-nulth)

Director of Photography: Bob Aschmann

Editors: Michael Clark and Tyler Gamsby

Narrator: Dr. Evan Adams (Tla'amin)

AWARDS: 2018 Leo Award for Best Documentary Series; Best Screenwriting in a Documentary Series (Barbara Hager) and Best Musical Score in a Documentary Series (Russell Wallace) [3]

Related Research Articles

Lorne Cardinal is a Canadian stage, television and film actor, best known for portraying Davis Quinton on Corner Gas. He is a former rugby union player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Latimer</span> Canadian actor and filmmaker

Michelle Latimer is a Canadian actress, director, writer, and filmmaker. She initially rose to prominence for her role as Trish Simkin on the television series Paradise Falls, shown nationally in Canada on Showcase Television (2001–2004). Since the early 2010s, she has directed several documentaries, including her feature film directorial debut, Alias (2013), and the Viceland series, Rise, which focuses on the 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline protests; the latter won a Canadian Screen Award at the 6th annual ceremony in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation</span> First Nations radio network in Saskatchewan, Canada

Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation, or MBC Radio, is a radio network in Canada, serving First Nations and Métis communities in the province of Saskatchewan. The network's flagship station is CJLR in La Ronge. MBC Radio broadcasts to more than 70 communities in Saskatchewan, including the major urban centres, and broadcasts a streaming audio feed over the Internet. MBC's current CEO is Deborah Charles, the first female CEO of an Indigenous radio broadcast network in Canada.

<i>1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus</i> 2005 non-fiction book by Charles C. Mann

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus is a 2005 non-fiction book by American author and science writer Charles C. Mann about the pre-Columbian Americas. It was the 2006 winner of the National Academies Communication Award for best creative work that helps the public's understanding of topics in science, engineering or medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aboriginal Peoples Television Network</span> Canadian television network

The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network is a Canadian specialty channel. Established in 1992 and maintained by governmental funding to broadcast in Canada's northern territories, APTN acquired a national broadcast licence in 1999. It airs and produces programs made by, for and about Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, it is the first network by and for North American indigenous peoples.

The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world's largest Indigenous film and media arts festival, held annually in Toronto in the month of October. The festival focuses on the film, video, radio, and new media work of Indigenous, Aboriginal and First Peoples from around the world. The festival includes screenings, parties, panel discussions, and cultural events.

Rezolution Pictures is an Indigenous film and television production company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The company was founded in 2001 by the husband and wife team of Ernest Webb and Catherine Bainbridge. Rezolution Pictures’ passionate team is led by co-founders/Presidents/directors/executive producers Ernest Webb and Catherine Bainbridge, Vice-President/executive producer Christina Fon, and CFO/executive producer Linda Ludwick.

Joseph Laplante, stage name Joey Stylez, is a First Nations-Métis Canadian singer and rapper/pop artist.

<i>Hard Rock Medical</i> Canadian TV series or program

Hard Rock Medical is a Canadian medical drama television series which aired on TVOntario (TVO) from 2013 to 2018. It was the first original drama series for TVO, the public television network for Ontario. The series also aired nationally in Canada on APTN beginning in 2014. The series ended after a five-season run in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Podemski</span> Canadian actress

Jennifer Podemski is a Canadian First Nations film and television actress and producer.

Indigenous or Aboriginal self-government refers to proposals to give governments representing the Indigenous peoples in Canada greater powers of government. These proposals range from giving Aboriginal governments powers similar to that of local governments in Canada to demands that Indigenous governments be recognized as sovereign, and capable of "nation-to-nation" negotiations as legal equals to the Crown, as well as many other variations.

Loretta Sarah Todd is a Canadian Indigenous film director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Jackson (filmmaker)</span> First Nations filmmaker

Lisa Jackson is a Canadian Screen Award and Genie Award-winning Canadian and Anishinaabe filmmaker. Her films have been broadcast on APTN and Knowledge Network, as well as CBC's ZeD, Canadian Reflections and Newsworld and have screened at festivals including HotDocs, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Melbourne, Worldwide Short Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival.

Jessica Matten is a Canadian actress and producer.

Taken is a Canadian true crime documentary television series produced by Winnipeg-based production company Eagle Vision. It first aired on the Aboriginal People’s Television Network on September 9, 2016 and was broadcast again later that year by the CBC. The series features reenactments and interviews with the family and friends of Canada's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, as well as interviews with local and federal law enforcement, various Canadian experts, advocates, activists and politicians who provide social commentary on the issue of MMIWG in Canada. The series also encourages viewers with information about the featured cases to call the RCMP or Canadian Crime Stoppers anonymous toll-free tip line at 1-800-222-8477. The series was created by Lisa Meeches, Kyle Irving and Rebecca Gibson and is broadcast in both English with host Lisa Meeches, and in Cree by host George Muswaggon. There are currently 3 seasons of Taken, with a fourth and final season in development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron E. Scott</span> Filmmaker (b. 1967)

Ron E. Scott is a Canadian-Metis showrunner and director. He is the founder of Prairie Dog Film + Television, an independent production company involved in creating scripted series. Company projects have been nominated for over 140 awards, including Best Dramatic Series and Best Dramatic Writing at the Canadian Screen Awards.

The following is a list of events affecting Canadian television in 2020. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and channel launches, closures and rebrandings.

Danis Goulet is a Cree-Métis film director and screenwriter from Canada, whose debut feature film Night Raiders premiered in 2021.

<i>Bones of Crows</i> 2022 Canadian drama film

Bones of Crows is a 2022 Canadian drama film, written, produced, and directed by Marie Clements. The film stars Grace Dove as Aline Spears, a Cree woman who survives the Indian residential school system to become a code talker for the Canadian Air Force during World War II.

Dr. Savannah: Wild Rose Vet is a Canadian documentary television series, which premiered in 2022 on APTN. The series profiles Savannah Howse-Smith, a Métis veterinarian in the Drayton Valley region of Alberta, depicting both her veterinary practice and her own personal exploration of her Métis heritage.

References

  1. "1491 Website". 1491.
  2. "1491: The Untold Story Of The Americas Before Columbus – S01-E08". www.aptn.ca. Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. 21 July 2021.
  3. "Leo Awards, Nominees & Winners by Program".

Times Colonist Article, November 2017 www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/miniseries-1491-led-by-victoria-s-barbara-hager-offers-a-different-view-of-history-1.23087267

Playback Article, February 2014 APTN to go into production on 1491

Playback Article, October 2017 APTN preps docu-drama 1491

Pow-wows.com Article, November 2017 New TV Series '1491: The Untold Story of the Americas before Columbus'

Newswire Article, October 2017 Indigenous-produced docu-drama series "1491" reveals untold history of the Americas before Columbus

Nation Talk Article, October 2017 Indigenous-produced docu-drama series “1491” reveals untold history of the Americas before Columbus

TV-Eh? Article, October 2017 Indigenous-produced docu-drama series “1491” reveals untold history of the Americas before Columbus | TV, eh?

APTN website with links to watch the episodes online www.aptn.ca/1491