Lost Nation: The Ioway

I possess "Villisca: Living with a mystery. I expected a professional treatment of their newest documentary and was not disappointed.

There can not be a revelation of the plot of this documentary because, by intent, there is not a plot. The viewer is offered a visual trip and a confrontation with the participants of the movie.

The questions implied after viewing is, or might be, the purpose of the movie. Are Native Americans viewed by themselves and others as a foreigner in their own country? What will be the legacy fifty or one-hundred years from now? Lacking a specific "trail of tears" are the results the same for the Ioway and other tribes similar? One travels with some members of the tribe the same areas and suggests the environment of the past as well as today. The continuity of the film and comments by the Indians as well as historians are interjected trough out to further illustrate the past and connect to the future.

One can be assured that they are treated with the respect and dignity you should expect from a serious visual historian. Adding this film to your library can only enhance your appreciation of the various people that are part of our lives and our history.

David H. Tharp