| Abstract |
River People documents a timely issue - the clash between an ancient culture and modern society. It is the story of David Sohappy, a Native-American spiritual leader who was sentenced to a five-year prison term for selling 317 salmon out of season. For twenty years Sohappy has fished in open defiance of all state and federal fishing laws. He claims he has an ancestral right to fish along Oregon s Columbia River. As a result, he has become a symbol of resistance for indigenous people of the Northwest United States and beyond. River People uses Sohappy's case to explore the historic conflict over the resources of the Columbia and the political controversy involving fishing rights and the right to religious freedom. Behind the controversy is the story of a man caught in a conflict between two cultures, and two seemingly irreconcilable ways of looking at the world. |
| General note | Previously published as DVD. |
| General note | Title from resource description page (viewed May 24, 2011). |
| Spec. audience char. |
For High School; College; Adult audiences. |
| Reproduction note | Electronic reproduction. Alexandria, VA : Alexander Street Press, 2011. (VAST - Academic video online). Available via World Wide Web. |
| Language | This edition in English. |
| Awards note | American Anthropological Association, 1991 |
| Awards note | Blue Ribbon, American Film & Video Festival, 1991 |
| Awards note | Hawaii International Film Festival, 1990 |
| Awards note | Silver Apple, National Educational Film & Video Festival, 1991 |
| Genre/form | Documentary films. |
