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Edge of the Rez, Hour One

From: Geoff Norcross
Length: 00:58:53

A documentary exploring the lives of Native American and non-Native people who live in Northern Arizona towns neighboring the Hopi and Navajo Nations Read the full description.
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Piece Description

EDGE OF THE REZ is a two hour long documentary produced by KNAU, Arizona Public Radio. The series profiles the people who straddle two sometimes disparate worlds living in towns that neighbor the Hopi and Navajo reservations in northern Arizona. It explores tough issues including education, alcoholism, religion and racism through the compelling, often emotional, personal stories of both native and non-native people who live on the ?edge of the rez.? Hour One of EDGE OF THE REZ begins in Farmington, New Mexico, where hundreds of Navajos recently held a peaceful march to protest discrimination in border towns. We profile a Navajo/African American singer who grew up traditionally on the reservation, as well as a bicultural Indian trading family that spans two generations. We also tackle the thorny issue of alcoholism, and explore what two border towns are doing to address the problem.

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Review of Edge of the Rez, Hour One

Edge of the Rez examines the border towns where Native American culture intersects with white culture. The show is a collection of several features that address issues such as discrimination, the role of family, the effects of relocation, alcohol abuse, and the importance of traditional culture in overcoming these and other problems. Each story is well done, and a couple are exceptional. Music is used effectively both to transition between pieces, and to further the narrative within individual stories. The hour-long show works as a whole, but several segments could stand on their own or work as a series. This is an important and poignant body of work because it points out both the harsh reality as well as the beauty that can be found on the edge of the rez.

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Review of Edge of the Rez, Hour One

This one-hour special is an insightful account of how Hopi and Navajo peoples in Arizona navigate their dislocation from the reservation (Rez). The featured voices and stories render the pain and some humor about loss, racism and stereotypes.

For me, the most interesting stories were the ones woven between the opening and closing bookends of news reports. I understand the wisdom of re-tooling news reports, but the actual storytelling from a first-person account is much stronger. Plus, the news reports contain references to local pegs, which aren't relevant to stations around the country.

But what unfolds is powerful. Whether you're listening to Mona Seamon return to her birthplace in Navajo country and talk about what lies in ruin because of the government's mandate to move, or to Radmilla Cody, a biracial (African-American and Navajo), professional singer, who talks about how she was ostracized by many in her Native American family because of race, the storytelling hooks you.

Getting subjects to open up and share their innermost thoughts and feelings is hard. I also know that for Native Americans, the proposition is doubly difficult. Why should they entrust their stories to non-natives? KNAU succeeds here.

If you wish to gain good understanding about our ignored native tribes, of which many end up in more urban environments, this piece lays a strong foundation with well-produced sound and content.

Broadcast History

The series originally aired from Nov. 13th-19th on KNAU, Arizona Public Radio. Selected stories from the documentary aired on NPR's Morning Edition on 12/26/06, 12/27/06, and 1/16/07.

Timing and Cues

:00-:05 music bed
:05-:19 segment 1
:19-:20 break 1
:20-:40 segment 2
:40-:41 break 2
:41-:59 segment 3

Musical Works

Title Artist Album Label Year Length
Edge of the Rez Skychasers Full Moon Session. Canyon Records 2004 05:19
The Navajo National Anthem Radmilla Cody Within the Four Directions. 2000 00:00
Seed of Life Radmilla Cody Seed of Life. Canyon Records 2002 03:00
Tears Radmilla Cody Spirit of a Woman. Canyon Records 2005 03:55
Spirit Within Burning Sky Enter the Earth. Rykodisc 1999 03:16
Generations Louie Gonnie Sacred Mountains. Canyon Records 2005 03:04
Make it Rain Casper Lomadawa The Sounds of Reality. Third Mesa Music 2000 00:00

Related Website

http://www.knau.org