Chiefs

Born in the Dakota Hills, Sitting Bull became a leader of Indian tribes during the Great Sioux Wars. Present day descendants help to tell his story. This program covers his life and the developments leading to the Battle of Little Big Horn.

The saga of Sitting Bull's life after the Battle of Little Big Horn continues. In Canada, Sitting Bull and Canadian Mountie John Walsh form a relationship, and the Canadians do not want to support the US tactics against the Indians, which includes wiping out the buffalo in order to cause starvation.

Through his memoirs, and the words of his descendants, this film tells the story of Black Hawk and of the brutal government response to the resistance of his tribal allies, which resulted in the forced relocation of Native Americans from their homes in the upper Mississippi to Oklahoma.

Pontiac, or Obwandiyag, the leader of the Algonquin Nations, and chief of the Odawa, fought against the British with the French. After the French were defeated in Canada in 1759, Pontiac struggled against the British military occupation of the Great Lakes region.

Thayendanegea, or Joseph Brant, was a Mohawk military and political leader in the 18th century, based in present-day New York. Closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution, he met the most famous figures of his day, including George Washington and King George III.

Known as a peacemaker and defender of his people, Poundmaker surrendered after Canadian forces attacked his camp in 1885 in response to an uprising. His story is told through interviews with Poundmaker’s descendants, reenactments and archival images.