1). What is the narrator’s tribal affiliation? How does he describe his Indian identity?
2). Which tribal lands are represented in A Seat at the Drum? How do these places shape American Indian
identity?
3). What is the Indian Relocation Act? In what year was the Act passed, and what was its impact on
American Indians?
4). How is “Indianness” and tribal identity expressed and described throughout the film?
5). What does powwow mean to the community in the film?
6). How was pan-Indian identity represented in the film and why did the narrator feel that pan-indian
identity might be problematic in the 21st Century?
7). Where is Sherman Indian High School located? How has its image and mission changed over the
years? How do the alumni view their experiences there?
8). What was the impact of the narrator’s Christian upbringing? How does he reconcile the imposition of
Christianity with his understanding of American Indian “spiritual” understanding?
9). How are Indian blood quantum and bloodlines depicted and explained in the film?
10). Why does the narrator, Marc Antony Rolo, begin his journey to reconnect to and rediscover his Tribal
roots in California instead of going back to his own tribal lands in Minnesota? What does this suggest about
contemporary American Indian identity formation and California’s place in American Indian Studies?
11). Who enters the pow wow arena first in the Grand Entry?
12). Name three dances that are popular at pow wows today and what do the dances represent/signify?
13). What is the significance of dance regalia? Is it a costume, why or why not?
14). What does the headdress represent?
15). What is the purpose of “giveaways”at pow wows? ee – Contact support