Broken Rainbow

"There is no Word for Relocation in the Navajo Language; to Relocate is to Disappear and Never be Seen Again."

May 5 1985 N/A 1h 10m
Documentary, History

Documentary chronicling the government relocation of 10,000 Navajo Indians in Arizona.

Plot

Examines the history leading to the passage of P.L. 93-531, in 1974, to force the relocation of 10,000 Diné (Navajo) from Hopi land. Behind the scenes, argues the film, it was all about mining rights as Peabody Coal used the Hopi tribal council through its attorney, John Boyden, to evict Diné families who had lived in peace with Hopi people for centuries. As context, the film discusses the Long Walk, arbitrary reservation boundaries, the advent of Indian schools, the formation of compliant tribal councils, excavation contracts for coal, uranium, oil and natural gas that paid impoverished tribes pennies on the dollar, and the apologetics of elected officials, including Mo Udall.

Written by

Maria Florio, Victoria Mudd, Lisa Sonne

Directed by

Victoria Mudd

Production Countries

United States of America

Languages

English

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 1 win & 1 nomination total

Scores
# of Votes
294
Average Rating
6.8 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA