Reel Injun

I recently had the opportunity to view a documentary called “Reel Injun.”   The documentary is a Canadian film Directed by Neil Diamond which was honored with the Peabody Award.  An assortment of clips from familiar movies like “Dances with Wolves” and discussions with familiar faces like Clint Eastwood point out that Hollywood Cinema has created a persona of the Native American that is not true to history.

From childhood, there are certain pictures that are embossed in our minds; head bands fringed leather pants, full head dresses.  Indians were dirty savages and murderers.  

The subject is particularly interesting to me because of my novel and screenplay “Dream:  If not for Katie.”  My story is about a young girl who crosses America during the gold rush in the mid eighteen hundreds.  Circumstances put her in the middle of the conflict between the Native Americans and the whites.  She lives and loves both worlds.  “Reel Injun” has definitely influenced the direction of my screenplay and my future novels.

What I learned from this great documentary is that great care must be taken to understand the truth.  I am sure that most Americans realize, at this point in time, that Native Americans suffered tremendous hardships during this time period, as did the average American settler.   I am sure that some of us are still naive to what the Native Americans really endured.   My goal is not to put blame on either side, but write a true picture of a historical time period. 

Reel Injun

Anita's favorite passage...

Q: Is there a passage in "Dream: If not for Katie..." that is a favorite of yours or particularly personal to you?

Anita: There is a time late in the story where Katie gets separated from her Indian husband, Sequoya. The white soldiers attack his tribe and take her away. She thinks he is dead and convinces an old friend to take her back to the battle ground to bury him. When they arrive, they find the dead buried on elevated graves and her husband is not among the dead. He is upon the hillside above her. He can not go after her, because he must keep the few remaining members of his tribe safe. I am a pushover for romantic tragedy. The loss of a loved one is the worst loss imaginable. Even though I wrote it myself, I still cry when I read it.

Katie searched all the other graves and prayed for all of them, but she did 

not find Sequoya and several of the other young braves.  "They have to be alive!" 

She was so relieved that Sequoya was not among the dead.  She suddenly became sad 

and looked at Jack, "Where could they have gone? How will I find them!"  She called 

out for Sequoya with tears streaming from her face.
 
Sequoya heard her cry out for him and stopped in his tracks. He stood, dead still, 

as Muraco looked at him with panic in his eyes.  He knew how hard it was for Sequoya 

to turn his back on her.  He loved her so.Sequoya fell to his knees and cried as he 

listened to her tearfully scream his name.
 
Jack reached out and held Katie's arm, pulling her back toward the wagon.She pulled 

away from him and fell to the ground.  She wept screaming his name, "Sequoya!".
 
Sequoya turned and watched with tears streaming from his face, and his own heart felt 

as it was tearing away from his chest.

Anita Massic talks about "Dream: If not for Katie..."

Q: How did you get started as a writer?

Anita: One day, I picked up my laptop and just started writing. I love history and my favorite time period is the 1850s. What better adventure to write about! It is amazing how the words easily flowed through my mind and out of my fingers. I was surprised and excited and the more I wrote the more passion I felt for writing.

Q: Who is Katie?

Anita: Katie is a young woman who endures many hardships on her journey across America during the gold rush. During her pre-teen years at home on her family farm, she is young and innocent, protected from
the harsh reality of the world, but as she matures she is witness to the brutality of the times.

Q: What was the most satisfying aspect of writing Dream?

Anita: I love creating characters and watching them grow and mature in my mind. There are endless possibilities. It is amazing what can happen in your mind if you close your eyes and unleash your imagination.

Q: What did you want to say with the writing of this book?

Anita: As I look back, I think "Dream: If not for Katie..." is an outlet for the frustrations in my present life. It makes me happy to know that even though life can seem to be a never ending struggle, there is always
hope for the future.

Q: Do you have a favorite author?

Anita: Yes, John Grisham. His genre is totally different than mine, but all of his stories are exciting and extremely well written.