Sandra Osawa facts for kids
Sandra Sunrising Osawa is a talented Makah filmmaker and poet. She is well-known for her movies like Lighting the Seventh Fire (1995) and On and Off the Res with Charlie Hill (1999).
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Early Life and Education
Sandra Osawa is a member of the Makah Nation, a Native American tribe from Washington state. She grew up with her family of six. They spent summers on the Makah Reservation and school years in Port Angeles, Washington. Her father worked as a commercial fisherman.
She went to Lewis & Clark College. There, she earned her degrees in Political Science (which is about how governments work) and English in 1964. She even studied with famous poets like William Stafford. After college, she worked on the Makah Reservation. She helped start her tribe's first Head Start Program, which helps young children get ready for school. In 1971, she worked for the Los Angeles Indian Center. She later attended film school at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Working in Television
In 1974, Sandra Osawa directed, wrote, and produced the Native American Series for NBC. This TV show focused on important issues for Native Americans. It featured Native guests like Buffy Sainte-Marie and non-Native guests who cared about these issues, such as Marlon Brando.
By 1975, the series became popular. It even aired before the Today Show. Even though it was on at 6:30 AM, many people watched it. Osawa received letters asking for the show to be played at a "decent hour." She was the first Native American to produce a TV series for NBC. She was also the first Native filmmaker to produce a POV program for PBS.
Osawa also worked with her husband, Yasu Osawa, on a show called Native Vision. This was a public affairs program for KSTW-11 in Seattle. She also created a documentary called Eagles Caged. This film focused on the lives of Native American women in a Washington state prison.
Her Film Career
In 1980, Sandra Osawa and her husband, Yasu Osawa, started their own company called Upstream Productions. She had met Yasu while they were both at UCLA.
Her first documentary film was In the Heart of Big Mountain. This film was about Kathrine Smith, an elder Navajo woman, and the relocation of her tribe. Osawa also worked on The Eight Fire for NBC. This project looked at treaty rights (agreements between Native American tribes and the government) in different parts of the U.S.
She then made her film Lighting the Seventh Fire. This movie was about the Chippewa tribe's spearfishing rights in Wisconsin. The film's title comes from the Chippewa Seven fires prophecy, an important teaching. In 1995, she released Pepper's Pow Wow. This documentary was about the life of Kaw-Muscogee jazz musician Jim Pepper.
The first part of her film Usual and Accustomed Places was shown at the famous Sundance in 1997. In 1999, she created the documentary On and Off the Res with Charlie Hill. This film was about Oneida comedian Charlie Hill. Her 2007 film, Maria Tallchief, explored the life of the first Native American ballerina, Maria Tallchief.
Awards and Recognition
Sandra Osawa has received many awards for her amazing work. In 1994, her film Lighting the Seventh Fire won best documentary at the American Indian Film Festival. In 1996, she was named the Taos American Indian Filmmaker of the Year.
List of Films
- Goin' Back (1975, released in 1995)
- In the Heart of Big Mountain (1988)
- Lighting the Seventh Fire (1995)
- Pepper's Pow Wow (1996)
- On and Off the Res with Charlie Hill (1999)
- Usual and Accustomed Places (Part 1 1997, 2000)
- Maria Tallchief (2007)
- Princess Angeline (2010)
