The Return of Navajo Boy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Return of Navajo Boy |
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| Directed by | Jeff Spitz |
| Starring | Cly Family |
| Release date(s) | January 20, 2000 (Sundance Film Festival) |
| Running time | 52 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English Navajo |
The Return of Navajo Boy is a documentary film released in 2000. It was made by Jeff Spitz and Bennie Klain. The film tells the story of the Cly family, who are Navajo living on their reservation. Through their experiences, the movie explores important issues faced by the Navajo Nation. These include problems with the environment, how they are shown in media, and the effects of uranium mining.
For many years, uranium mining happened in Monument Valley, Utah, without proper rules. This caused health problems for people and the environment. The film also talks about children being adopted away from their families. Bill Kennedy was a producer for the film. His father had made an earlier silent film called The Navajo Boy in the 1950s, which also featured the Cly family.
In 2000, The Return of Navajo Boy was shown at the famous Sundance Film Festival. It has won many awards since then.
Contents
The Cly Family's Story
The filmmakers wanted to share the full story of the Cly family. They lived on the Navajo Nation in Monument Valley, Utah. This family had also been in the older silent film, The Navajo Boy. Through their story, the film shows many challenges the Navajo Nation has faced for a long time. These include how land is used, pollution, health, and their rights.
Elsie Mae's Journey
Much of the story in the 2000 film is told by Elsie Mae Cly Begay. She is the oldest of the children who appeared in The Navajo Boy. Elsie Mae is the oldest living Cly family member shown in the film. Her mother, Happy Cly, died from lung cancer. The family believes this was caused by pollution from unregulated uranium mining on their land.
Elsie Mae Begay has also lost two sons. One died from lung cancer, and the other from a tumor. She believes their deaths were also linked to uranium pollution. They lived near a house built partly with contaminated rock. This house was later taken down in 2001.
Uranium Mining's Impact
Uranium was mined for about 40 years in six areas on the reservation. This left many abandoned mine sites and waste piles. In some places, families even used contaminated rock to build their homes. The air and water also became polluted. By the late 1970s, when the mines started closing, some miners were getting sick. Many were dying from lung cancer or other illnesses related to radiation.
Finding John Wayne Cly
When Happy Cly died, her youngest son, John Wayne Cly, was a baby. Missionaries adopted him. Elsie Mae Begay says the family only agreed for John to be cared for. They expected him to return to the family when he was six years old. But they lost touch with him. While making The Return of Navajo Boy, the Cly family was reunited with their brother, John Wayne Cly, after many years.
Elsie Mae's grandparents, Happy and Willie Cly, were the main people in the older film. The "Navajo Boy" from the first film was Jimmy Cly, who was Elsie Mae's cousin.
Positive Changes and Awareness
The Navajo Nation has been worried for a long time about how uranium mining affects their people. This is because of health problems from being around harmful materials. The Navajo Nation's environmental agency has found many sites that need to be cleaned up. In 2005, the Navajo Nation was the first Native American group to ban uranium mining on their land.
Cleanup Efforts
After finding polluted water and buildings, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Navajo Nation created a five-year plan. This plan aims to clean up the pollution from these sites. In 2011, they finished their first big project. They removed a huge amount of contaminated material from the abandoned Skyline Mine, which was near Elsie Mae Begay's old home. You can find videos online that show the progress of the government's uranium cleanup on the reservation.
Raising Awareness
In early 2010, the Indian Health Service started using the documentary. They used it to teach people about uranium pollution and health issues on the Navajo Nation reservation. In 2014, journalist Amy Goodman used parts of The Return of Navajo Boy. She showed how uranium mining affected Navajo land on her program, "Democracy Now!"
Awards and Recognition
- Official selection, 2000 Sundance Film Festival
- Best Documentary, Indian Summer Festival
- Programmer's Choice Award, Planet in Focus Festival
- Audience Award, Durango International Film Festival
