CU Linguistics co-sponsors Boulder premiere of Modoc Nation films
On March 14, CU Linguistics co-sponsored the Boulder premieres of two films about the endurance, strength and resilience of the Modoc peoples: the moving documentary Modoc Nation: An Untold Story of Survival and a stunning Maqlaqsyals-language short film, This is their Land. The short film, which provides a historical preface to the documentary, tells the little known story of the Modoc War (1872-1873), in which Modoc leader Kintpuash, also known as Captain Jack, led 52 warriors in a group of more than 150 Modoc people who left the Klamath Reservation in Oregon and took up defensive positions in the area known today as Lava Beds National Monument. This small group of warriors held out again waves of US Army forces sent against them. Deemed enemy combatants by the US, the Modoc survivors of the conflict were forcibly relocated to Eastern Oklahoma, creating the present-day conditions described in the Modoc Nation documentary. The film This is their Land was introduced by our very own Dr. Joseph Dupris (Modoc; Visiting Assistant Professor of Linguistics and Ethnic Studies). Dr. Dupris also assisted in the production of This is their Land by translating and transcribing, as well as coaching on set, in Maqlaqsyals language. After the viewing, Dr. Dupris conducted an audience Q&A with two of the principals of This is their Land: Michael O'Leary, director and producer, and actor/co-producer Román Zaragoza (currently playing the role of Sasappis in the CBS television series Ghosts). This event was sponsored by the Center for Student Involvement, Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies, Department of Ethnic Studies, Department of Linguistics and STUDIO Lab.