Join us in celebrating the diversity of Indigenous experiences and cultures for Native American Heritage Month! Below we’ve gathered a list of educational and enlightening programs that offer a glimpse of the diverse achievements, history, culture, and traditions airing on PBS KVIE, available to stream for free on the PBS app, or available to stream with PBS KVIE Passport. Discover, reflect, learn, and celebrate Native American Heritage Month not only in November, but all year long.
Programs Airing on PBS KVIE
The American Buffalo
November 7 & 14 at 8PM
Uncover the dramatic story of America’s national mammal, which sustained the lives of Native people for untold generations, being driven to the brink of extinction, before an unlikely collection of people rescued it from disappearing forever. Ken Burns recounts the tragic collision of two opposing views of the natural world—and the unforgettable characters who pointed the nation in a different direction.
K’etniyi: The Land is Speaking to Us
November 14 at 10PM
Through a seasonal cycle in Alaska’s Lake Clark National Park, Indigenous elders and park scientists explore the deep interconnections that run through everything. From the millions of salmon that energize entire ecosystems, to ancestral trails linking communities, to meadows dense with brown bears, this cinematic meditation shows how the land’s rhythms offer wisdom for all who listen carefully.
ViewFinder: Echoes of a Lost Valley
November 19 at 7PM
Travel deep into California’s past to its geological birth, and explore a historic landscape stewarded by the Indigenous people of California. Discover these mostly lost sights and sounds through computer-generated graphics and stunning images accompanied by a soundscape of the past.
Bring Them Home
November 24 at 10PM
Bring Them Home tells the story of the Blackfeet people striving to re-establish wild buffalo on tribal land after 100 years of absence. The film recounts efforts to restore buffalo, land, traditional culture and bring healing to the Blackfeet community. Narrated and executive produced by Oscar nominee and Blackfeet/Nez Perce actor Lily Gladstone, the film has been an audience favorite at festivals.
The Bears on Pine Ridge
November 26 at 9:30PM
A state of emergency grips Pine Ridge Reservation amidst soaring youth suicide rates. With an urgent need for mental health resources, residents mobilize community-driven prevention efforts. A determined Oglala Lakota elder, named “Tiny,” inspires a group of resilient young suicide-survivors to unite, giving them a platform to raise awareness, in hopes of saving more lives.
Kanenon:we – Original Seeds
November 26 at 9PM
Kanenon:we – Original Seeds features three Haudenosaunee women: Angela Ferguson, Rebecca Webster and Rowen White, who are stepping back into their sacred responsibility as seed keepers. They honor the work of their ancestors by regenerating, rematriating, and protecting sacred seeds, offering a powerful view of what is possible in Indigenous communities working towards food sovereignty.
Programs Available to Stream on the PBS app
Ghosts
Ghosts tells the story of three Kiowa boys’ daring escape from a government boarding school in Anadarko, Oklahoma, in 1891 to attend a ghost dance ceremony at a distant Kiowa encampment. After being whipped for insubordination and feeling defeated, Charles, a rebellious teenager, plans to escape with an unlikely group of partners.
Independent Lens: One with the Whale
Hunting whales is a matter of life or death for the residents of St. Lawrence. When a shy Alaska Native teen becomes the youngest person ever to harpoon a whale for his village, his family is blindsided by thousands of keyboard activists brutally attacking him online — without full perspective on the importance of the hunt to his community’s well-being.
KVIE Arts Showcase: Pamela J. Peters
See how multimedia artist Pamela J. Peters uses her art as a vessel to tell the stories and preserve the legacy, dedication,resilience, contributions, and lives of Native Americans.
Programs Available to Stream on the PBS app with PBS KVIE Passport
PBS KVIE Passport is a benefit of station membership. Members gain extended access to more videos available to stream on the PBS App.
Little Bird
Bezhig Little Bird was adopted into a Jewish family at the age of five, being stripped of her identity and becoming Esther Rosenblum. Now in her 20s, Bezhig longs for the family she lost and to fill in the missing pieces. Her quest lands her in the Canadian prairies where she discovers that she was one of the generation of children forcibly apprehended by the Canadian government.
Local, USA: Firelighters – Fire is Medicine
For centuries, most landscapes in North America were shaped by fire between lightning strikes and Indigenous burns. Indigenous people had deep knowledge of the art of using fire and still do today. Follow the work of women leaders from the Yurok and Karuk Tribes who are building resources to share Indigenous practices and create policies to take back Indigenous burning rights.
Native America
Native America is a groundbreaking portrait of contemporary Indian Country. These two 4-part Native directed seasons reveals the beauty and power of today’s Indigenous world. Smashing stereotypes, it follows the brilliant engineers, bold politicians, and cutting-edge artists who draw upon Native tradition to build a better 21st century.
POV: Twice Colonized
Aaju Peter is a renowned Inuit lawyer and activist who defends the human rights of Indigenous peoples. She’s a fierce protector of her ancestral lands in the Arctic and works to bring her colonizers to justice. As Aaju launches an inspiring effort to establish an Indigenous forum, she also embarks upon a deeply personal journey to mend her own wounds, including the unexpected passing of her son.