Circle of the Sun
Canada 1960 | 30 Min.
CIRCLE OF THE SUN first captures the sun dance ritual of the Kainai Nation or Blood Tribe in Southern Alberta. Worried that the traditional ceremony might be dying out, the tribal leaders had permitted filming as a visual record. The director Colin Low was from the area and had known people of the tribe since childhood. In the beginning young indigenous “easy riders” on their bikes are shown racing on a highway. The conflict between modern orientation and the old traditions is obvious as a main concern. Every year there are less tipis erected at the site of the ceremony.
The film features the personal narration of Pete Standing Alone, a young indigenous man who worked on oil rigs. His extensive participation was extraordinary at a time when genuine indigenous voices were not often heard on screen. The NFB later released a Standing Alone trilogy which documents 50 years in the life of the Kainai Nation, as well as the protagonist’s development from a youth to a tribal elder.