We Shall Remain ties together the past, present, and future of the United States in a titular fashion. By providing a Native American view to things, there are countless individuals, movements, and other issues that never received the coverage that they should have. The different episodes of this series are given more than enough time to showcase the different trends and threads that were running through the period, instead of attempting to cram everything in the space of an hour or two. While the We Shall Remain series does cover the present and future side of things slightly, I would like to see a second series showcase the issues that modern Native Americans face. Whether it be the actions of the AIM or the racism encountered still to this very day, I cannot help but feel that there are still a lot of issues affecting the Native American side of society that are not covered in this series.
Where the series does shine the brightest would have to be the fair and balanced view that is taken. There are transgressions by the Native American side just as much as the European side, and while a number of the actions by the United States government are still not to be rationalized away, the behavior behind these actions is shown in an easier to understand way.
While there are a number of distinct documentaries in the We Shall Remain set, PBS has ensured that there are a number of bonus features that further increase the replay value of this set. This means that, for those individuals that may be teaching (either in a class or at a seminar), there are a number of different materials that will be tremendously beneficial. While the behind the scenes footage that is present is solid in its own right, it seems to have a different style to it than would a typical Hollywood feature. However, this is a good thing – further information and context is provided through this featurette that makes the information contained on the main feature all the more clear.
Rating: 9.0/10
We Shall Remain: America Through Native Eyes (DVD) / 2009 PBS / http://www.shoppbs.org