Aboriginal dance the spirit of the peoples ; Aspects of aboriginal dance . Curriculum Materials Center. 1988. 1 videocassette (19, 23 min.), 1 teachers guide (20 p. ; 21 cm.), 2 maps (b&w ; 30 x 21 cm.). Two programs that demonstrate aboriginal dance, showing its variety and its connection to aboriginal customs. Part 1 uses storytelling as the basis for the dance; part 2 includes a number of traditional aboriginal dances. VHS 7683

Anonymously yours . 2003. 1 videodisc (60 min.). An extraordinary documentary shot clandestinely in Burma, the film examines sex-trafficking in Southeast Asia through interviews with four young women. The brutal honesty of their stories exposes the commonplace bartering and selling of women and the cycles of poverty that enslave them. From the back rooms of teashops and restaurants to the lounges of five-star hotels, the Far East sex trade thrives on the routine merchandising of girls and women for the sexual pleasure of men from all cultures. DVD 1196

An appointment with the astrologer: Personal consultants in Hindu society . 1984. 1 videocassette (40 min.). Prominence of astrology in everyday Hindu life is explored. VHS 799

Ancient India . Ancient civilizations. 1999. 1 videocassette (47 min.). The antecedents of modern Indian culture can be traced back to the Harappan civilization, which flourished between 2300 and 1500 BC in what are now Pakistan and Afghanistan. This era saw the birth of the Hindu religion. The Aryan tribes from the Russian steppes invaded the subcontinent in 1000 BC, bringing their language and culture. The resulting synthesis between the Aryan and Indian civilizations brought forth a unique society that included a caste system, which soon became entrenched. Program examines the religious tension between Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, and the historical events that shaped the great Indian civilizations from the Morian Empire through the Mogul Empire. Maps and scholars provide insight into a culture that remains vibrant and diverse today. VHS 6354

Ancient warriors . 1994. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.). Presents the typical experience of a warrior in each of these military cultures, using contemporary narratives, bloodless reenactments of battles, current views of the terrain, computer graphics reproductions, and artwork (sculpture, painting, etc.) from the period described: The Janissaries -- Shaolin masters of Kung Fu -- The Samurai. VHS 3412

Annapurna Mahila Mandal (Bombay) . 1990. 1 videodisc (12 min.). Describes a society of more than 5,000 who provide meals in their homes to migrant workers whose families remain in the country. The society was formed to obtain low-interest loans for the women who were previously charged interest of as much as 150% by the grocers or money-lenders for the food supplies. The major drawback of the arrangement for the women is the long hours with no days off. VHS 1335

The art of Kabuki . 1988. 1 videocassette (35 min.). A study of the traditional, bombastic theater of Japan, with attention given to the symbolism of the performances. Program provides an introduction to the 400-year-old tradition of Kabuki, explaining its origins and purposes, its literary sources, and the meaning of its symbolism. The program shows the rehearsal, preparation of costume and wigs, and the performance of the Kabuki play. VHS 553

Asia today . 1998. 5 videocassettes (250 min.). A series of five programs which explores the rapid development taking place across Asia. The series explores the changing culture and emerging economies of five regions, along with the problems that foreign investment, industrialization, and international tourism are bringing. Also shows how social change is taking place throughout the region by contrasting traditional and modern practices in small villages and large cities. VHS 5591-5595

Black harvest . 1992. 1 videocassette (90 min.). Features a joint business venture between Joe Leahy, a wealthy mixed-race coffee plantation owner, and the Ganiga, an aboriginal tribe in Papua New Guinea. When world coffee prices collapse the workers' wages are drastically reduced and this leads to tribal warfare. VHS 2401

The bomb under the world . The Human race. 1994. 1 videocassette (52 min.). An ornately decorated elephant leads a parade through an Indian village, in a promotional campaign for soap. Consumer society is coming, and India's growing population looks for the same goods and a similar living standard as the West enjoys. Examines the consequences of Western-style consumerism in a large developing country. VHS 3451

Bombay, our city . 1985. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Four million people live in the slums of Bombay without water, sanitation or electricity and they face eviction as the city tries to "beautify" Bombay. VHS 2424

Cane toads . 1987. 1 videocassette (46 min). Documents the history of the Cane Toad in Australia, showing how it has become part of local culture and popular mythology. Despite its rapid spread throughout Queensland and neighboring provinces and the danger it poses to pets and small children, many regard it as cute or harmless. VHS 4096

Cannibal tours . 1987. 1 videocassette (77 min.). Tourists travel on a cruise ship to visit the farthest reaches of Papua New Guinea. Australian Dennis O'Rourke takes an ironic look (which neither condones nor condemns the tourists or the Papua New Guineans) at tourist/native interaction and explores whether it is the indigenous tribespeople or the white visitors who are the cultural oddity. Both the tourists and the tribespeople comment on each other, highlighting both culture clash and the ways in which the two groups are alike, in this unusual documentary that explores the differences and the surprising similarities that emerge when Western and New Guinean people meet within the context of organized "travel adventure tours." VHS 4546

China's lost girls . National Geographic Ultimate explorer (Television program). p2004. 1 videodisc (ca. 45 min.). Host Lisa Ling examines the consequences of China's two-decade-old, one-child policy, as it is commonly called. To curb the country's exploding population, China limits most families to one child, or in certain circumstances, two children. Due to cultural, social and economic factors, traditional preference leans toward boys, so girls are often hidden, aborted or abandoned. As a result, tens of thousands of girls end up in orphanages across China. DVD 779

Chinese foot binding: The vanishing lotus . 2003. 1 videocassette (VHS) (52 min.). "A pair of small feet -- three-inch golden lilies -- were once the male-designated yardstick for feminine beauty in China. A young girl's feet were broken and bound inwards along the instep, a process that caused excruciating pain. Systematically bound, day after day, the stunted feet began to take on the coveted look of that profoundly sensuous image, the lotus bulb. Today there are fewer than 400 women with bound feet among the 1.25 billion people of China. Most of them are over 80 years old. Some of these women tell us of the event that branded their lives with its singular mark. Once an erotic symbol of beauty and eligibility, the bound foot confronts us with a custom that subjugated women to a brutal beauty myth." --from www.filmakers.com. VHS 7724

Circles-cycles Kathak dance . 1989. 1 videocassette (ca. 28 min.). Illustrates the concept of the circular in Indian philosophy and religion as it is portrayed in Kathak, the classical dance form of North India. VHS 732

Cracks in the mask . 1997. 1 videocassette (56 min.). The mysterious and elaborate turtleshell masks collected last century in Torres Strait in far north Australia are unique and irreplaceable, yet there are now none left in Torres Strait. They are all in foreign museums. Film follows Torres Strait Islander Ephraim Bani, who with his wife Petharie, travels to the museums of Europe to locate artifacts of his ancestors. Includes interviews with museum curators who discuss the problems of museum collection policy. Looks at how museums decontextualize cultures -- the so-called "poetics of detachment" -- and exclude the very people whose ancestors created the objects in the first place. VHS 5978

Dadi's family . 1988. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Portrait of a farming family in India which focuses on Dadi, the grandmother, who manages a large household of sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren and tries to hold the extended family together despite external and internal changes. Looks at the role and lives of women, who become members of their husband's family upon marriage. Describes the impact of current social change on traditional customs and women's life in India. VHS 2097

Daughter from Danang . 2003. 1 videocassette (ca. 83 min.). Heidi seems the proverbial "all-American girl" from small-town Pulaski, Tennessee. But she was born Mai Thi Hiep in Danang, Vietnam, the daughter of an American serviceman and a Vietnamese woman. At the war's end, her mother, hearing rumors that racially mixed children would be persecuted, place the 7-year-old girl on an "Operation Babylift" plane to the United States. Twenty-two years later mother and daughter are miraculously reunited in Danang. But what seems like the cue for a happy ending is anything but as Heidi and her Vietnamese relatives are caught in a heart-wrenching clash of cultures. VHS 7300

Dead birds . 1983. 3 videocassettes (83 min.). This film chronicles the two seasons the Harvard-Peabody New Guinea Expedition spent with the Dugum Dani (Dani) in the Kurelu area of the Baliem Valley, Dutch New Guinea (now Irian Jaya, Indonesia). Its purpose was to record the Kurelu wars, rituals, and daily life, and show a people trapped in an avenge-reprisal system. The film portrays the stories of Weaklekek, a warrior, and Tukum, a tender of pigs, their enemies and their friends. Battles, mourning ceremonies and victory celebrations are depicted. Traditional dwellings, dress and battle regalia are also shown. VHS 2104 pt. 1-3

Discovering the music of India . Discovering music series. 1994? 1 videocassette (22 min.). Describes the two main types of Indian music, the Karnatic of the south and the Hindustani of the north, dating back more than three thousand years. Demonstrates the use of a wide variety of simple and complex instruments. Points out several ways in which Indian music differs from Western music. Includes a traditional Indian dance showing the importance of the art of gesture. VHS 3648

Dreaming Filipinos . 1990. 1 videocassette (52 min.). "A comedy satire which addresses the issue of what it means to be Filipino and looks into the preoccupation with being American"--Container case. VHS 1795

The electronic tribe . Japan. 1988. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Chronicles the historical and cultural forces that have shaped the Japanese temperament to be especially adept at forming cohesive organizations and thinking collectively - and how this cultural distinction has translated to the highly efficient and productiove Japanese factory system. VHS 436

Eunuchs: India's third gender . 1991. 1 videocassette (ca. 50 min.). The film interviews a couple, Dinesh, a male, and Kiran, a eunuch who dresses as a female and fulfills a housewifely role. The film also features a eunuch community that supports itself by the traditional roles of faith healing and blessing ceremonies celebrating major life events. It also shows a community in Bombay where eunuchs can no longer support themselves in the traditional manner but instead have turned to prostitution. Two new recruits are admitted into this community in a traditional Indian wedding ceremony. VHS 2465

Family ties . Arabs, a living history. 1985. 1 videocassette (55 min.). Although the film features a mother in an extended family in Amman, Jordan, it also includes interviews with women who lead less traditional lives, including a young woman in Tunisia who wishes to have her own apartment and a Jordanian woman who is a commercial jet pilot. VHS 2161

First contact . 1984. 1 videocassette (54 min.). Recounts the discovery of a flourishing native population in the interior highlands of New Guinea in 1930 in what had been thought to be an uninhabited area. Inhabitants of the region and surviving members of the Leahy brothers' gold prospecting party recount their astonishment at this unforeseen meeting. Includes still photographs taken by a member of the expedition and contemporary footage of the island's terrain. VHS 2021

Follow the rainbow . Indigenous peoples standing their ground. 1992. 1 videocassette (ca. 52 min.). Damming the Subarnarekha River in India's South Bihar region will have catastrophic results for the native Ho Indians. The Ho's campaign of resistance has so far led to the temporary suspension of World Bank payments for the project. VHS 1950

The fourth stage . 1984. 1 videocassette (42 min.). Retired Indian journalist, E.R. Seturam is considering whether to embark on an ancient Hindu quest for self-realization through the fourth stage of life (sannyasa). Film accompanies Seturam as he discusses his possible decision with colleagues, family members, other sannyasins, and holy men throughout India. VHS 798

From the barrel of a gun . The Pacific century. 1992. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Describes the revolution began by Asia's political leaders following WW II. Shows how the Pacific war, the cultural revolution in China and the Vietnam War stem from the roots of nationalism. The end of colonial dominance and the subsequent rise of nationalism and communism are told through the lives of Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnamese revolutionary, and Sukarno, the founding father of Indonesia. VHS 1903

Frontiers of peace: Jainism in India . 1986. 1 videocassette (40 min.). Explores the history and philosophy of Jainism, in particular its emphasis on non-violence, respect for all forms of life, and belief in personal salvation. A Jain town father, a nun, and a monk describe the major observances of the Jains, their founder, Mahavir, their 2,500 year history, and their concern for the preservation of all living beings. VHS 797

The geographic dynamic of the Pacific Rim: Middle America, collision of cultures . The power of place: world regional geography. 1995. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Singapore, gateway city, looks at how Singapore exploits its location to play a key commercial role in Pacific Asia. Australia, new links to Asia, investigates Australia's European roots and recent Asian influences in economic development. Mexico, motive to migrate, examines migration patterns both within and outside of Mexico. Guatemala, continuing conquest, examines the "cycles of conquest" borne by Maya peoples in Guatemala. VHS 3763-3764

Gimme somethin' to dance to!: What is bhangra? 1995. 1 videocassette (18 min.). Documents the rising popularity of bhangra music, originally from the Punjab and popularized in England, principally by Bally Sagoo, with the addition of Western instrumentation, rap and techno beats, and special effects. Popular over American radio stations, bhangra music brings together ethnic groups within the expatriate Indian community. Featured are interviews with various radio DJ's. VHS 4083

Given to dance: India's Odissi tradition . 1986. 1 videocassette (57 min.). An account of the thousand-year tradition of Hindu temple dancing at the Temple of Joggernaut and elsewhere in eastern India and of the women who perform the dances. Concentrates on the Odissi tradition of dancing. VHS 1072

The goddess and the computer . 1988. 1 videocassette (VHS) (58 min.). Examines centuries-old traditions of rice farming on Bali in which water is considered a gift from a goddess and is controlled by priests. The importance of this religious system of irrigation came to light only after newly introduced methods of rice farming were introduced as a result of the green revolution and production decreased while pests multiplied. A computer modeling system was developed which confirmed the wisdom of the old traditions. VHS 7591

The heart of the nation . Challenge to America. 1994. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Explores the central values of Japan, Germany, and the U.S. and focuses on what drives each of these societies. America's hallmark is individualism; Japan's the pre-eminence of the group. In America, freedom and diversity are primary values; in Japan, conformity and a powerful sense of nationalism prevail. Germany stands between the two. Based on the premise that the work ethic for national economic success develops from the socio-cultural attitudes instilled at 2nd grade level in school, the program compares one primary and one secondary school class in: Stuttgart, Germany; Toyota City, Japan; and Kansas City, USA. VHS 2482

Image India . 1991. 11 videocassettes (144 min.). Explores Hindu rites and religious practices, including the role of Hinduism at various stages of life. All but part 8 filmed within the Tengalai brahmin community of Srivaisnavas. VHS 1551-1561

India: The empire of the spirit . Legacy. 1991. 1 videocassette (57 min.). The ancient traditions of non-violence and spiritual search, honored by Hindus in the present, were born in the Indus Valley 5,000 years ago. Looks at how ancient India is with us today in the living tradition of the Hindu religion, the basis of Indian culture. Also describes how India has kept true to its ancient tradition of non-violence and spiritual search, even as it became part of the modern world. VHS 1692

India: Kingdom of the tiger . 2002. 1 videocassette (ca. 40 min.). "Journey across India, a breathtaking land shaped by a myriad of cultures, customs and traditions. Come face to face with the Bengal tiger and explore the spectacular world of this majestic creature with stunning clarity, captured only as IMAX technology can. Inspired by the writings of Jim Corbett, who pioneered wildlife conservation in this country, India : kingdom of the tiger is a glorious tribute to this magnificent land. Soar over blue-hazed Himalayan peaks and sweep down towards the thundering Indian Ocean as we celebrate the power and beauty of India's greatest ambassador-- the mighty Bengal tiger"--Container. VHS 7801

Japan: Memoirs of secret empire . 2003. 1 videodisc (160 min.). An historical documentary of Japan between the 16th and 19th centuries, from the "Warlord Period" to the end of its isolation from the West in the 19th century. Looks at the cultural and military aspects of Japanese society -- the rule of the Shogun, traditions of Samurai and geisha, the effect of exposure to Western culture. DVD 1860

Japanese trade . American interests. 1990. 1 videocassette (29 min.). News reports and panel discussions explore the challenge presented by Japanese trade, Japanese investment in the United States, and Japanese economic culture. Is the Japanese culture unique or have the Japanese adopted American values? Has Japan targeted high-knowledge industries in order to dominate the world economically the 21st century? Does Japan practice adversarial trade? Does the United States need an industrial policy? VHS 897

The Japanese version . 1991. 1 videocassette (56 min.). Looks at modern Japanese culture by exploring Japan's fascination with things American, pointing out that in borrowing from other cultures, there emerges a distinct Japanese slant on such things as American baseball, the 1950's, weddings, and "love hotels." VHS 2050

Japanese war crimes & trials: Murder under the sun . 1996. 1 videocassette (47 min.). Between 1932 and 1945 Japan went on a rampage of war and atrocity during which surrender made captives subhuman. Being a prisoner of the Japanese was 17.7 times more lethal than fighting them. Of all white prisoners, 1 in 3 died in captivity. For Asians it was far worse. Prisoners suffered cannibalism, torture and slavery. There was murder by fire, disease, beheading, dissection and starvation. This documentary interviews American survivors of Japanese imprisonment and illustrates the horror suffered by these prisoners. VHS 5346

Joe Leahy's neighbors . 1988. 1 videocassette (90 min.). Concerns Australian prospector and explorer Leahy's mixed-race son Joe as it looks at a situation which mirrors the questions about Papua New Guinea's future and the choices its people face. Never recognized by his father, Joe has pursued a course of Western life and has risen to affluence. But he lives amongst the Ganiga tribe, who envy his success and question the means by which he got his land. In a volatile situation Joe tries to keep the lid on matters, and uses his freedom from tribal obligations to further his financial success. VHS 2274

Kamala and Raji . 1990. 1 videocassette (46 min.). Presents the story of two poor women in Ahmadabad, India, and their efforts to improve their lives. VHS 1156

Know your enemy-- Japan . 1985. 1 videocassette (63 min.). Explains how the religious, political, cultural, and economic history of Japan contributed toward making her a formidable foe. Intended to show the American serviceman the fighting characteristics of his Japanese counterpart. VHS 3436

Knowing her place . 1990. 1 videocassette (40 min.). An Indian woman looks at her life, her marriage, and her role in contemporary society both in India and the United States. VHS 3688

Legacy . 1991. 6 videocassettes (57 min. ea.). This six part series explores the influence of ancient culture on our lives today. Host/writer Michael Wood visits the ancient cities and great ports of India and China, the deserts of Egypt and Iraq, the Mexico of the Inca, Aztec and Mayan peoples, the Greek and Roman monuments of Europe and the jungles of Central America searching for the living legacies of these once great civilizations. The series traces how the institutions that arose with urban civilization 5,000 years ago, such as organized religion, bureaucratic government and international trade are still affecting the political and cultural mindset of many parts of the world today. VHS 1692-1693

Legacy of a Javanese princess . Indonesia: a generation of change. 1987. 1 videocassette (28 min.). Almost a century ago, Raden Kartini, a Javanese princess became the first woman to challenge the inequities of Indonesian society: however, Indonesian women continue to struggle within a society that compels them to derive their status from their role in the family and their desire and/or need to work. This program shows that life for today's Indonesian woman is a balancing act of wife, mother and rice-field worker; also, a fascinating variety of women offer their insights on how the next generation of women will fare. VHS 1243

The legacy of the shoguns . Japan. 1988. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Documents the events, personalities and cultural forces that characterize Japan's rise from one of the last feudal societies on earth to a global military power in just a few short decades. Explores the 17th-century traditions of hard work, discipline and rigid hierarchy that kept Japan a small, isolated country for centuries but also inspired a brutal military power bent on world domination in World War II, later contributing to an aggressive race to the forefront of modern world economics. Shows why the Japanese are the most law abiding of people: their heritage from the shoguns and their institutionalized bureaucracy, laws and pervasive policing and control of the citizenry. VHS 438

Lords of the garden . Smithsonian Expedition special. 1993. 1 videocassette (55 min.). Anthropologist Paul Taylor leads an expedition to the southern part of Irian-Jaya, Indonesia to study the Korowai people of New Guinea who refer to themselves as the "Lords of the garden." He views the building of a traditional tree house using axes but no hammers or nails; the house will accommodate an extended family. He asks about the practice of cannibalism. Although the only two capital crimes are adultery and murder, all claim that cannibalism is no longer practiced -- except by clans farther away. VHS 3091

Malaysia . Mini dragons II. 1992. 1 videocassette (60 min). Shows Malaysia's attempt to be fully developed by the year 2020 by developing its economy faster than any nation ever. The risk is a division between the wealthy ethnic Chinese and the native Malays. Individual examples include a rubber planter who is losing his workforce to city jobs and a woman who runs a counseling center for rural women undergoing culture shock in their new role as workers in high-tech factories. VHS 2017

Margaret Mead and Samoa . 1988. 1 videocassette (51 min.). Presents new evidence in the controversy generated among anthropologists by Derek Freeman's refutation of Margaret Mead's famous work "Coming of age in Samoa" in which she wrote of a Polynesian culture that was free of the stresses of modern society. Freeman, who found Mead's Samoa largely make-believe and devalued her research, appeared not only to attack a revered institution, but to also challenge the entrenched liberal-political position of anthropology in the "nature versus nurture" dialogue. Includes interviews with Mead's friends, peers, including Freeman, Mead's daughter and native Samoans. VHS 516

Mini Dragons II . 1992. 3 videocassettes (180 min). Profiles newcomers to the global economic scene that are rich in natural resources and developing at amazing speed. The series looks at their economic growth, and the social and cultural forces that drive them, by telling the personal stories of men and women within each distinctive country. VHS 2016-2018

Modernization! -but for whom? 1987. 1 videocassette (51 min.). Looks at how Malaysia's development projects affect the citizens of a village in Penang. Asks whether development that does not include citizen participation (and that alters the local culture) can be viewed as progress. Scenes of traditional culture are contrasted with scenes of development projects. The film also includes interviews of citizens, businessmen and government leaders. VHS 952

Mythos . 1997. 5 videocassettes (280 min.). Series looks at the shaping of the Eastern tradition and examines spirituality through the mythic images of Hinduism and Buddhism. The Inward path: Introduces the core ideas of Eastern traditions and explores what Aldous Huxley called the perennial Philosophy and how it is realized in Hinduism and Buddhism. Traces the development of the idea of spiritual emancipation from the early Indus Valley civilizations through the Vedic literature to the Upanishads. Identifies the point of departure between the Eastern and Western traditions. Explains the concept of Nirvana and sets the stage for the arrival of the Buddha. -- The Enlightened One: Uses stories of the Buddha's life and enlightenment to reflect the essence of the Buddhist religion. Explains the difference between the two principal types of Buddhism - Theravada (Hinayana) and Mahayana. Also probes the differences between Eastern and Western religion by focusing on Buddhism as a religion of "identification with" the divine rather than one of "relationship to" it. Also compares Buddhism and Taoism and Confucianism. Our Eternal selves: Introduces systems of yoga that grew out of the mainstream of India spiritually. Demonstrates how the Eastern way of perceiving consciousness is radically difference from how it is perceived in the West. Shows how yoga acts as a meditation to bring the practitioner to ever higher stages of consciousness, to unite one's personal consciousness with the eternal, undifferentiated consciousness of the divine. -- The Way to illumination: Explains the form of Kundalini Yoga that concentrates on the seven chakras or symbolic centers of our psychic energy and makes comparisons with modern Western psychology and Christian concepts. Explores how this system teaches rituals and mediation practices to united the spiritual power in the human being with the spiritual force of the universe. The Experience of God: Demonstrates how Tibetan Buddhists turn the ritual experience of death into a spiritual exercise. Traces the stages of the Tibetan Book of the Dead in which the Llama prepares a dying man and his family for the final moments of life. Reveals how the Eastern tradition reaches its most sophisticated expression in the art, philosophy and mysticism in the Buddhism of Tibet. VHS 5143

No rest for the weary: Cultural Revolution and its origins . Mao's last battle, the cultural revolution. 2004. 1 videodisc (53 min.). From World War II until Mao's death in 1976, the Chinese faced recurring hardships, the Cultural Revolution perhaps the most damaging to their traditional society. This program carefully traces the origins and implementation of Mao's agenda of social upheaval, bringing together documentary footage and firsthand accounts from those who experienced it. Among those interviewed is Song Yongyi, a history professor at Dickinson College who left China in order to write an account of the movement. DVD 1140

No. 17 cotton mill: Shanghai blues music in China . Beats of the heart. 1984. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.). Documentary of a dormant, ancient musical culture that is finally re-emerging. It chronicles examples of ancient Chinese instruments and performances by modern day groups. VHS 3263

Off the verandah . Strangers abroad, pioneers of social anthropology. 1990. 1 videocassette (52 min). Bronislaw Malinowski was the anthropologist who really changed the way field studies were carried out. He worked on a remote group of Pacific islands and lived for long periods among the people he was studying and made their lives intelligible to the West. VHS 1071

Papua New Guinea: Anthropology on trial . 1983. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Remote tribes and exotic islanders have been made known to the world through the lens of anthropology. However, some of the residents have begun to object, stating that anthropologists are sometimes misinformed or biased. Program visits Papua New Guinea, which was originally studied by Margaret Mead, and explores the people's reactions to the anthropologist's conclusions about their culture. VHS 5635

Paradise bent: Boys will be girls in Samoa . 1999. 1 videocassette (50 min.). An exploration of the Samoan fa`afafine, boys who are raised as girls, fulfilling a traditional role in Samoan culture. The film shows how in the large Samoan family there may be one or two fa'afafines who are not only accepted but appreciated. They share the women's traditional work of cooking, cleaning, and caring for the children and the elderly. "Paradise Bent" brings up issues of culture and gender and the complexities of sexual identity. VHS 7348

Perfumed nightmare: Mababangong bangungot . 1986? 1 videocassette (92 min.). A semi-autobiographical fable about a Filipino named Kidlat Tahimik and his awakening to, and reaction against American cultural colonialism. VHS 691

Pilgrimage to a Hindu temple . Image India. 1991. 1 videocassette (13 min.). Explains that making a pilgrimage to places of special sanctity is an age-old tradition of popular Hindu piety. Follows a Brahmin pilgrim into the temple and to the innermost shrine. Shows areas inside a temple, which are normally inaccessible to non-Hindus and suggests how the areas appear to a believing Hindu. VHS 1556

Portrait of the Soviet Union . 1988. 4 videocassettes (392 min.). Series looks at over 100 nationalities and 15 republics that comprise the Soviet Union. VHS 421

Raju and his friends . 1988. 1 videocassette (ca. 39 min.). Raju's friendships with different people provide a map of contemporary Indian urban life in Jamnagar, western India. VHS 2850

Rebels of the forgotten world . Indigenous peoples standing their ground. 1991. 1 videocassette (52 min.). The forceful and forcible efforts of the Indonesian government to resettle and westernize its tribal people have met with determined resistance from the dispossessed native population, armed only with bows and arrows. VHS 3092

Ring of fire . A Mystic fire video. 1990. 2 videodiscs (ca. 56 min. each part). A documentation of the 10-year voyage of 2 filmmakers, the brothers Lawrence and Lorne Blair, through the exotic, mysterious islands of Indonesia, which form a chain of active volcanos that arc down and around the Pacific to form the "Ring of Fire"--Magical lands where ancient myths still flourish. DVD 705

Road to the stamping ground . 1984. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Kylian's ballet "Stamping Ground" was inspired by the Australian aborigine dance ceremony he witnessed in 1980. This film includes footage from the Australian ceremonies, intercut with the choreographer and his own dancers working in the Hague. Includes complete performances of the finished ballet "Stamping Ground," and of a stamping dance performed by Australian tribesmen. VHS 485

Robert Thurman on Tibet . 2002. 1 videodisc (240 min.). Professor Robert Thurman discusses the history and culture of Tibet and the history of the Dharma in Tibet. DVD 1562

The Russian way of life . Way of life. 1993. 1 videocassette (20 min.). Russia is the largest country to emerge from the former Soviet Union. Its heritage has roots in both European and Asian cultures which provide the country with a diversity of customs and traditions. Viewers will visit ordinary Russian families and see how they live, work and relax. Film considers such issues as privatization, the resurgence of religion, and the changes being made to the educational system. Also visits Russia's cathedrals and palaces as well as historical sites like the Kremlin, Red Square and the Tomb of Lenin. VHS 5861

Sacrifice . 1998. 1 videocassette (48 min.). Each year thousands of girls are recruited from rural Burmese villages to work in brothels in Thailand where they are held for years in debt bondage. The trafficking of Burmese girls is a direct result of political repression in Burma. Human rights abuses, war, and ethnic discrimination have displaced thousands of families leaving them with no means of livelihood. This film, through interviews with the girls, examines the social, cultural and economic forces at work in the trafficking of these Burmese girls. VHS 6469

Science for survival . A woman's place. 1995. 1 videocassette (50 min.). Millions of women, with their managerial, economic and scientific skills, are the backbone of India's rural economy. Film looks in depth at two women: activist and ecologist Vandana Shiva, the leader of a people's movement that opposes "reductionist Western science," argues that the failure of the Green Revolution was due to the fact that women's knowledge of traditional seed varieties was ignored and now works to promote local farming methods that she believes are vital to the survival of the Indian ecosystem; and Dr. Sharadini Dahanukar who has set out to prove that ayurvedic medicine, which relies heavily on women's knowledge of plants and herbs, has scientific validity. Film also looks at silk technology and Prabha Shekar who argues that the fusion of modern science with indigenous knowledge can provide a way forward for poor communities. VHS 4923

Shoot for the contents . 1991. 1 videocassette (101 min.). Ponders questions of power and change, politics and culture, as refracted by Tienanmen Square events and offers at the same time an inquiry into the creative process of filmmaking, intricately layering Chinese popular songs and classical music, the sayings of Mao and Confucius, women's voices and the words of artists, philosophers and the cultural workers. VHS 6809

Siberian ice maiden . Ice mummies. 1998. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Archaeologist Natalya Polosmok journeys to the Altay Mountains in southern Siberia to search for traces of an ancient people known as the Pazyryk. Using film footage and interviews, program looks at the life and death of the Siberian Ice Maiden -- a woman mummified, buried and frozen in a wooden tomb on a high plateau in Central Asia over 2400 years ago -- who is believed to be a link to the Pazyryk culture. Also discusses the question of who has rights to ancient graves. VHS 5812

Silk patterns Mongolia . Gender montage. 2003. 1 videocassette (27 min.). "The film's leitmotif is the deli -- the traditional women's costume that not only gives a distinctive color to everyday life in Mongolia but also tells something about the women wearing it by its color and the way it is fashioned. One of the most common types of deli today is that sewn for women college graduates. Eighty percent of students are women. It would seem that such a statistic would represent positive change for women. However, Urchanimeg Nansalmaa presents the account of people from all levels of Mongolian society to show its reverse side. After graduating from college, women have only two paths open to them: returning to the steppe, becoming housewives and marrying livestock farmers or truck drivers or, their diplomas notwithstanding, to earn their living as unskilled workers in Eastern Asian countries." --from container. VHS 7530

Small happiness: Women of a Chinese village . 1984. 1 videocassette (58 min). Discusses the place of women in Chinese life in village of Long Bow. In rural China, a newborn son is called a 'great happiness' but a newborn daughter is often called a 'small happiness.' This film explores sexual politics and its myriad implications for women in rural China today. Chinese women speak frankly on many subjects, including footbinding, the government birth control policy, work, love and marriage. VHS 1198

The soul of the master . China, unleashing the dragon. 1995. 1 videocassette (52 min.). The third film in a four part documentary chronicling the transformation currently sweeping over China, from its initiation by Deng Xiaoping, to the economic, social and cultural realities of today's China. This episode examines how changing values and economic pressures are influencing the popular culture, arts, long-standing cultural institutions and traditions of China. VHS 5633

South Asia: Aspiring India China and its sphere [Pt.1] . The power of place: world regional geography. 1995. 1 videocassette (58 min.). In Delhi, bursting at the seams, a geographer studies Delhi as a multicultural, rapidly growing city. Dikhatpura, help through irrigation, explores the lives of farmers reliant on irrigation in Southwestern India. Lanzhou, confluence of cultures, examines the cultural diversity of the population of Lanzhou in northwestern China. Shenyang, hope for China's rust belt? investigates the struggling manufacturing industries in Shenyang, China. VHS 3771-3772

Southeast Asia, between the giants . The power of place: world regional geography. 1995. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Laos, isolated heart, examines the prospects for development in isolated Laos particularly through the "Friendship Bridge". Vietnam, fertile dreams, looks at rice production in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Indonesia, tourist invasion, explores the growing importance of tourism in Indonesia. Multi-cultural Malaysia analyzes Malaysia's different ethnic groups and efforts for mutual acceptance. VHS 3775-3776

Surname Viêt, given name Nam . 1989. 1 videocassette (108 min.). "Vietnamese-born Trinh T. Minh-ha's profoundly personal documentary explores the role of Vietnamese women historically and in contemporary society. Using dance, printed texts, folk poetry and the words and experiences of Vietnamese women in Vietnam -- from both North and South -- and the United States, Trinh's film challenges official culture with the voices of women. A theoretically and formally complex work, Surname Viet Given Name Nam explores the difficulty of translation, and themes of dislocation and exile, critiquing both traditional society and life since the war." (Summary from Women Make Movies website: http://wmm.com). VHS 5996

Taj Mahal: The story of Muslim India . 1991. 1 videocassette (24 min.). For more than 300 years, the Taj Mahal has stood as the symbol of the rich court life of the Moghuls and of Shah Jahan's love for his wife. This videotape examines Shah Jahan and the history of the waves of Muslim conquerors who swept over the mountains to rule the Indian subcontinent. VHS 1932

Taking pictures . 1996. 1 videocassette (56 min.). Australian documentary filmmakers explore the issues and pitfalls of filming across cultural boundaries through interviews and samples of their films of Papua New Guinea including Trobriand Cricket, First Contact, The Shark Callers of Kontu, Joe Leah's Neighbors, Black Harvest, Cannibal Tours, and others. It also covers the work of indigenous Papua New Guinea filmmakers and their own experience making sense of film and culture. VHS 4582

Teyyam: The annual visit of the god Vishnumurti . 1998. 1 videocassette (57 min.). "In Northern Kerala, Hindus revere numerous Gods through Teyyam rituals. Each Teyyam is dedicated to a specific God. In Teyyam worship a ritual specialist, a Teyyam performer, takes the shape of the God and becomes transformed. The rituals are performed at yearly festivals held at small temples devoted to Teyyam Gods which offer devotees the opportunity to communicate directly with them, asking for support to deal with problems such as illness and theft. [...] This program shows one Teyyam ritual for the popular God Vishnumurti, it is a visually dazzling event which is one of the few occasions that brings both the higher and lower castes of the different Hindu communities together. The performers are shown in the preparations and also after the festival."--Container. VHS 7135

The three worlds of Bali . Odyssey series. 1981. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Reflects anthropologist Stephen Lansing's theme of the three Balinese traditions: time and place, religion, and group participation, the organizing principle of all three being art. Lansing guides the viewer on an exploration of the Indonesian island of Bali, which is coming to terms with the technological West. The Balinese make artistic offerings of music, dance, poetry, and even food in order to maintain the delicate balance between the world they live in, the world of the gods, and the world of the demons. The Balinese have retained what was important to them, which is a blend of animism, Hinduism, and Buddhism into a single continuous tradition. VHS 4950

Tibet the end of time . Lost civilizations. 1995. 1 videocassette (ca. 50 min.). Isolated by the Himalayas, Tibet has developed a culture centered on lives of altruism, the worship of the Dalai Lama as the manifestation of god on earth, and a perception of life as a repeating cycle. Now, however, modern life is intruding and the Tibetans' quest for peace, inner knowledge and nirvana may cease to exist. VHS 5180

Tibetan Buddhism . 1983? 3 videocassettes (120 min.). A documentary on Tibetan Buddhist culture. VHS 3940

Tibet a culture in exile . 1990. 1 videocassette (ca. 23 min.). Presents Tibetan culture in a historical context and particularly traces the Dalai Lama's effort to preserve Tibet culture destroyed by China. VHS 1509

Trekking on tradition . 1992. 1 videocassette (44 min.). Explores the effects of mountain tourism (known as trekking) on a small village in rural Nepal. It examines the views of both the trekkers (Europeans and Americans) and the Nepalese, and weaves a complex patchwork of conflicting dreams, desires, aspirations, and frustrations. VHS 3585

Trobriand cricket: An ingenious response to colonialism . 1975? 1 videocassette (53 min.). Shows how the Trobriand Islanders have transformed the British game of cricket over the last seventy years into a unique Trobriand sport and a colorful ritual expressing their own cultural values. VHS 586

Two faces of Thailand: A musical portrait . Beats of the heart. 1994. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Popular music in Thailand, where even the king of Thailand is a jazz musician, juxtapositions folk music with Western pop to produce the Luk Tung music scene. Director Marre, joins Luk Tung star Sumbatcharon on the road as he takes his huge troupe across country to stage sprawling, uniquely Thai extravaganzas that are the common man's entertainment. We are also taken into the cities, into the kick-boxing arenas and the red-light districts where music plays an integral role. VHS 3727

Understanding Japan . 1997. 1 videocassette (35 min.). This program looks at the country of Japan. Provides an introduction to its geography, culture and history. VHS 5971

The unfortunate generation: Cultural revolution and beyond . Mao's last battle, the cultural revolution. 2004. 1 videodisc (53 min.). Within two years of the Cultural Revolution, armed factions battled each other in Mao's name. To avoid civil war, Mao essentially banished his detractors to the countryside. This program chronicles the Cultural Revolution, its aftermath, and the role of Mao's wife, Jiang Qing. Scholars, diplomats, and survivors discuss the forced labor camps known as "Schools of May 7th"; the attacks on foreign consulates in Hong Kong and Beijing; China's support of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge; and the trial of the "Gang of Four." The program concludes with Deng Xiaoping opening China to the West. DVD 1141

Walking with the Buddha . 1993. 1 videocassette (29 min.). As the number of immigrants from Southeast Asia increases, Americans will meet believers in Theravada Buddhism. This video, filmed in Thailand, looks at the life of the Buddha and how his followers live their beliefs. VHS 2762

Wedding song: Henna art among Pakistani women in New York City . 1990. 1 videocassette (41 min.). Shenaz Hooda illustrates the traditional art of mehendi, the henna decoration of women's hands and feet for weddings and other festive occasions. The film includes the ceremonies as well as the Urdu songs (with English sub-titles) that are part of a traditional Ismailite wedding. VHS 1076

Women in development . 1996. 1 videocassette (ca. 30 min.). Looks at a broad range of issues relating to the advancement and empowerment of women in three countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Considers how cultural factors determine roles for men and women as it specifically addresses the issues of women's health and education (literacy rates, pregnancy and family planning), women and poverty (issue of the wage differential between men and women and the role of low interest loan programs that target poor women) and women and the environment in the countries of the Solomon Islands, Vietnam and Palau. VHS 5663

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