Dreamkeeper (2003)

While Native Americans are still largely absent from television and movie screens, they are more visible than they have been in decades. Television shows such as Reservation Dogs and Dark Winds and movies such as Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) and Rez Ball /(2024) have given American Indians a higher profile than they have had in many years. This was certainly not the case in 2003, when Native Americans were almost never seen on television. An exception to this rule was the two-part television movie Dreamkeeper. Dreamkeeper both centred on Native Americans and featured a primarily Native American cast.

Dreamkeeper centred on Lakota storyteller Peter Chasing Horse ((August Schellenberg) and his grandson Shane Chaing Horse (Eddie Spears) as they travel from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota to the All Nations powwow in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As they travel, Peter tells Shane legends and stories from various tribes in help his grandson embrace his Native identity. Among the stories Peter tells Shane are tales of Coyote and Iktomi the spider; the Cheyenne story of the Quillwork Girl and her seven star brothers; the story of a Chinook woman who sacrifices herself to cure her village; and the Northwest coast legend of Eagle Boy. Dreamkeeper was aired in two parts on ABC, with the first part airing on December 28 2003 and the second part on December 29 2003.

Dreamkeeper was produced by Hallmark Entertainment. Although today Hallmark is known for schmaltzy romantic comedies and Christmas movies, in 2003 they were still known for quality television movies and mini-series. They had produced the 1996 mini-series Gulliver's Travels, the 1997 mini-series The Odyssey, and the 2001 TV movie The Lost Kingdom (based on the novel Journey to the West).

While Dreamkeepr centred on Native Americans and featured a primarily Native American cast, its creators were not American Indians. It was produced by Ron McLeod, who had been a producer on the 1990s revival of The Outer Limits, and Matthew O'Connor, who was the supervising producer on the 1990 mini-series It and the 1996 TV movie Captains Courageous. It was written by John Fusco, who had written the screenplays for such films as Crossroads (1986) and Young Guns (1988). It was directed by Steve Barron, who had directed the 1984 cult film Electric Dreams and the 1990 live-action movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. While Dreamkeeper was not the creation of Native Americans, during filming advisors from the Lakota, Kiowa, Cheyenne, Pawnee, Blackfeet, Mohawk and Crow were on hand to ensure authenticity and suggest any changes that should be made.

As mentioned earlier, Dreamkeepr had a largely Native American cast, and many of those names remain recognizable to this day. Gary Farmer of Smoke Signals (1998) fame, actor and activist Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Tantoo Cardinal (known for Dances with Wolves and Smoke Signals), August Schellenberg from the Free Willy movies, and others.

Dreamkeeper had a longer production schedule than the average television movie. It was shot over four months. It also involved filming at a variety of locations, including Saguaro National Park in Arizona,  Ghost Ranch in  Abiquiu, New Mexico, Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico, Pine Ridge in South Dakota, and places around Drumheller, Alberta. Bringing some of the legends to life required considerable special effects. A few scenes even involved a stampede of 1500 bison.

Dreamkeeper received largely positive reviews. Jacqueline Cutler wrote in the December 28 2003 issue of The Los Angeles Times, "ABC’s Dreamkeeper is that rarest of miniseries for which it is worth setting aside family viewing time." Columnist Jerry Graham wrote of the TV movie, "Dreamkeeper is the best glimpse into the culture of American Indians that I have ever seen." Dreamkeeper proved popular with audiences as well. It was seen by 8 million viewers.

Dreamkeeper was released on DVD and remains available in that format. It is also available on streaming, on Peacock, Amazon, and Freeveee. The two-part movie also remains loved by many, as evidenced by a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It is easy to understand why Dreamkeeper would still be loved by audiences. It was in many ways a pioneering television movie. At a time when Native Americans were virtually invisible in movies and television, it presented both modern day Native Americans (Peter and his son) and legends from various Native American cultures. What is more, it was a very well-done production. Dreamkeeper may not be particularly well-known today, but it really should be.