This is a Columbus Day special made up of stories, music and poetry from several Native American tribes in the American West. The strongest element is a sound piece by Jessie Boggs about the revival of canoe building in the Pacific Northwest. The narration and sound succeed in taking me to these waters, and the actualities convey the importance of the canoe tradition in maintaining Native language, community, and family identity. This special also features poetry, a nice variety of music, and two compelling essays about poverty and prisons from a Native American perspective. The issue I have with this show is that while individual elements are good radio, it doesn?t hold together as a whole. There is no theme that unites these pieces, and the host transitions don?t create a narrative thread. The host?s writing is sometimes clich?d and no real connection is made between the show and Columbus Day. Despite this shortcoming, there are several individual pieces worth considering for rebroadcast.
Review of The Native Plan
Taki Telonidis
Posted on October 30, 2006 at 09:30 AM
This is a Columbus Day special made up of stories, music and poetry from several Native American tribes in the American West. The strongest element is a sound piece by Jessie Boggs about the revival of canoe building in the Pacific Northwest. The narration and sound succeed in taking me to these waters, and the actualities convey the importance of the canoe tradition in maintaining Native language, community, and family identity. This special also features poetry, a nice variety of music, and two compelling essays about poverty and prisons from a Native American perspective. The issue I have with this show is that while individual elements are good radio, it doesn?t hold together as a whole. There is no theme that unites these pieces, and the host transitions don?t create a narrative thread. The host?s writing is sometimes clich?d and no real connection is made between the show and Columbus Day. Despite this shortcoming, there are several individual pieces worth considering for rebroadcast.