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"A Thief of Time"

"A Thief of Time"A Thief of Time
(2003, 116 min.) US
Director: Chris Eyre (Cheyenne/Arapaho)
Executive Producers: Robert Redford and Rebecca Eaton
Producer: Craig McNeil for PBS' Mystery!
Actors: Adam Beach (Saulteaux), Wes Studi (Cherokee), Tantoo Cardinal (Métis), Peter Fonda, Sheila Tousey (Menominee), Alex Rice (Mohawk), Graham Greene (Oneida), Kelly Byars (Choctaw), and Gary Farmer (Cayuga)

In the latest episode of Mystery! to be based on a Tony Hillerman novel, Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn go into action again. This time the Navajo tribal policemen's search for a missing archeologist puts them squarely in the sights of Anasazi pot pickers. The story's events revolve around a serious issue for indigenous peoples: illegal excavations of sacred sites. The film's title refers to a sign outside of Chaco Canyon, a major center of ancestral Puebloan cultures, which reads "Thief of Time: Pot Hunters Destroy America's Past."

Image credit: Both A Thief of Time

Kelly Byars

Adam Beach
Tantoo Cardinal
Chris Eyre

Gary Farmer

Graham Greene

Alex Rice
Wes Studi
Sheila Tousey

2004 Native Cinema Showcase

2003 Native American Film and Video Festival - World premiere

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copyright 2004, Smithsonian Institution