People of the West Series

People of the West is a ten-part, premium documentary
series that tells the history of California from the perspective of the tribes themselves.

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

We're proud to share the first trailer for People of The West.⁠ ⁠

This series is dedicated to the Native peoples of California, the ancestors who endured, and the generations who carry these stories forward.⁠ ⁠

Watch the trailer and learn more at https://t.co/N5k9fXY7nX

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

We can still be proud and patriotic and love our country, while being critical of it, holding ourselves to a higher standard, learning the full scope of history so we can truly understand our past... by doing so, we can build a way better future for our children.

Oh say, can you see?

#America250
#CaliforniaHistory
#AmericanHistory
#Peopleofthewest

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

The real goal has always been bigger than a premiere, bigger than Hollywood.

Ten episodes.

A classroom curriculum.

A chance for the next generation to learn the history so many of us never did.

That’s why we made People of the West.

#CaliforniaHistory
#PeopleoftheWest

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

We’re taught that California entered the Union as a “free” state in 1850.

What often gets left out is that Native men, women, and especially children were bought, sold, and forced into labor throughout California.

Free for who?

#CaliforniaHistory
#PeopleoftheWest

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

Tickets: https://t.co/EaEPWTheye

People of the West is more than a story about colonization.

It’s a story about survival.

About the impossible choices our ancestors faced and the strategies they used to protect their people. Some fought. Some fled. Some negotiated. Some adapted. Every generation found a way to keep going.

They weren’t passive observers of history. They were active participants in it.

Join us for the encore screening of People of the West on Sunday, June 28 at 10:00 AM at the TCL Chinese Theatre.

#PeopleOfTheWest #CaliforniaHistory

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

Due to popular demand, a new screening has been added!

Join us in Hollywood for People of the West: Episode One, First Contact.

June 28 | 10 AM
TCL Chinese Theatre
Hollywood, CA

First come, first served.

Link in bio. We hope to see you there!!

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

We have some exciting news!

Due to overwhelming demand, Dances With Films has added an Encore Screening of People of the West.

📍 TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood
📅 Sunday, June 28
🕙 10:00 AM

LINK: https://t.co/UT6VX3nP8i

[Picture Motion @picturemotion__]

Excited to share our client @POTWSERIES will have its WORLD PREMIERE at @danceswithfilms: LA! 🪶

Survival. Resistance. Sovereignty. The film brings buried history into the light & dares audiences to confront the truth behind the land we now call California. #IndigenousHistory

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

California’s first governor made a prediction.

“That a war of extermination will continue to be waged between the races until the Indian race becomes extinct must be expected.”

A few decades later, California’s Native population had fallen dramatically.

But he was wrong.

We’re not extinct, and never will be.

#PeopleofTheWest
#CaliforniaHistory

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

On June 18, 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom formally apologized for the genocide of Native people committed by the State of California.

But a lot of Californians still don’t fully know the history behind that apology.

People of the West was created to bring together voices, perspectives, records, and lived experiences that are too often left out of the conversation.

This is post is an excerpt from Episode 4.
And to all the new people finding our page lately, welcome. We’re so glad you found us!

#CaliforniaHistory
#PeopleoftheWest

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

Our June 20th World Premiere screening at Dances With Films: LA sold out much faster than we expected.

Because so many of you have been asking, we’re putting together a waitlist to help gauge demand and to fill any seats that may become available.

In the meantime, here’s a brand new trailer for Episode 1.

See you in Hollywood.

#PeopleoftheWest
#CaliforniaHistory
#DancesWithFilms
#DWFLA
#OfficialSelection

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

We're coming to Hollywood!

We're honored to announce that our World Premiere will be at Dances With Films: LA on June 20th at 4pm at the TCL Chinese Theatre.

A lot of you have been asking where you can finally watch the series. So excited to finally share this with you all. This will be the first of many screenings.

Ticket link: https://t.co/ZJuIS3AaxS

#PeopleoftheWest #CaliforniaHistory #DancesWithFilms #DWFLA #OfficialSelection

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

Imagine the closest person to you went missing.

What would you do first?

For a lot of Native families, this isn’t hypothetical.

In some tribal communities, Native women face murder rates more than 10 times the national average.

And for the families living through it, this isn’t a statistic.

It’s someone’s daughter.
Someone’s sister.
Someone who still hasn’t come home.

Learn more: California Sovereign Nations Alliance Violence Against Native Women Task Force https://t.co/SqkKpfHDwj

#MMIW
#MMIP
#CaliforniaHistory
#PeopleoftheWest
#NoMoreStolenRelatives

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

MMIW/MMIP is not a new crisis. Its roots trace back to colonization and generations of violence against Indigenous communities.
Today, we honor Amanda Erickson, Director of She Cried That Day and Supervising Producer onPeople of the West, for using storytelling to help amplify awareness, truth, and Indigenous voices.
Learn more and support awareness efforts:

https://t.co/x2eXg9tG3s

#MMIW #MMIP

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

Some moments make headlines.

Others get buried in history.

But the feeling underneath them doesn't go away.

Across generations, across communities... you see it.

People refusing to be ignored.

#PeopleotTheWest #californiahistory #californiaindian #history #mlk

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

These are some of our favorite moments in the series, brought together.

Stan Rodriguez (Kumeyaay) talks about our relationship to the Earth as our mother, and what it means to actually care for her that way.

We don’t have dominion over her. We’re part of her.

At the same time, Sarah (Chumash) is singing a song of gratitude to her ancestors from Limuw Island.

It’s a song about gratitude to everyone and everything that makes it possible for us to exist today.

There’s a beautiful concept of reciprocity in both of those ideas.
And a real sense of gratitude just to exist.

How do those two ideas connect for you?

#EarthDay
#CaliforniaHistory
#PeopleoftheWest
#Gratitude
#Sustainability

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

Sitting Bull just broke into Netflix’s Top 10!

Big congrats to directors Christopher Nataanii Cegielski and Phillip Montgomery.

They also directed People of the West (with help from director Josh Baker).

Thanks for helping to bring our stories to life on screen!

#PeopleOfTheWest #CaliforniaHistory #IndigenousStories #SittingBull #NetflixTop10 #NativeAmericanHistory

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

These beautiful places didn’t start as parks. 🏞️

Long before they had trail maps, they had names.

Really old names.

And when the first Europeans arrived, they described California as a kind of paradise…

They were looking at land that had been stewarded by Indigenous people for thousands of years.

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

Aidan (Pechanga/Chumash) shared this after a private screening of the first two episodes.

He was talking about something a lot of people don’t say out loud.

You can carry an identity your whole life… and still feel distant from it.

For him, something shifted. He felt connected to his ancestors in a way he hadn’t before.

#CaliforniaHistory
#IndigenousYouth
#FamilyHistory
#AmericanHistory
#HistoryMatters

[People of the West Series @POTWSERIES]

Native students calling themselves Indians of All Tribes offered to buy Alcatraz for beads and cloth.

No running water. No jobs. No infrastructure.
Just like the reservation.

In 1969, they turned satire into action. Occupying the island and forcing the world to confront the truth.

It sparked a movement.
It changed policy.
It still echoes today.

Learn the full story in Episode 8 of People of the West.
COMING SOON!

#PeopleOfTheWest
#Alcatraz
#RedPower
#CaliforniaHistory