Sports can be more than just an opportunity to showcase athletic ability — they can also be a way for players to bond.
That's an idea explored in director Leya Hale's new documentary Medicine Ball which premieres at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9 on Minnesota PBS.
The documentary features Native college athletes Lexus Redthunder from the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota people and LeRoy Staples Fairbanks IV of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.
As the athletes find time for college life and basketball at University of Minnesota Morris, located on the site of a former Native boarding school, the documentary focuses on how basketball became an important symbol of hope, joy and building community for the Native community.
Hale told Area Voices on the KAXE Morning Show as an Indigenous storyteller and filmmaker, she looks for opportunities to tell stories that involve the impact of history on the lives of modern-day Native people.
While going through the personal journeys of both students, the film also focuses on how sports, in particular basketball, was a way for Native students to get through a painful and difficult time during the boarding school era.
Athletes used basketball "as a way to create community opportunities to hold on to their language, and really a symbol of unity and camaraderie with other fellow students that were finding this inner strength within this game that they learned to play within the schools," Hale added.
Hale got the idea for the project from her mentor and storyteller Syd Beane of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. He was featured in the book Native Hoops: The Rise of American Indian Basketball, 1895-1970. Beane contributed his story of being raised within boarding schools and finding basketball as a positive in his life and as a connector between other families and relatives.
Hale said, "I never heard of that perspective before. When it comes to talking about boarding schools ... We normally tend to see the focus on the negative, harmful, painful, tragic events that took place to our ancestors."
Hale added, "What I was basically trying to do with this film is present a newer perspective. More of an empowering one. Especially the ideas of overcoming past historical trauma."
Hale sees this film as a possible benefit for newer generations who are going away to college while carrying that historical trauma with them. The film shows that there is a history of strong resiliency and that there are relatives who overcame the situation they were in.
Hale spent a year attending games before selecting Redthunder and Fairbanks for the documentary. There were other athletes to choose from, but she went with the two of them because of their skills, confidence and how they carried themselves.
They did several pre-interviews with them and visited campus to get to know their spaces. Then it was about 12 days of shooting for the film which included going to games, drone filming and traveling to both of their reservations.
There were some surprises during the shoot. Before the season began, Redthunder tore her ACL. However, Redthunder wanted to continue to be a part of the project and let it be a part of her story which Hale was thankful for.
The film is also soundtracked by music from Corey Medina & Brothers. Hale said she had a great time editing the group's sound into the video.
"From the very beginning, I knew I wanted to use his music and feature it throughout the film ... I just thought it was a great powerful vibe."
The documentary will stream on the Minnesota PBS website for viewers in the Twin Cities. Otherwise, it should be available on YouTube after it airs.
Listen to the full conversation with Hale by clicking above.
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
