Anthropology 171

NOVA and National Geographic present exclusive access to an astounding discovery of ancient fossil human ancestors. Deep in a South African cave, a special team of experts has brought to light an unprecedented wealth of fossils belonging to a crucial gap in the record of our origins that spans the transition between the ape-like australopithecines (such as the famous Lucy) and the earliest members of the human family. 2015. 120 minutes

It’s not uncommon to attribute differential group outcomes for SAT scores, musical ability, or athletic performance to innate racial traits—yet there are no characteristics, not even one gene, that distinguish all members of one “race” from another, as this program explains. The video follows a dozen students, including African-American athletes and Asian-American violin players, who sequence and compare their own DNA, only to discover their closest genetic matches are as likely to be with people from other “races” as their own. While it’s true that certain gene forms are more common in some populations than others, the students learn that these reflect ancestry, not “race.” Part of the series Race: The Power of an Illusion. 56 minutes

A powerful documentary about the extraordinary team of doctors and activists – including Paul Farmer, Jim Yong Kim, and Ophelia Dahl – whose work thirty years ago to save lives in a rural Haitian village grew into a global battle in the halls of power for the right to health for all. The community health model they developed to treat diseases like tuberculosis & HIV/AIDS has saved millions of lives in the developing world. Epic, yet intimate, the film is a compelling argument for the power of collective and personal vision and will to turn the tide of history. 2017. 102 minutes

Part of the Indians in Brazil series, Our Languages relates the historic repression of indigenous languages in Brazil. Many Indian languages were nearly lost thanks to missionaries and merchants - who rewarded Indians for learning Portuguese with status and material gifts - and government-sponsored schools that punished children for speaking in their native tongues. 2000. 20 minutes

The ancient art of Tibetan sand painting has been preserved in the monasteries of India and Tibet for some 2,500 years. Traditionally practiced in seclusion, this unique art form has only been practiced publicly in the last decades. In this beautifully photographed and fascinating documentary, Tibetan monks from the Dalai Lama's personal monastery, Namgyal, create the mandala of Kalachakra, the most sacred of all Buddhist sand paintings. The film explores the meaning of the symbols and rituals within the mandala as they have existed through the centuries. The mandala of Kalachakra is considered a visual metaphor for a perfect universe, a palace where deities reside. The highly intricate and delicately adorned diagrams serve as tools for meditation, transition points between the real and the imaginary. This unusual use of artistic visualization in ritual is one of the defining features of Tibetan Buddhism. More than a symbol, the ritual of the mandala is a living enactment of the Buddhist cycle of change and a demonstration of one of the most spiritually advanced of all Buddhist cultures.The film's meditative style perfectly captures the mesmerizing quality of the sand painting. As we hear the scraping of cornets pouring small streams of brilliantly colored sand from their tips, the mandala takes form. An array of extraordinary close-ups appear on-screen: a flaming sword, a lotus blossom, a chariot drawn by mythical animals, a half-inch-tall man fully clothed. Entering the perfect world of the sand mandala, the viewer experiences these compelling symbols and ideas firsthand.Narrator Lobsang Samten guides viewers through this mystical geography, providing insights into the meaning of the ancient designs. He also tells his own story of survival in exile, and his commitment to preserve Tibet's sacred arts and practices before they are lost to humanity. There are at present only 100 people who know the Kalachakra sand painting. Combining stunning imagery and informative commentary, "Sand Painting" will stimulate analysis and discussion in a variety of courses in art, religion, anthropology, and Asian Studies. It was produced by Sheri Brenner in 1991, but is available to educational audiences now for the first time. 26 minutes