Native Americans

The Great Escaper on Masterpiece • WXXI-TV

The Great Escaper tells the true story of Bernard Jordan, who made global headlines in the summer of 2014. He had staged a “great escape” from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy, commemorating their fallen comrades at the D-Day Landings 70th anniversary.

The Great Escaper airs Sunday, March 15 at 9:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Michael Caine and the late, two-time Oscar® winner Glenda Jackson star as Bernard Jordan and his wife, Rene. Bernie’s adventure, spanning a mere 48 hours, marked the culmination of his 60-year marriage to Rene. While Bernie is on his trip to Normandy, Rene recalls their younger days and falling in love during World War II.

Bernie’s story captured the imagination of the world as he embodied the defiant, “can-do” spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing. But of course, it wasn’t the whole story. It was an inspirational but sanitized retelling of one man’s need to come to terms with the lasting trauma of war. The Great Escaper celebrates Bernie and Rene’s enduring love but always with an eye to the lessons we might learn from the Greatest Generation.

American Heart in WWI: A Carnegie Hall Tribute • WXXI-TV

In honor of Veterans Day, WXXI-TV brings you this electrifying live theatrical event that brings America’s WWI story to life.

American Heart in WWI: A Carnegie Hall Tribute airs Tuesday Saturday, November 11 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

This electrifying live theatrical event, created and narrated by historian John Monsky, brings America’s World War I story to life through the Lens of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and a dynamic fusion of breathtaking music, powerful storytelling and unforgettable characters.ely.

Photo credit: Nina Westervelt

The Electric Indian • WXXI-WORLD

Henry Boucha was a celebrated National Hockey League Player, a U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist, a United States Hockey Hall of Fame member, and a proud Ojibwa Native American.

The Electric Indian airs Saturday, November 8 at 7 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD and streaming on the PBS app and the WXXI app.

The late Henry Boucha’s story is one of struggle, tragedy, and triumph. The Electric Indian follows his journey from high school hockey standout to Olympic medalist and from professional stardom to crushing defeat, providing an in-depth look at his life and how he overcame the obstacles he faced on and off the ice.

Photo: Henry Boucha playing high school hockey for Warroad High School • Credit: Henry Boucha – Personal collection

Local, USA “Firelighters: Fire Is Medicine” • WXXI-WORLD

Indigenous people have deep knowledge of the art of using fire. Follow the work of women leaders from the Yurok and Karuk Tribes who are building resources to share indigenous practices and create policies to take back indigenous burning rights

Local, USA Firelighters: Fire Is Medicine airs Monday, November 17 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD and streaming live on the WXXI app.

For centuries, most landscapes in North America were shaped by fire between lightning strikes and Indigenous burns. Indigenous people had deep knowledge of the art of using fire, and still do today. Follow the work of women leaders from the Yurok and Karuk Tribes who are building resources to share indigenous practices and create policies to take back indigenous burning rights.

Indigenize The Plate • WXXI-TV

Extraction, water displacement, and climate change have impacted food sustainability in Indigenous communities, and the combination of these challenges has also affected cultural sustainability. A Diné woman travels from the Navajo Nation to a Quechuan community in Peru to see how they address these issues in their region.

Indigenize The Plate airs Saturday, November 15 at 3p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

Indigenize The Plate tells the stories of Indigenous people across the world and shows viewers how their communities are working together to address some of the many challenges that the world faces collectively.

Photo: Two members of Oliver Alvarez’s family preparing cuy, a traditional dish of the region.

Rematriated Voices with Michelle Schenandoah • WXXI-TV

Binge on all five episodes of this groundbreaking talk show to empower truth, reclaim democracy, and live in balance with Mother Earth.

Rematriated Voices with Michelle Schenandoah airs Sunday, November 16 at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the PBS app and the WXXI app.

Grounded in Haudenosaunee principles, Rematriated Voices invites viewers and listeners to consider their answer to one of the most common Haudenosaunee greetings, “Are you at peace?”

Bring Them Home • WXXI-TV

Witness the Blackfoot tribe’s restoration of buffalo, culture, and land in BRING THEM HOME.

Bring Them Home airs Monday, November 24 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the PBS app and the WXXI app.

This film tells the story of a determined group of Blackfoot people striving to re-establish the first wild buffalo herd on ancestral lands since the species near extinction a century ago. The film captures the decades-long efforts to restore buffalo along with the land, re-enliven traditional culture and bring much needed healing to the Blackfeet community. Narrated and executive produced by Oscar nominee and Blackfeet / Nez Perce actor, Lily Gladstone, the film has screened at over 40 film festivals; earning multiple awards and playing as an audience favorite.

Photo credit: Thunderheart Media

American Experience “Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On” • WXXI-TV

Oscar-winning Indigenous artist who rose to prominence in New York’s Greenwich Village folk music scene and has had a six-decade groundbreaking career as a singer-songwriter, social activist, educator and artist.

American Experience “Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On” airs Saturday, November 1 at 4 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On features never-before-seen archival material, new performance footage and interviews with Sainte-Marie, Joni Mitchell, Sonia Manzano, John Kay, Robbie Robertson, Jackson Browne and others. Over a career spanning six decades, Cree musician, artist and activist Buffy Sainte-Marie has used her platform to campaign for Indigenous and women’s rights and inspired multiple generations of musicians, artists and activists.

Photo credit: Tim Ryan/Matt Barnes