Principal photography, Paul Goldsmith ; additional photography by Brant Fagan, Stephen McCarthy, Allen Moore, Ken Willinger, Buddy Squires, Ramon Engle, Michael Chin, Dustinn Craig, Eddie Marritz; edited by John Chimples (After the Mayflower), Li-Shin Yu (Tecumseh's vision), Penny Elliott Hays (Trail of Tears), William A. Anderson (Geronimo), Aljernon Tunsil and Lillian Benson (Wounded Knee) ; music by John Kusiak.

Re-enactors, After the Mayflower: Marcos Akiaten, Nicholas Irons, Annawon Weeden; Tecumseh's vision: Billy Merasty, Michael Greyeyes, Dwier Brown; Trail of Tears: Wes Studi, Freddy Douglas, Josh Blaylock, Will Finley, Wesley French, Carla-Rae Holland, Emily Podleski; narrator, Benjamin Bratt.

Originally broadcast on PBS as segments of The American Experience on March 31, April 17, April 27, May 4, and May 11, 2009.

When Europeans arrived in North America, they encountered the Native people. Contrary to stereotype, American Indians were not simply ferocious warriors or peaceable lovers of the land. They were, like all people, an amalgam: charismatic and forward thinking, imaginative and courageous, compassionate and resolute, and, at times, arrogant, vengeful, and reckless. Native peoples valiantly resisted expulsion from their lands and fought the extinction of their culture using all avenues available, including military, legal, and political action, diplomacy, and supplication of the spiritual realm. From the Wampanoags of New England in the 1600s who used their alliance with the English to weaken rival tribes, to the bold new leaders of the 1970s who harnessed the momentum of the civil rights movement to forge a pan-Indian identity. Spanning almost four hundred years, these documentaries tell the story of pivotal moments in U.S. history from the Native American perspective, presenting Native history as an integral part of the American story.

Not rated.

DVD; Region 1, NTSC; widescreen presentation, enhanced for 16 x 9 televisions; 5.1 surround; color and B & W.

"Limited public performance rights included ... May be shown in a classroom or screened by a public group, for educational purposes, when no admission is charged for the viewing. These programs may be transmitted on a closed-circuit system within a building or a single campus"--Packaging.

In English with some Nipmuc (Algonquian dialect) with occasional English subtitles; closed-captioned.