- Audio rolling, action.

(upbeat music) - Maps media Institute presents, stories from Montana's future.

Award winning films produced by the talented young students from across big sky country.

(drum beats playing) - Never did we think our traditions would be overrun.

Men made of armor with destruction in their eyes.

They believe this world was theirs for the taking, ignoring our people's cries.

When our people refuse to move, they gave us land to fill in forced assimilation.

They broke our homes and wanted our culture dead.

Some of our old ways may have died out, but we're still here.

We're still here.

Neetsy the best.

(drums beats playing) - Somebody tell me about being an adult, Lauren.

- Taxes - Taxes.

- So now give me some words, any words.

- Style.

- Style.

Box.

In my own mind, that started to feel the anxiety from my childhood or came in when I felt that I had responsibility to pay my taxes.

And I was born with style, the beat box, but beat box sometimes drops me, knock them off them socks and drops the stocks, the Trop and flows like Ravens crows, flock the stock, the GOC.

Non proven thoughts about life and how you go through life, and actually how you seek your own truth because you seek your own truth and your truth is very important.

(soft music) Poetry can actually heal.

Poetry has the ability to give us the needs that we need in order to address the feelings that we feel.

So we write poetry at times, we express from our heart.

This is an encouragement to step out of your comfort zone just a little bit, put something out there into the universe.

- As dawn arrives, I'm a man between the land and sky.

- When I came up to the high school, I realized that we didn't really have a lot of creative outlets for students.

I just think that's really important and keeping kids in school.

It's a collection of writers, grades nine twelve and we just really try to encourage them to find their own voice, to put their own words down on the page and to become comfortable expressing those words.

- Originally poetry wasn't really like a huge thing for me, it's easier putting it into something that I have the power to share with other people, rather than trying to explain myself in a conversation, which I find harder.

- I lay in the dark at night and think my Brayden is tied in Knots and my skin is crawling, trying to get away as if it was that easy.

- You know, everybody needs to find their home and their school, or something that keeps them there for them to realize that they have something valuable to say and contribute whether it's humorous or whether it's serious or just reflective that they finally realize what I have to say matters.

And I can share that with my community and they will value that.

- I'm so confused on the idea of trust.

- Poetry.

You know you can always go back and change the line.

You can always go back and fix something or twisted around, or you might have a meaning when you wrote it and then go back and look at it like months later and have a completely different view of it.

And I think that's pretty cool.

- I want to stop thinking like a 16 year old.

I want nothing more than to feel complete, doing nothing is what I feel most.

- kids that are really soft-spoken at the beginning of the year.

Sometimes by the end of the year, I just feel like they've gained a level of confidence in what they have to offer.

I think that transfers to hopefully whatever their next educational step is.

- Being a part of the poetry club helped me be outspoken more.

I like when people share their creativity and their poems with one another and it brings inspiration.

It's kind of like music to my ears.

- It helps stop like bubbling emotions up, like I wouldn't get so mad at things.

- I love that part.

- Everything is better in my dreams and every time I'm awake, it makes me to sleep.

- Come on, now.

- You have powerful, powerful writing.

I would personally like to see more inflection here, like hitting it here and stopping maybe and letting the audience just soak up that like in the mystery or whatever it might be.

- And whatever they're creating over the course of the year, I want them to know these things that we're working on.

You're going to share with your community at large, we know we're going to invite the whole community to come in and watch what you do and to celebrate what you do.

- I like performing.

There's like sort of an adrenaline to it, but it's also scary because I tend to stumble over my words a lot.

And doing that in front of our crowd is more or less what gets to me about it.

- I think it helps us be more comfortable about speaking to other people that you don't know about things that you wouldn't really talk to anybody about.

And it just proves that your voice needs to be heard and people need to hear what you got to say.

- My name is Wesley Prix and this poem I wrote about racism because I go through it a lot with me and my family, and so I just thought I would let it down on paper.

- Racism makes me sick, so why is it still around?

Thinking about it at night all out in my room, I can't help, but frown.

Being black does not decide my heart, being Brown does not make up my mind.

So to know me, you have to learn me.

For one, my skin is a part of me, but it is not everything of who I am, for who I am is who I decided to be.

- A lot of times, people of color, native Americans, especially aren't successful and they don't get like a place to stand and speak.

- I want to be great.

I want people to look at me and see who I really and truly am.

- Native people, they always think that, Oh, they're just natives.

They're just going to stay on their reservation, their whole lives.

And we're here trying to build up a good education and change the world just like any other race would want to.

- I think in this moment, right now, as I'm writing, I feel free.

- Being native just like inspires me.

- I'm different from the rest of the world, so like, why not write it down on a piece of paper and express myself through it?

I don't have the most perfect family.

Like we're going through a lot right now and when you're so stressed out that you just have to have an escape, there's always poetry.

- Numbers are selfish.

They do what is best for themselves.

Can you blame them?

Numbers get hurt the most, numbers feel the most.

Numbers thrive to be the skinniest number in the room.

Numbers try to be the most mentally stable, beautiful.

In all reality numbers are the most insane.

- We're all trying so hard to become something other than what we are.

We're all trying to become human.

When all we are is numbers, numbers with feelings.

- The numbers of time made me love you.

And at that moment, I've discovered I'm just a number, a number with feelings.

- Rising voices has benefited me in so many ways.

I have a way to like express myself that I can be myself.

- Everything we do, you have to have communication And so practicing that, getting in front of people, what's the better way of doing that.

Then expressing yourself through something that you love doing.

- Hello.

My name is Bofaise and my government name is Hailey.

So I didn't put a title on this because this is just the beginning of something that's supposed to become.

We're still here like the soil, the water and the rocks, every animal, and every man was made equally as one, have no doubt.

A seventh generation is here and coming on strong, restoring our nation to its previous glory.

(audience clapping) (soft music) (clock ticking) (water dripping) (orchestral music playing) (water dripping) - We had that yesterday.

Where's the ranch?

- No cutting, pizza my favorite.

- Yuck broccoli.

Do I have enough money for that soda?

- Did you hear Becky said?

- Oh geez, that paper's due today.

- I'm hungry for knowledge.

- I'm hungry for success.

- I'm hungry for life.

(upbeat music) (piano playing) (water dripping) (bell rings) - Success comes with effort, effort comes with working hard.

If laziness is relevant, there'll be no success.

- Keep your head up high and your imagination going.

Life can be boring, so change it with creativity.

Nature always wear the colors of your spirit.

- Success is key culture power of life, and then imagination Jim and future.

- Knowledge is life.

Use it as if it were a dream.

If you grew up going to Tokyo, go to Tokyo and a Toyota, spirit is your power.

Always have a powerful spirit no matter what, always be creative.

Creativity is amazing.

Don't let life take over, even immerse times, take a break and imagine the greatest.

- Success is not a destination, it's a dream so don't fall into lazy patterns.

- Follow your dreams, follow your parents, no one will be, (soft music) - Okay.

What's up my balcony relatives.

My name is Christian Paris takes the gun, AKA Superman, but my autologous name is Marcela, which means good fortune on mother earth.

Just wanted to talk to you a little bit about following your dreams.

I know you guys there and Browning, you know, you gotta deal with that.

When do you know walking sideways all day?

Just kidding.

But a shout out to toilet paper Hill, you know, Sesame street, E but I'm following your GM's.

Yeah, we come from the rest and you know, my wife is half Kony, half black feet writes at the doors, shut out the, the rides at the doors there.

So we know about reservation life.

I come from Crow reservation raised in alcoholism, suicide, you know, things like that.

But I changed my perception.

You know, I wanted to do something better than that and that the norm, you know, of all of the colonization effects on our people.

And so I went forward believing in myself.

I dreamed big believed that I could do things fast forward in life.

I stayed drug and alcohol free real quick.

Once awards, you know, got the indigenous people's music choice award for best video, you know, gosh, this one here, which is the North American indigenous image award for best hip hop, this one or this best hip hop in billing.

Recently, one, this one is the indigenous music award for good hip hop.

And this summer we did a music video with another honor, then a taboo from the black eyed peas and we want to MTV music award.

That's huge, man.

Kendrick Lamar was there, Cardi B was there, man, DJ Khaled, all these people were there.

And then us guys were there from the wrist.

Some natives, you know, doing some positive, dreaming big.

No matter what obstacles you go through in life, no matter where you've been through, you can do something amazing, follow your dreams, stay positive.

One love, Superman.

Yeah.

(wind whirring) - Do you want to play gold fish?

- Yeah, sure.

Carts.

That's mine.

- Do you have a S. Do you have eight?

- You have a eight.

Do you have a six?

- Gold fish.

I have to tell you something, my family's moving tomorrow.

- Wait, what?

- I'm moving.

When are you going to tell me what is this why?

- I know it's all of a sudden, but I was freaked out too.

- But we had the whole summer planned.

- I know, but I'm moving tomorrow.

- Then we could just do everything plan today.

- Okay, let's go.

(country music playing) Was that not the greatest shot you ever seen?

- Yeah, it was pretty good.

- Come on.

Let's go.

I'm starving, I can eat a feast.

- Okay.

Let's go.

(soft music) - Here has something for you.

- What's that?

- They need some special paper, so when you sent me letters, I know that from you.

- No, I don't need those.

You could stay in my basement.

I can sneak you food from dinner.

We could ride the bus together to school and we could stay up and talk line.

You're supposed to teach me how to skate.

We're going to go to skate park together.

- I am gonna say pronounces, so let's just go.

- How's that for the first time skating.

- Huh?

Oh, it was great.

I have a good idea.

Let's try it away with our scooters.

- I can't my fellow needs me.

- Oh, let's have on her.

(upbeat music) (soft music) - No, you don't have to go.

- I can't.

- We've been friends since kindergarten, I thought we'd be neighbors and be always be there for each other.

- I know, but we can still keep in touch and laugh about it.

- No, I'm not laughing.

You are my only friend, no one will be there for me.

I have no siblings, no one.

- I hate you.

- Okay.

Why?

- I don't hate you, but I wish you'd still stay.

- I know.

Thanks for the great summer.

- It wasn't much, there wasn't that much to do in this town.

- No, it was perfect.

Exactly what we have done all summer.

- You're right.

It was, wasn't it?

- Yeah.

(soft music) - Hey, thought you needed an address to send that to.

no need to pinch yourself, it's not a dream.

I moved right down the street from you.

- What, you do this the whole time?

- Yeah.

I want to see what you'd do if we had one day left.

- But you're staying.

- Yeah.

Let's make some new summer plans since we did all the other ones.

- Okay.

(soft music)