The feature event of this tour was a screening of the documentary film “Drums of Winter”, followed by a question-and-answer session with director Leonard Kamerling. “Drums of Winter” explores the role of dance and music in the culture of the Yupik Eskimo people as they face pressure from the outside world to abandon their traditional lifestyle. The film was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2006. The film was shown on the campus of Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR, and was open to the public. The question-and-answer session was filmed and archived alongside “Drums of Winter” in Western Oregon University’s Hamersly Library.
In addition to the film screening, Dr. Kamerling attended an Open House at the Jensen Arctic Museum so community members had the opportunity to interact with him in an informal setting. Len also met with four undergraduate classes during his visit: Globalization Issues, Cultural Geography, Visual Anthropology, and Cultures of Africa. During these classroom visits, a total of 130 students were able to learn from Len’s expertise and share ideas and thoughts on his films, cultural issues, and various topics related to their course content.