Review of Ishi: The Last of His Tribe

i saw this movie many, many years ago when it first ran on television. At the time i felt it was superb in every respect. Similar in many ways to windwalker which came along a bit later. As i recall, a very small band of indians survive a big attack by a rival tribe. This tiny group struggles against all odds to keep their traditions and tribe going. This soon proves to be impossible and the film becomes a tragic diary of loss and sadness. Eventually only Ishi survives to tell the tale. This film is far superior to most of the stuff produced by television during the late seventies. I would recommend it highly, especially to those interested in native American culture. And of course the tale of perseverance and fading hope mirrors the human tragedy that we all must endure as we travel down the path to our inevitable demise. This is a deeply emotional film about a journey towards the end of everything one man held so dear in his youth. Not a lot different from the way we all must lose most of the things that we took so for granted once upon a time. Ishi's tale is just a bit more scenic, organic, and dramatic. I'd love a chance to catch this one again.