Films about the aboriginal experience

Any country, time, race.

A few of my favorites:

The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith (1978) (Australia) - Fred Schepisi
The Cave of the Yellow Dog (2005) (Mongolia) - Byambasuren Davaa, Luigi Falorni
Nanook of the North (1922) (Inuit, the Arctic) - Robert Flaherty
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) (Australia) - Philip Noyce
Once We Were Warriors (1994) (New Zealand) - Lee Tamahori
Smoke Signals (1998) (Native American) - Chrys Eyre
Ishi, the Last Yahi (1992) (Native American) - Jed Riffe, Pamela Roberts
Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life (1925) (Iran) - Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
The Silent Enemy (1930) (Canadian Indians) - H.P. Carver
A Mongolian Tale (1995) (Mongolia) -  Fei Xie

and a few words about one of my most favorite: Whale Rider (2002) (New Zealand) - Nikki Caro

Whale Rider is a truly remarkable film. It taps into so many things: tribal roles, gender oppression, familial conflicts, love, and deep spirituality. The climax was a profound experience for me. The film and in particular that magnificent final sequence asks each of us to embrace our aboriginal core and unite with the natural world with the knowledge that we are all - humans and nature - the same. A theme foreign perhaps to many superficially, but not, I think, on the most profound level. I love the film, the personal and tribal/family relationships, and without question 12 year old Keisha Castle-Hughes' amazing Oscar nominated debut performance.