Remaining Native

When 17-year-old Ku Stevens runs, he says he imagines he’s running for his life. On the Paiute reservation in small-town Nevada, he dreams of running track for the University of Oregon, alma mater to scores of the country’s most formidable runners. It’s a tall order: Ku is the sole member of his high school’s track team, which doesn’t even have a coach. But aside from ambition and natural talent, running is in his blood: at just eight years old, his great-grandfather ran 50 miles to escape the conditions of the Indian Boarding School he was forced to attend. With his college dreams in sight but still feeling a strong connection to his tribal land, Ku plans a one-of-its-kind, two-day run to retrace his great-grandfather’s route. As his community rallies behind—and runs beside—him, it’s clear that he is, in fact, running for his life. And the lives of his ancestors, his community, and the stories of their past and future.

Note: this documentary broadly covers the history of abusive treatment of children at Indian Boarding Schools

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