DATE: Friday, July 18, 1997                 TAG: 9707180657

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY JENNIFER LANGSTON, STAFF WRITER  

DATELINE: ROANOKE ISLAND                    LENGTH:   74 lines

FILM TO SHOW EFFECT OF COLONISTS ON LIVES OF NATIVE AMERICANS MOVIE DEALS WITH NATIVE AMERICAN BOY WRESTLING WITH CHANGES IN HIS TRIBE.

Filming will begin here next month for a movie that tells the familiar story of English colonists arriving in the New World with a different twist.

``This is an attempt to be very honest about the Native American experience,'' said Frank White, director of programs for Roanoke Island Festival Park.

``It's a viewpoint of how the English explorers affected their land and outlook on life, their habits, their expectations and how it changed their lives.''

Commissioned by the organizers of Roanoke Island Festival Park, a historical and tourist attraction slated to open next spring, the movie revolves around a Native American boy wrestling with the changes in his tribe.

Historians believe the colonists caused rifts among the Roanoke, Chowan and Croatan tribes that lived near the Outer Banks in the 1500s. Some felt the settlers could introduce new tools and beneficial ideas that could advance their civilization.

Others believed that they were introducing new values and concepts - like the idea of personal property - that threatened to undermine their culture.

``It's about a time when one world was replaced by the other,'' said Sam L. Grogg, dean of the film-making division at the North Carolina School for the Arts and the movie's producer.

Native Americans introduced the colonists to corn, tobacco and the meat of rabbits and bear. In return, they received metal tools that revolutionized their farming.

But eventually, historians believe, some tribal leaders began to feel the exchange was too one-sided.

``The first explorers were interested in gold and riches. They sort of depended on the Native Americans for sustenance,'' White said. ``After a while that becomes a sore spot.''

Producers from the North Carolina School of the Arts held auditions on Roanoke Island Wednesday night. They were looking for actors to play about a dozen English colonist roles.

The Native American characters - including the more famous chiefs Wanchese and Manteo - will be played by actors of Native American descent. Producers searched across the United States and Canada to cast those roles.

Film makers also used the expertise of David Phelps, an archaeologist from East Carolina University who has conducted extensive digs on the Outer Banks to uncover Native American artifacts. His research helped shape ideas for costumes, scenery and props.

Researchers also believe that women played a significant role in local tribal leadership, a new aspect of the story that will be reflected in the movie.

The bulk of the filming will take place in the woods and marshes on Roanoke Island where Native Americans once lived, hunted, fished and interacted with the English. About 50 cast and crew members will shoot on the island for five days in early August.

They plan to finish the film next April in time for the opening of the Roanoke Island Festival Park.

The park is being built on the 26-acre island across from the Manteo waterfront. Plans include an interactive museum with Native American and colonist artifacts, gift shop, a 3,000-seat amphitheater and 230-seat theater to screen the film.

With a $10 million appropriation from the North Carolina General Assembly, park organizers hope to capitalize on the interest in historical attractions like The Lost Colony outdoor drama, the Fort Raleigh site and the Elizabeth II.

``We have always glorified the English,'' White said. ``This movie will provide some balance. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

DREW C. WILSON/The Virginian-Pilot

The film ``is about a time when one world was replaced by the

other,'' said Sam L. Grogg, right, of the the North Carolina School

for the Arts. At left, is Joshua Robinson, who is auditioning for a

part in the film.

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