The ghost pipe

A story based on a Blackfoot legend, illustrated with shadow puppets adapted to television. The story: The legend tells of a brave, young warrior who has chosen a frail, crippled girl to be his wife. When she dies, he follows her to the Sand Hills, the land of the dead, to seek her and to bring her back. The Ghost Chief gives them a special medicine pipe, and allows them to return to their village. This Ghost Pipe provides particular to the Blackfoot people when a loved one dies. What is the significance of the program for input? This is an experimental form, using a new techniques to adapt shadow puppets to television. The figures were manipulated from behind a clear Plexiglas screen, using clear, thin Plexiglas rods. Since the rods are not visible, the effect is often like animation rather than puppetry. Script material was chosen from the legends of the Cree and Blackfoot nations because these people form the largest segments of the native population within Alberta, and because these myths and legends are not well-known outside the native communities.The shadow puppet programs may be used in language arts, social studies, art, and for general audience viewing.