Sins of the City explored

Discovery Channel comes to reservation

Film crew examines American Indian cultureCooney is hosting a Discovery Channel television series called "Out of Egypt." She and Waheneka stood on a piece of ground directly behind the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute as they conversed.

Cooney spent Friday morning and afternoon interviewing Waheneka and other local members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The footage will appear in an episode entitled "Sins of the City."

The filming schedule includes trips to Turkey, Sri Lanka, Peru, Cambodia, Mexico and other locations.

"Out of Egypt," is the brainchild of Cooney and her husband Neil Crawford. This episode examines the reasons humans moved from the hunter-gatherer way of life into farming in one spot and living in cities.The documentary's point of view:Crowding together brought disease, lower life expectancy and a host of other negative lifestyle changes. The tribal way of "following the food" is a starting point for the episode.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Myth of Western Superiority and Native Documentary and News.