THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST RED PAINT PEOPLE follows U.S., Canadian, and European scientists from the barrens of Labrador - where archaeologists uncover an ancient stone burial mound - to sites in the U.S., France, England, and Denmark, and to the vast fjords of northernmost Norway where monumental standing stones testify to links among seafaring cultures across immense distances.

This film represents the first publication in any medium that has synthesized these new discoveries and attempted to draw a picture of the northeastern sea peoples, whom scientists refer to as the Maritime Archaic.



Grade Level: 9-12, College, Adult
US Release Date: 1987     Copyright Date: 1987
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-650-0     VHS ISBN: 1-56029-235-0

Reviews "This technically superb film provides an excellent synthesis of significant new discoveries and interpretations." Science Books and Films "Ten years in the making, this film is a major accomplishment." American Anthropologist "These new discoveries are totally unknown to the public and also even to many scholars of North American prehistory... It is the best film on northeastern archeology that I have seen and should help develop public interest in a long-lost chapter of our continent's prehistoric cultures." William Fitzhugh, Curator, Smithsonian Institution "Making archival material accessible in an exciting way, this video informs students and special interest groups about an advanced Native American culture and the history of archaeology." Booklist "This film remains a vivid introduction to some fascinating archaeological sites and cultures of the Northeast. It is effective in showing how ideas change and how new archaeological information can be brought to bear on old problems. It would be an appropriate film for college courses in North American archaeology and archaeological methods." Janet Rafferty, Mississippi State University (Anthropology Review Database)