Final Rating: 3.5/5
Original review found on That Shelf.
Horse racing and rodeo events have always been filled with danger and outsiders who often question why people would want to put themselves or the animals in potential harm. To those that live rancher lifestyles, it is just a natural thing to participate in. To indigenous communities, it’s a way to continue on family traditions that have gone on for generations. In Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun, directed by Banchi Hanuse, we get an inside look at the world of Indian Relay Races.
Logan Red Crow follows in the footsteps of her family. She helps her dad take care of his horse farm and her recently passed grandmother used to ride show horses, a tradition that she also continues, but with a twist. Red Crow participates in Indian Relay Races, which is riding laps on a track, but after each race you jump off of one horse and onto another one. This is all done bareback style with a saddle. Not only is this form of racing a niche sport, it is only done by Indigenous people and almost no women take part in the race, making Logan a bit of a unicorn.
The most popular type of women’s horse events is side saddle racing. Which is where women sit sideways, both legs on one side of the saddle and wear dresses, a throwback to olden times. Red Crow believes she is “too savage to participate in such races” and much prefers to race with the boys in the more thrilling and dangerous event.
We get to see Logan’s complicated relationship with her parents throughout the film. They both encourage her to race, but also view it as a part time hobby, not a full time career. They also wish for Logan to attend school to be able to get a job better than just being a rancher, something Logan has no interest in as she aspires to keep working with horses. Her brother believes in her the most, as he helps her with training and acts as one of her horse handlers during races.
The film gets a bit repetitive by going over the same conflicts several times. Red Crow is a woman and women don’t relay race. Red Crow wants to race and her parents want her to go to school. Women don’t get their own relay races and have to compete against men, often being outmatched. She is always spot on with her frustrations, but rehashing the same narratives throughout drags the film out.
While relay racing doesn’t look easy by any stretch, the riders have such fluidity and grace that it looks like there may be some ease for these people. The film becomes extremely compelling when Red Crow talks about the biggest fear of riding is falling off and potentially becoming paralyzed. This is actually a subject matter that the Oscar winning director Chloé Zhao explored in her 2017 film The Rider, where a professional bronco rider falls off his horse and becomes paralyzed and has to figure out how to move forward with his life.
We get a montage of relay racers falling off of their horses and being trampled, including footage of Red Crow falling off and her showing off her numerous cuts and bruises she received. Moving forward, every time she rides fear of her falling becomes front of mind. In the final race seen in the film, a competitor actually falls off her horse and you get a lump in your throat for their safety.
The film is filled with gorgeous shots of horses in action and you understand the strong bond that rider and horse share. It is worth a watch to see a unique lifestyle and sport that is likely unknown to most people.
Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun was seen during the 2023 Hot Docs film festival.
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