CANASTOTA, N.Y. - Adam Beach has mastered the ability of walking in two worlds, a balance that has allowed him to become a successful actor yet maintain his cultural identity within his Saulteaux heritage.
Beach, 34, stars in the epic drama ''Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,'' a project by HBO Films and inspired by Dee Brown's seminal nonfiction book of the same title. The movie, which will debut May 27 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, explores the tragic impact of the United States conquest over Native America. Beach plays the role of Charles Eastman or Ohiyesa, a young Sioux doctor who was used by the U.S. government as an example of the alleged success of assimilation and the American Indian boarding schools.
''Charles Eastman is a separate entity of the book 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,''' Beach said. ''He was added in as a character so that there could be a back story to represent how the U.S. was trying to get Indian people to be educated into society.''
Beach said Eastman was used as a window into the world of Indian country in the late 19th century. His character was a way to better explain the reservations system that the government was trying to force upon the community of the Lakota people, which Eastman was a part of. Through the movie, Eastman is taken away from his community, forced to cut his hair, change his name and receive an American education.
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