I taught a class this semester "African Diaspora Material Culture" that
grew out of my inability to cover as much as I wanted to in my historical
archaeology course. One of the most successful films shown was "Daughters
of the Dust" - no it is not archaeological, and yes it is very symbolic,
but being able to show my students how material objects were used and
thought about by the descendants of enslaved Africans in the Carolina
Sea Island in late 19th/early 20th century was extremely rewarding. The
film provoked very good discussion on a variety of subjects from African
cultural survivals to the politics of excavating slave sites.
 
Although the chain video stores probably do  not carry it, many others do.
 
Margot Winer
St. Mary's College