DVant Digital and Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology collaborate on DVD Honoring Kiowa and Commanche Cradlemakers

NOVATO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2000--DVant Digital, an award winning DVD authoring facility, and Brown University's Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Providence, RI, recently completed an interactive DVD honoring Kiowa and Comanche cradlemakers that will accompany a major educational exhibit explaining the cultural significance of the cradles as well as their history and construction.

The exhibit entitled, ``Gifts of Pride and Love,'' has received official endorsement by the Kiowa and Comanche tribes and will tour six of the nation's most prestigious cultural museums through 2001.

``DVant Digital is extremely proud to have been selected to provide DVD authoring services for this historic project,'' said, Gabriel Murano, DVant's CEO. ``Interactive DVD is the perfect media to accompany an exhibit of this nature since it has the ability to fully develop and convey the importance and cultural significance that the cradles have to Kiowa and Comanche people. In doing this project I was particularly struck by the fact that not only have the cradles been passed down through a family, but that child after child born into the family had been photographed in the cradles.''

Barbara Hail, Deputy Director and Curator of the Haffenreffer Museum, conceived the exhibit, which features thirty-eight historic cradles as well as the educational DVD containing historic photographs and interviews with descendants of Kiowa and Comanche cradlemakers. The cradles, which are among the most beautiful expressions of Plains Indian bead design, are technically intricate, brilliant in color and design, and practical in function. ``They have become a symbol of cultural pride and bittersweet nostalgia for contemporary Kiowa and Comanche people,'' said Hail.

``We are especially pleased with the DVD element of the exhibit,'' said Haffenreffer's Associate Producer, Rip Gerry. ``All comments have been exceptional - everyone loves it.''

    The exhibit is scheduled to tour the following museums:

--   The Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK - closes February 27, 2000

--   The Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ, April 16 to July 20, 2000

--   The Fowler Museum of Cultural History, UCLA, Los Angles, CA, Aug
     27, 2000 to Jan 16, 2001

--   National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution,
     Gustav Heye Center, NYC, New York, March 4 to May 27, 2001

--   Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Norman, OK, June 30 to Sept
     22, 2001

--   Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Mashantucket,
     Connecticut, Oct 28, 2001 to Jan 20, 2002

Additional Information:

DVant Digital is located in the Digital Village Business Center on the College of Marin's Indian Valley Campus and specializes in developing highly interactive DVD-Video material for corporate, school and home use. The project was authored into the DVD format using ``Scenarist NT,'' software developed by Daiken U.S. Comtec Labs also based in Novato.

For further information about DVant Digital contact Gabriel Murano at 415.883.9068 or at info@dvant.com or visit DVant's web site at www.dvant.com.