BEFORE COLUMBUS

There is an old Welsh legend that Prince Madoc sailed with a group of followers to a new land across the Atlantic, more than three hundred years before Columbus.

Tony and Cath Williams, like other romantics before them, have become convinced that the Mandan Indians of North Dakota are living proof of the Madoc story. Travelling with them to meet the 'Welsh Indians', the film uncovers a number of surprising details of Mandan culture.

The Mandan have a legend of a large wolf-headed boat which travelled across great waters without needing oars, and insist that many of their tribe have been tall and fair-haired. They also have tales of having migrated from the Eastern sea-board, and have a unique culture-hero, the 'Lone Man', who unsuccessfully pitted his multi-coloured cattle against the buffalo of the Great Creator. They also have at least six words that seem to have exact Welsh counterparts.

The film then travels back to Wales with one of the Indians, Harry Sitting-Bear, who carries out his own investigation. It becomes clear from new archaeology on Anglesey that the North Welsh kingdom from which Madoc is supposed to have come was dominated by the Norse,who were without question aware of Vinland, and had settled there.

Which raises interesting questions about Columbus. What exactly did he know, and why was he following the route that he chose ?