IAW Film Night: Double Feature
Indigenous
Screening of Custodians – A Story of Ancient Echoes and Reserve 107 followed by a panel discussion hosted by St. Thomas More College. This event is part of the Indigenous Achievement Week.
Film 1: Custodians: A Story of Ancient Echoes
Film still from Custodians: A Story of Ancient Echoes
The documentary Custodians – A Story of Ancient Echoes follows the journey of a local community in Herschel, Saskatchewan during the summer of 2021 as they work to preserve and protect the pastureland, native grasslands, and important Indigenous artifacts found near the village. Upon discoveries of dinosaurs, marine fossils and significant Indigenous sites and petroglyphs on nearby farmland, an aging population of community volunteers come together to preserve the land and its stories including the Indigenous history, paleontology, and local ecology. “We have found a living library” says Métis Artist Jo Cooper who has spent the past 20 years in Herschel working alongside locals. The stories of the land and the echoes of the past form new friendships, unravel mysteries and model a potential for deep justice, reconciliation and healing between people and the land. Produced by Indigenous Education Scholar Harry Lafond from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan and David Neufeld of Saskatoon Saskatchewan. Directed by Brad Langendoen and associate producing by Andi Leitch of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Film 2: Reserve 107, Reconciliation on the Prairies
Film still from Reserve 107, Reconciliation on the Prairies.
For decades, stories have spread throughout the village of Laird, Saskatchewan. It has been said that First Nation descendants of an old treaty have visited shopkeepers and town officials. The First Nations that came to the town, starting in the 1970s, insisted that a treaty signed between their people and the government of Canada states the land of the locals actually belong to an Indigenous First Nation. But when a group of Mennonites and Lutherans in the town of Laird discover that the land they live on is in fact the former reserve of the Young Chippewayan First Nation, they are forced to acknowledge the history that has brought them to their present confrontation. A chief and descendant of the Young Chippewayan Band decide to invite the local community to a meeting at the central site of the former reserve as members in the town remain on edge. But an inevitable encounter at the towns historic site compels the characters into a surprising discovery. Myths, assumptions and fears are shattered as this old injustice is about to provide an opportunity for friendship and renew a fierce determination to repair the wrongs of the past
Event Details
- When:
- Time:
- 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM CST
- Location:
- STM Auditorium