U & D

This weekend, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is screening Native American films. Highlighted are the documentary films of Alanis Obomsawin, Abanaki, originally from New Hampshire. In Quebec, there is a year-long “First Nations” program, organized as part of the celebration of 400 years of history. Her documentaries are also being shown in New York this month. (read about it).

It is wonderful that Native voices are included in the celebration of history. How many of us view the documentation of Wabanaki voices as part of our educational mission? How many of us consider showing “Invisible” or other excellent films as history or visual literacy lessons? What resources are available, anyway? Here is a partial list:

• National Film Board of Canada – expensive feature documentaries – but worth it
  • Our Nationhood – story of a successful resistance movement by the Mi’kmaq of Quebec
  • Waban-Aki: People from where the sun rises

• Maine State Library – $7.50 per DVD
  • Wabanaki: A New Dawn
  • Four Perspectives: Maine Indian Land Claims Case
  • Mi’Kmaq (English) – 4 DVD’s
  • Our Stories: Healing Woods – Passamaquoddy

• Northeast Historic Film – download a catalog and find contact information – borrow or purchase
  • Our Lives in Our Hands – Micmac – focusing on basket making
  • Abnaki: The Native People of Maine – documentary covers all four tribes and includes legal battles relating to Land Claims
  • Invisible – this should already be in your library, but if not, you can purchase it here
  • Gabriel Women – story of Passamaquoddy Mary Gabriel and her work to keep her culture alive
  • Song of the Drum – the petroglyphs
  • Land of Norumbega: Maine in the Age of Exploration & Settlement – don’t know about this one – it may be that it misses the history entirely
  • Penobscot River Basketmaker Barbara Francis
  • Wabanaki A New Dawn

In terms of creating our own archives, I think it is important for the Maine teacher community to begin the process of filming our Native speakers. Even a short, student-filmed record of a presentation or speaker captures history that may otherwise be lost. I will be doing this next year and, with speaker permission, sharing the films.

Let’s grab on to this powerful medium and make it work for LD291.