Inaugural Indigenous Speaker and Film Series
Dr. James Daschuk
Clearing the Plains
Dr. Sherry Farrell-Racette
Burning Buildings and
Strong Women: Painting
Stories for the Road
Allowance
Dr. Dwayne Donald
Kikway enohte
ohpinaman?
Holism as Pedagogical
Guide
Melissa Mollen Dupuis
I Belong to Where I Stand
David Garneau
Joseph Boyden may not
be an Indian, but he
is Indigenous: On the
Indigenization of the
University and Canada
Dr. Angelina Weenie
Askiy Kiskinwahamākēwina:
Land-Based Education
Indigenization Chair, Dr. Anna-Leah King (R) in
collaboration with Dr. Heather Phipps (Le Bac)
(L) organized a strong line up of speakers and
films for the inaugural Indigenous Speakers and
Films Series. Dr. King arranged the following
Speakers: James Daschuk, Dwayne Donald,
Sherry Farrell-Racette, Angelina Weenie, and
David Garneau. Each presented around the
theme Whisperings of the Land, moving
attendees toward understanding Indigenization
and knowing our close relationship to land
cognizant of its historical desecration. The
inaugural Indigenous Film series included Elder
in the Making (Chris Hsiung), National Film
Board films, Trick or Treaty (Alanis Obomsawin),
Birth of A Family (Tasha Hubbard), as well as
Muffins for Granny (Nadia McLaren), and some
Wapikoni Mobile Short Films (Melissa Mollen
Dupuis, who also presented as part of the
Speakers Series).
Ging Zhou (Andy), a visiting scholar from China to the U of R Department of Economics, attended the film
Elder in the Making, directed by Chris Hsiung, a Chinese-Canadian who is new to Canada. In the film, Hsiung
sets out to rediscover the shared heritage between Blackfoot Aboriginal people and Chinese people. Ging says,
“Watching the film, I felt particularly impressed by Hsiung, how he processed integrating into the community. At
the beginning it was a bit hard, but it got better after a bit of understanding [gained by] the immigrant in how
to adapt to a new environment and better understand and communicate with the local people...Understanding
the context of Aboriginal First Nations better. Because the film character reflects the Chinese people, I was very
interested in that.”
Education News | Page 11