Knowledge Network marks National Indigenous History Month with 12 new films
B.C.'s public broadcaster curated documentaries and series exploring Indigenous histories, cultures, and justice; eight focus on B.C. communities.
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Knowledge Network is marking National Indigenous History Month in June with a curated collection of 12 films and original series highlighting the richness and diversity of Indigenous experiences, histories, and calls for justice across Canada. Eight of the projects feature stories about Indigenous communities in B.C.
"There are so many exceptional Indigenous filmmakers in Canada and so many stories still to be told," said Michelle van Beusekom, Knowledge Network president and CEO. "National Indigenous History Month is an opportunity to lean in and explore the experiences of Indigenous Peoples in B.C. and Canada through an ever-growing range of expertly crafted films, curated for curious minds."
The collection spotlights stories of cultural preservation, treating Indigenous histories as living, breathing realities rather than static, monolithic narratives of the past.
"From the Land" follows three Indigenous women across B.C. in their journeys to preserve intergenerational cultural traditions. Renowned Cowichan knitter and knowledge holder Swutstisiye' guides her grandchildren through working with wool—a tradition passed down by her own father. "The most important thing is my great-grandbabies need to know how to work with wool," she explains. The film also traces the journeys of registered midwife Keisha Charnley, who practices holistic birthing care rooted in Indigenous values, and Witchita Paull, who discovered a passion for basket weaving.
"Treaty Road", a six-part series, explores the signing of Canada's numbered treaties. Métis writer and host Saxon de Cocq discovers that his ancestor James McKay was a commissioner on the first six numbered treaties signed between Crown expansionists and First Nations across Turtle Island. Joining forces with multidisciplinary artist and researcher Erin Goodpipe, de Cocq uncovers how these treaties were brokered, challenging the narrative that First Nations peoples willingly surrendered their land. The series traces the limits of the English language in translating land surrender to Indigenous communities and how Indigenous people reckoned with settler disruption and violence.