Smoke Traders
2012 Β· 51m Β· Documentary
Smoke Traders is an inside look at the world of the Mohawk tobacco trade.
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2025
In 1974 a group of Mohawk Indians occupied a defunct girls camp in New York's Adirondack mountains and established a community they called Ganienkeh. Aiming to practice a more traditional lifestyle, and asserting aboriginal title to the land, they stayed for three years, having occasional violent clashes with the local residents. In 1977 they negotiated a (somewhat complicated) land swap with the State, and agreed to move to a permanent home near Plattsburgh, New York, where they remain today. Ganienkeh is one of the only examples of an indigenous people successfully reclaiming land from the United States, but it may not be the last.
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Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again
2021 Β· β 8
After marrying a settler, Mary Two-Axe Earley lost her legal status as a First Nations woman. Dedicating her life to activism, she campaigned to have First Nations women's rights restored and coordinated a movement that continues to this day. Kahnawake filmmaker Courtney Montour honours this inspiring leader while drawing attention to contemporary injustices that remain in this era of truth and reconciliation.
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The Navajos: Children of the Gods
1957
The story of the Navajo, at work and play, in the Southwestern United States, and in particular, in scenic Monument Valley. The film focuses on a typical Indian family, its daily life, struggles, and folkways, as every aspect of living is governed by Navajo gods and legends.
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2002 Β· β 9
Set against the unforgettable beauty of Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), Memories of Earth takes viewers on a journey guided by traces of the past. The film records the meeting of two artistic worlds: that of the Haida, an indigenous people whose cultural life and mythology bespeak their belief in a tangible link between the real and the imaginary, and that of FrΓ©dΓ©ric Back, a master of animated film and committed humanist, whose works is an appeal to respect all things created. Through the magic of animation, the documentary casts fresh light on the legends and spirituality of the Haida.
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People of the Potlatch
1944
The Indigenous peoples of northern British Columbia still hunt and fish, using a combination of traditional ways and modern equipment and techniques where appropriate. Lumbering and trapping bring them money and goods. Their traditional arts and crafts, however, remain essentially unchanged. This archival film reflects the social and cultural values and beliefs prevalent at the time of production.
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American Hardcore
2006 Β· β 6.9
Inspired by Steven Blush's book "American Hardcore: A tribal history" Paul Rachman's feature documentary debut is a chronicle of the underground hardcore punk years from 1979 to 1986. Interviews and rare live footage from artists such as Black Flag, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, SS Decontrol and the Dead Kennedys.
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Our People Will Be Healed
2017 Β· β 5.7
Legendary documentary filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin provides a glimpse of what action-driven decolonization looks like in Norway House, one of Manitoba's largest First Nation communities.
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Blown Away
2014
Cyclone Tracy 40 years on, exploring the myths and revealing new perspectives on one of the worst natural disasters in Australia's history.
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The Pretendians
2022 Β· β 8
Anishinaabe author Drew Hayden Taylor investigates how β and why β Indigenous identity, culture and art are being appropriated by those who are not First Nations.
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Trick or Treaty?
2014
Legendary Canadian documentarian Alanis Obomsawin digs into the tangled history of Treaty 9 β the infamous 1905 agreement wherein First Nations communities relinquished sovereignty over their traditional territories β to reveal the deceptions and distortions which the document has been subjected to by successive governments seeking to deprive Canadaβs First Peoples of their lands.
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2019
Anishinaabe elders of the Curve Lake First Nation reflect on the history, decline, and return of the traditional food gardens that connect their culture, land, and contemporary life.
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