Gifts From the Elders highlights Elder and youth dialogue

A 60-minute documentary about connecting Elders and youth in communities along the northern shore of Lake Superior recently made its premiere in northern Ontario.
Gifts From the Elders follows five Anishinabe youth from Pic River and Batchewana First Nations on a summer research project with their Elders, whose stories guide them on a journey back to proceeding generations that lived a healthy lifestyle off the land.
Co-producer and co-writer Chantelle Richmond of Pic River said the documentary was five years in the works after she and other researchers met with Elders in the communities about developing a research project in history and wellness.
“They said we’re really interested in creating some sort of research project to talk about these issues,” said Richmond, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Geography, with a cross appointment in the First Nation Studies Program, at Western University. “They wanted to talk about the changes we see in the land, to talk about what this means for health, but most importantly for bringing a way to preserve information we hold about our land.”
But in developing the project, the Elders had a stipulation.
“They said, ‘We don’t just want this to be an Elder’s project, we want the youth involved,’” Richmond said. “If we could find a way to preserve Elder’s stories but involved youth, that’s what we want to do.”
Most of the film was shot last summer, following the youth as they embarked on their research project and spoke with Elders in their home communities.
The film also featured the Elders’ personal stories of living on the land as well as historic photos and footage that chronicle the history of the Ojbiways along the north shore.
The Elders also talk about the devastating impact that environmental and cultural dispossession had on the flow of knowledge from Elders to youth, and ultimately on the health of their people.
Richmond said it was great to see the impact the experience had on the youth who were involved.
“You can see from the film the transformation that the youth had and they were actually inspired and learned a lot from the process,” she said.
Directed by James Fortier of Pic River, the film made its premiere in Thunder Bay on June 4 and was followed by screenings in Pic River, Batchewana and London, Ont., throughout the month.
Richmond was proud of the final result of the film.
“I think the youth and Elders who were brave enough to speak on camera are really special people,” she said. “I know it took a lot for them to sit down and have these stories immortalized.”