Film discusses Aboriginal identity

Mohawk filmmaker Tracey Deer’s film Club Native brought up issues of inclusion and treaty status during an April 15 screening at Lakehead University.
Deer’s film examines the history and present-day reality of Aboriginal identity in Kahnawake, where the award-winning filmmaker grew up with two firm but unspoken rules: do not marry a white person and do not have a child with a white person.
The consequences of ignoring these rules were: lose all status as a Native person and deny your unborn child their status as a Native person.
Deer follows the stories of four women to reveal the roots of the problem in the Indian Act and the present day situation where a council of Mohawk Elders determine reserve membership.
“I really enjoyed the film – I was able to relate to a lot of the things that were discussed,” said Elysia Petrone-Reitberger, one of the Cinema Politica organizers who brought Club Native to Thunder Bay. “I struggle with the same issues of having parentage of Aboriginal heritage and European heritage.”
Petrone-Reitberger said she grew up being teased for being Native while at the same time not being fully accepted by the Native community.
Cinema Politica screens a different film on social justice and environmental issues in Thunder Bay every second Friday.
“It’s a good opportunity for people to come and discuss and talk about issues that are important,” Petrone-Reitberger said. “You get to hear different perspectives ... in a safe space.”
“I wasn’t raised on the reserve, but I have always felt such a feeling of inclusion,” said Celina Reitberger, one of about 25 people who attended the film screening. “There’s never been any ‘You didn’t grow up on the reserve, you’re not one of us.’ I’ve had people coming out of the woodwork saying ‘Oh, you’re my cousin.’ ”
Reitberger traced her lineage back to 1782, noting that her great-great grandmother was a country wife from Fort William First Nation.
“I got my status back through Bill C-31 and hopefully with the new legislation (Bill C-3, Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act), I can change that from Bill C-31 to straight status and then my daughter will be entitled to status,” Reitberger said. “My grandfather married a French woman and he then decided to become enfranchised.”
Reitberger said her grandfather gave up his treaty status when he became enfranchised, but gained the vote as well as a payment from the government and some land.
“He moved into town and he became a tugboat captain,” Reitberger said. “We didn’t even know. It was totally kept from us that we were Aboriginal.”
Cinema Politica’s next film is Please Vote For Me, a 52-minute documentary by Chinese filmmaker Weijun Chen that discusses power, corruption and democracy.