Featured Documenary Release from Díneh Country

Traditional story tellers from Big Mountain who were experiencing the harsh U.S. relocation law had much more information about their existence. The last professional documentary about this relocation policy was made in 1981 by outside producers. A few years after a former volunteer sheepherder who was also non-Native and who became a very close friend wanted to get some video equipment to record the Big Mountain experience. 15 years later, I had the full responsibility as writer, interviewer, cameraman, and logging over 20 hours of videos. Recorded stories were from the indigenous point of view meaning that it did not have political discussion about the U.S. mandate and implementations. I decided to make this a featured documentary based on these traditional peoples’ stories as genuinely as possible. 

A documentary that contains authentic native language, land based traditional and cultural information, remote location setting for the interviews, and media creation by a native writer and editor. One of the last indigenous historical events composed of cultural survival and land struggle all under the leadership of non-English speaking community and all that, was the driving force that gave spirit to finishing this film. That native spirit and the will to have the legacy be recorded helped in overcoming the hopelessness like the worries of lacking finances and electronic resources. Experiencing this aspect of real traditional leadership among other events of protecting land and culture was like no other modern English leadership skill and instead, it was Clan Trust that made the cohesiveness of participants.

A few outside non-Native individuals took time away from their on-land support to contribute and acknowledge the need for this production. Finally, my parents were a great inspiration by believing in this project and they have given much support. The movie, or film, or featured documentary is a product of all the traditional storytellers, and I have been honored to form it into a package for world communities to see.