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INDIGENOUS RESILIENCE AND STRENGTH BIOGRAPHY
Alanis Obomsawin
PED 3120 E
Adam Green
300001619
Due: November 12th, 2018
University of Ottawa
Faculty of Education
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The person I chose to document is Alanis Obomsawin, a prominent Indigenous
filmmaker, singer, artist and storyteller. Alanis, apart of the Abenaki Nation, was born on August
31st, 1932 and continues to create documentaries for the National Film Board of Canada today at
the age of 86. (Wuttunee, Pick & Williams, 2017).
Alanis has had, and continues to have a distinct impact on not just one but countless
enduring and emerging issues surrounding the inequalities of First Nations Peoples. After being
discovered for her activism in funding a swimming pool for her native reserve, the Odanak
reserve, Obomsawin was hired as a consultant for projects on First Nations peoples by the NFB
in 1966. In 1971 she directed her first film, and by 1977 she was a permanent staff member at the
NFB. Since then she has directed countless documentaries with the intention to “redress the
invisibility of Indigenous peoples.” (Wuttunee et al., 2017).
A notable example of Alanis’ historical significance includes Amisk and Mother of Many
Children (1977), a documentary that showcases and vindicates the many diverse histories of
Indigenous peoples across Canada. In another notable example, Obomsawin accentuates the
“systemic neglect and mistreatment” of First Nations children within the child welfare system,
over 2 decades before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formed, in her 1986
documentary Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Metis Child. (Obomsawin, 1986).
Alanis Obomsawin is still contributing to historical significance, as just last year she
released a documentary titled Our People Will Be Healed. The film originally sought to
document the story of Jordan River Anderson, and the establishment of Jordan’s Principle, but it
uncovered the story of the community of Norway House, Manitoba trying to reground and revive
its traditional rituals that had been otherwise supressed by the federal government. (Taylor,
2017).
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Documentaries directed and produced by Alanis since the 1970’s have endured and
contributed immensely to the resurgence of Indigenous peoples, practices and way of life. Her
films though, most importantly, have contributed to the increased awareness and sensitivity of
settlers across Canada surrounding First Nations inequalities through ways of visual
representation and proof. (Wuttunee et al., 2017).
Obomsawin has continued to adapt and change with the times. Even in her 80’s she is
still dedicated to pushing forward First Nations ideologies and rights to the forefront. It’s Alanis’
intention to continue to educate and inspire settlers and Indigenous peoples towards a more
informed society.
When Alanis Obomsawin’s father died when she was 12, she began rebelling against
bullying and the ideology of European cultural superiority in school. At a young age, she
acknowledged and took a stance against the racism Ingenious peoples faced and actively
contributed towards the notions of equality and change with respect to First Nations. (Wuttunee
et al., 2017).
Alanis directed and produced her films through ethical means. All her documentaries
served the higher purpose of educating the general population with the hopes of understanding
and the reconciliation of Indigenous peoples and ways of life. She believes she has succeeded to
a degree:
"I really think we are going somewhere where we have never been before. I don't
even know how to express how rich it is. It is more than hope, it is higher than that. I am so
thankful I am still alive to see the change. Everywhere I go, I feel respect." – Alanis Obomsawin.
(Taylor, 2017).
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What inspires me most about Alanis is her resilience and continuity. She found the
perfect medium in filmmaking to educate a society that has been lied to and blinded by the
Government. Not only once, not only on one topic surrounding the inequalities of Indigenous
peoples, but through dozens of documentaries the delve deep into specific components of
suppression. And she kept it up for over 50 years, and is still as motivated in her 80’s.
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References:
Wuttunee, Winston. Pick, Zuzana M & Williams, Paul. (2017) Alanis Obomsawin. The Canadian
Encyclopedia. Retrieved on November 11th, 2018 at
[Link]
Taylor, Kate. (2017) The Education of Alanis Obomsawin. The Globe And Mail, September 5th,
2017. Retrieved on November 11th, 2018 at [Link]
festivals/tiff/alanis-obomsawins-new-documentary-is-an-optimistic-moment-in-the-
filmmakerscareer/article36167202/
Obomsawin, Alanis. (1986) Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Metis Child. The National
Film Board of Canada. Retrieved on November 11th, 2018 at
[Link]