Jodi Rave: Film explores Blackfoot ties to land

Friday, October 26, 2007  

"Narcisse Blood will be in Missoula on Friday to introduce a film on the Blackfoot Tribe of southern Alberta and to participate in a full-day presentation on the subject Saturday.

The documentary, 'Kaa?hsinnooniksi,' offers a Blackfoot perspective on the significance of the land of Alberta, Canada. The film will be screened at 7 p.m. in the North Underground Lecture Hall on the University of Montana campus. Admission is free.

'Kaa?hsinnooniksi,' translates as 'Our Grandparents.' The 35-minute documentary follows a group of student teachers as they travel to significant sites in Blackfoot territory.

The film speaks to the power of place and how it is intricately connected to Blackfoot identity. The film explores how the Blackfoot of Canada - in the United States, the tribal name is Blackfeet - allow the land to remind them of their place in the world.

They renew their relationships with the earth and sky through stories, songs and ceremonies. The use of Native language is vital in maintaining those relationships.

Abraham Maslow, who developed the psychology theory on the 'hierarchy of needs' and also included the Blackfoot in his studies, missed the importance of Natives' relationship to the land and all the significance of the language, said Gyda Swaney, a UM assistant professor of psychology. 'Narcisse believes we should save the languages because in it is carried our philosophy and thinking.'"

Get the Story:
Jodi Rave: Native scholar to screen film on Blackfoot connections to land (The Missoulian 10/25)

Relevant Links:
Jodi Rave - http://www.missoulian.com/jodirave

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