Mother of Many Children

Mother of Many Children


                                Mother of Many Children
| 57 min
Free
streaming

Available options

DVD

In her first feature-length documentary, released in 1977, Alanis Obomsawin honours the central place of women and mothers within Indigenous cultures. An album of Indigenous womanhood, the film portrays proud matriarchal cultures that for centuries have been pressured to adopt the standards and customs of the dominant society. Tracing the cycle of Indigenous women’s lives from birth to childhood, puberty, young adulthood, maturity and old age, the film reveals how Indigenous women have fought to regain a sense of equality, instilled cultural pride in their children and passed on their stories and language to new generations.

Embed this code on your site

Mother of Many Children, Alanis Obomsawin, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Video player width

by Reset
Credits
  • director
    Alanis Obomsawin
  • producer
    Alanis Obomsawin
  • writer
    Alanis Obomsawin
  • narrator
    Alanis Obomsawin
  • executive producer
    Don Hopkins
    Douglas MacDonald
  • photography
    Don Virgo
    Bob Riddell
    Laval Fortier
  • animation camera
    Jacques Avoine
    Simon Leblanc
  • sound
    Louis Echaquan
    Raymond Marcoux
    Bob Charlie
    Claude Hazanavicius
    Christopher Tate
    Bev Davidson
    J.G. Normandin
  • editing
    John Laing
  • sound editing
    Bill Graziadei
  • re-recording
    Richard Besse
  • participant
    Samson Nahacappo
    Cesar Newashish
    Nancy Snowboy
    Alasie Arnakayak
    Wilma Simon
    Jeannette Vivian Corbiere
    Ed Seymour
    Augusta Marie Gudine

  • Robin_D

    I really enjoyed this film. It did a great job of showing the roles of Indigenous women throughout their lives. It highlights the equal partnership between men and women and shows the importance of women in Indigenous culture. This film did a good job of sharing the story of several women and showed how they share their knowledge and pass on traditional teachings. I learned a lot about the strength of these women.

    Robin_D, 7 Mar 2019

The NFB is committed to respecting your privacy

We use cookies to ensure that our site works efficiently, as well as for advertising purposes. If you do not wish to have your information used in this way, you can modify your browser settings before continuing your visit.

Learn more