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My Name Is Kahentiiosta
This short documentary by Alanis Obomsawin tells the story of Kahentiiosta, a young Kahnawake Mohawk woman arrested after the Oka Crisis' 78-day armed standoff in 1990. She was detained 4 days longer than the other women. Her crime? The prosecutor representing the Quebec government did not accept her Indigenous name.
This short documentary by Alanis Obomsawin tells the story of Kahentiiosta, a young Kahnawake Mohawk woman arrested after the Oka Crisis' 78-day armed standoff in 1990. She was detained 4 days longer than the other women. Her crime? The prosecutor representing the Quebec government did not accept her Indigenous name.
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directorAlanis Obomsawin
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producerAlanis Obomsawin
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scriptAlanis Obomsawin
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executive producerDon Haig
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cameraJean-Claude LabrecqueAndré-Luc DupontSusan TrowRoger RochatZoe DirseSylvain JulienneAlanis Obomsawin
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animation cameraRaymond DumasPierre LandryJacques AvoineLynda Pelley
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soundRaymond MarcouxIsmaël CordeiroHans OomesAlanis Obomsawin
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editingRuby-Marie Dennis
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sound editingDon Ayer
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re-recordingJean-Pierre Joutel
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musicClaude VendetteFrancis Grandmont
Ages 15 to 17
School subjects
A woman prefers her Mohawk name to her “Canadian” name. Children give names to their dolls and stuffed toys; people name their cats and dogs… “What’s in a name?” Juliet asked Romeo. Starting with “My name is…,” sing the praises of your first name: who chose it and why? Do a Web search to enrich your presentation (origin, celebrities with the same name, songs that mention it, etc.). Convince your classmates that your name is the nicest, because it’s yours.
More educational content
My Name Is Kahentiiosta, Alanis Obomsawin, provided by the National Film Board of Canada