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Women in the Shadows

This intensely personal documentary follows Indigenous writer and filmmaker Christine Welsh as she embarks on an extraordinary physical and spiritual journey in search of her Métis foremothers. It is the story of one Métis woman's reconciliation with her past and her people--a coming to terms with loss and with the price that has been paid for assimilation, and a celebration of survival.
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This intensely personal documentary follows Indigenous writer and filmmaker Christine Welsh as she embarks on an extraordinary physical and spiritual journey in search of her Métis foremothers. It is the story of one Métis woman's reconciliation with her past and her people--a coming to terms with loss and with the price that has been paid for assimilation, and a celebration of survival.

Women Indigenous Peoples in Canada (First Nations and Métis) All subjects
  • director
    Norma Bailey
  • producer
    Christine Welsh
    Signe Johansson
  • executive producer
    Tony Snowsill
    Ginny Stikeman
  • script
    Christine Welsh
  • photography
    James Jeffrey
  • sound
    David Husby
  • editing
    Lara Mazur
  • sound editing
    Debra Rurak
  • re-recording
    Paul Sharpe
  • music
    Martin Gotfrit
  • cast
    Carmen Roenspiess
    Jessica Wallman
    David Zelionka
    Brenda Knoll
    Jamie Sarophim
    Sophia Stone
    Sharon Moberly
    Debra Piapot

Education

Ages 14 to 18
Study Guide
Guide 1
School subjects
Family Studies/Home Economics - Family Diversity and Challenges Family Studies/Home Economics - Relationships Health/Personal Development - Identity History - Early Colonization/Settlement Indigenous Studies - Identity/Society

A personal narrative that can be used to develop a deeper understanding of Métis women’s identity from a historical and contemporary context. This film can prompt class discussions, essays or research projects. Research the complexity of the shaping of Métis women’s identity throughout history. How did settler society shape the desire for Métis people to deny their Indigenous ancestry? How would denial of Indigenous ancestry affect future generations’ sense of self-worth and acceptance? Research country wives and discuss the unethical and immoral disregard for Indigenous women and their mixed-blood children. Research gender discrimination in the Indian Act and how it has left a legacy of cultural exclusion for many Indigenous peoples. What are the elements that define Métis identity? How are Métis people distinct from other Canadians?

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