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.
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.
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?