New Indigenous history lab celebrates launch with new short animation
In 2020, when history and Indigenous studies professor Allan Downey co-created Rotinonshón:ni Ironworkers, a six-minute animated short film, it was a departure from his usual academic work of researching and writing papers and books.
But that film, which Downey co-created with former student Carlee Loft, got attention: it won Best Animated Short at the American Indian Film Festival, was selected to appear at several international film festivals, was featured at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and appeared on Alaskan Airlines flights from 2021 to 2022.
And that got Downey, who is Dakelh (Nak’azdli Whut’en, Lusilyoo Clan) thinking.
“From that experience, I realized that I’d really enjoyed the mentorship aspect of the project, and the process of creating film out of historical research,” he explains. “So I decided to establish a formal initiative that would allow us to keep doing that – to show Indigenous youth that our Indigenous histories deserve a stage. They deserve to be told in big ways, to big audiences.”
The result was Resurgent Histories: The Indigenous History Lab at McMaster University, a hub that will connect Indigenous youth with scholars, artists and filmmakers to bring Indigenous history to life through animated films.
The lab is launching with a new short film, Deskaheh, which tells the story of Deskaheh Levi General, who travelled from Six Nations of the Grand River to Geneva in the early 1920s with the goal of advocating for Haudenosaunee sovereignty at the League of Nations following repressive policies imposed on Six Nations and other Indigenous communities by Canada’s Department of Indian Affairs.
With his efforts suppressed by Canada and Great Britain, Deskaheh wasn’t ultimately successful in addressing the League of Nations or in achieving widespread international recognition of Haudenosaunee sovereignty – but his legacy is still felt today, 100 years after his historic efforts, including by a 20-member delegation of representatives from Six Nations who travelled to Geneva in 2023.
Deskaheh was created with three Indigenous McMaster students, co- Director Tekenikhon Doreen, who also narrated the film, co-Director Jersee Hill, and producer Kira Gibson. The film was animated by Vancouver-based artist Saki Murotani, who had also been the animator for Rotinonshón:ni Ironworkers.
“Being a part of this project has been a special learning opportunity for me in multiple ways,” says Jersee Hill, who is Mohawk, Turtle Clan, from Six Nations of the Grand River and a student in the department of psychology, behaviour and neuroscience. “Although I was a bit hesitant at first because I had never done something like this before, it has proven to be a unique learning experience that I don’t think I would have had elsewhere.”
The collaboration went beyond the co-creators, though. Downey says the departments of Indigenous Studies and History formed a critical support network, while Rick Montour from the Department of English and Cultural Studies and Bonnie Freeman, in the Department of Social Work, were key partners, as were several people from the Six Nations community including artists, researchers, Knowledge holders, sound technicians, and musicians.
Juno award-nominated musician Logan Staats, also from Six Nations, allowed the animation team to use his music as part of the film’s score, as did the celebrated Six Nations Women Singers.
The film, which has now been submitted to different film festivals, will be screened at McMaster on December 5 in the L.R. Wilson Concert Hall from 12 to 2 p.m. Following the screening, there will be a discussion with the filmmakers.
For Doreen, who is Kanyen’kehá:ka, Wakhskaré:wake (Bear Clan) from Kente:ke (Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory), seeing the completed film for the first time was “a surreal experience.”
“Watching the story, all our hard work, the smallest details discussed to be drawn out, implemented and brought to life in such a big way was better than I ever imagined,” she says.
“I hope Deskaheh impacts everyone, not just Indigenous peoples, and paves the way for the resurgence of Indigenous histories, stories and truths to be told in an accessible and inclusive format that nurtures oral traditions of storytelling and making space for future animations to be created.”
To attend the free screening of Deskaheh on December 5, please register on the Eventbrite website.
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