By Gabriel Sofie
Whatcom will have a Native American Film Festival Nov. 14-18. Whatcom’s International Programs Office and Western’s Center for Canadian-American Studies are collaborating to bring together five films focusing on the Native American community.
The goal of the festival is to bring more awareness to students about Native American society, culture, and history.
Ulrich Schraml, Associate Director for International Programs at Whatcom, said “the goal of the festival is to show Native American Culture in an objective manner.”
Freddie Lanes, a local director and member of the Lummi Nation Tribe, produced Totem Pole Journey 2016 Voices from the Lummi to Standing Rock. The Totem Pole Journey is an event that started on Aug. 23, 2016. The journey was a 5,000 mile trek that began on Lummi Nation transporting the House of Tears Carvers of the Lummi Tribe. The trip went across the western United States and Canada with a 22-foot-long totem pole. The totem brings attention to the effects that proposed fossil fuel projects would have on Native Americans. This documentary will show on Thursday, Nov. 18 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in Heiner Center room 208. Standing Rock is a major topic right now. “It’s a political and environmental issue,” Schraml said.
After the films, group discussions on each production will take place. All students are welcome to participate in the film festival, for an opportunity to learn about all the included topics.
