Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Videos & Resources
Here you can find video recordings of the Center for Student Success and Belonging programming along with presentations, handouts, and other resources to help you gain insight and knowledge of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Video Recordings & Resources
Indigenous Film Festival (10/9/23)
“[This] is a collaborative short film sharing the powerful essence of the Seed Rematriation movement’s healing work of cross-cultural reconciliation to bring these seeds home to their communities of origin. The Indigenous Seedkeepers Network, a program of the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance, is assisting communities who are working towards rematriation of their precious seed relatives. We are working cross culturally with many partners, including native farmers, gardens, culture bearers, and alongside representatives from tribal communities, institutions and organizations who have such native seed collections, and also other people who can help facilitate and lay out the needed framework to assist in these seeds finding their way home. We are working towards establishing the protocols and guidelines in this complex and healing work of seed reconciliation.”
“In this short film, Inuk artist Asinnajaq plunges us into a sublime imaginary universe—14 minutes of luminescent, archive-inspired cinema that recast the present, past and future of her people in a radiant new light.”
“For Nicholas Galanin, a Tlingit and Unangax̂ artist and musician, memory and land are inevitably entwined. The 45-foot letters of Never Forget reference the Hollywood sign, which initially spelled out HOLLYWOODLAND and was erected to promote a whites-only development. Its timing coincided with a development in Palm Springs that also connected to the film industry: Studio contracts limited actors’ travel, contributing to the city’s rise as playground and refuge of the stars. Meanwhile, the white settler mythology of America as the land of the free, home of the brave was promoted in the West, and the landscape was cinematized through the same lens. Never Forget asks settler landowners to participate in the work by transferring land titles and management to local Indigenous communities. The work is a call to action and a reminder that land acknowledgments become only performative when they do not explicitly support the land back movement. Not only does the work transmit a shockwave of historical correction, but also promises to do so globally through social media.”
“Framed through the migration of monarch butterflies, a college-bound Chicana reflects on the generations of women before her.”
“The Osage Murders” is a historical documentary focusing on the events that occurred on the Osage reservation in the 1920s.”
Life Between Borders: Black Migrants in Mexico (15 min.)
“Thousands of Haitians seeking entry to the US are now left stranded at the northern Mexico border. But Black migration is not new to Mexico, as people from the African Diaspora have lived here for centuries. In this short documentary, we meet Haitians stuck at the border as well as Africans in Mexico City to explore Black migration and identity in Mexico.”
Return of the Pawnees (12 mins)
“Once exiled from Nebraska, the Pawnees are now regaining a presence in their homeland due to a remarkable act of reconciliation. In 2007, Roger and Linda Welsch did what few descendants of European immigrants have ever done in the 500-year history of America. They returned their land on the Loup River near Dannebrog to its original owners, the Pawnees.”
Two Bears (18 mins.)
“Casey TwoBears is a Marine Corps veteran, ex-junkie, and former county inmate. While working as a janitor for a boxing gym, Casey volunteers to be the sparring partner for the local “champ” in order to prove his worth as a warrior in the ring, but also to prove himself as the modern warrior that his daughter and granddaughter can depend on.”
On Our Land: Being Garífuno in Honduras (20 mins.)
“The short documentary gives us an on-the-ground look at how this plays out in communities like Trujillo and Limón, where some of the country’s nearly 150,000 Garífuna speakers are concentrated. Through a series of interviews with community members, local politicians, and members of the Garífuna diaspora in the United States, the documentary explores urgent challenges of linguistic survival, institutional representation, and that are affecting the Garífuna.”
The Original Shareholder Experience (14 mins)
(Laguna Pueblo creator) “An Indigenous telepresenter contends with her moral credibility against her career prospects when she’s asked to sell a genocidal product on live television.”
Kumu Niu (15 mins.)
“The island of O’ahu is covered with coconut palms, but for fear of liability the vast majority of these sacred trees have been stripped of coconuts. The grassroots movement “Niu Now” is on a mission to restore the “niu,” or coconut, as a fundamental food crop in Hawai’i and spread the Indigenous wisdom of “aloha ‘āina:” loving land and serving people.”
ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught) (9 mins)
“Filmed on the Qualla Boundary and Cherokee Nation, ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught) – pronounced “oo-day-yo–nuh” – explores expressions of reciprocity within Cherokee communities, brought to life through a story told by an elder and first language speaker. ᎤᏕᏲᏅ is a reflection on tradition, language, land, and a commitment to maintaining balance. This film was created in collaboration with independent artists from both Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.”
The Seven Generation River (27 mins.)
“Unlike many Native American tribes, The Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Indians were never removed from their ancestral lands, but they saw their environment and way of life fractured over time. A small group of tribal citizens fought for decades to keep traditional ways alive. When the US Federal government recognized the Pokagon as a sovereign tribal nation in the early 1990s, the tribe launched a series of cultural preservation and environmental restoration efforts. They are now actively working to restore with traditional arts, their language and ways of life, while creating new traditions to inspire tribal citizens to protect and preserve waterways for the next seven generations.”
Closing With Gratitude
Indigenous Peoples’ Day Film Festival (10/10/22)
Three Thousand (14 mins Asinnajaq 2017)
In this short film, Inuk artist Asinnajaq plunges us into a sublime imaginary universe—14 minutes of luminescent, archive-inspired cinema that recast the present, past and future of her people in a radiant new light.
Walking With Us (7 mins Dylan Coleman 2015)
Walking With Us explores a collection of connected stories about the importance of cultural protocol as told by elders from Indigenous groups in South Australia. They share teachings of their past and propose ways forward by coming together to reinvigorate cultural protocol, particularly in relation to the land. ‘The land gives us everything,’ says one elder.
The Kalasha and the Crescent (12 mins Iara Lee 2013)
Rumored to be the descendants of Alexander the Great, the Kalash people have in fact inhabited northern Pakistan’s Chitral valley since long before the legendary conqueror came to the region. They uphold a rich cultural heritage, with polytheistic beliefs, seasonal festivals, and a variety of other traditions that are at odds with Pakistan’s dominant Islam. Today, even as the majestic peaks of the Hindu Kush mountains shield the Kalasha from the region’s worst violence, their culture faces a variety of pressures: poverty, tourism, and Islamism are all contributing to the erosion of Kalash identity.
Dak’ Toká Taíno (Yo Soy Taino) (13 mins Alba Enid García 2019)
A young Taíno girl, Marabelí, visits her grandma, Abuela Yaya after Hurricane María. Marabelí expresses her fears of survival, while Abuela Yaya comforts and reminds her of their resilient Taíno ancestors and challenging history. This film warmly reflects in the future of Puerto Ricans as an indigenous society.
Two-Spirited (7 min Sharon A. Desjarlais 2007)
This short tells the empowering story of Rodney “Geeyo” Poucette’s struggle against prejudice in the Indigenous community as a two-spirited person. After registering as a dancer in the Kamloops Powwow under the Jingle Dress category (normally reserved for women), Geeyo is deeply humiliated by a misguided elder.
This atmospheric tale follows a young girl and her reindeer as they try to escape the menacing darkness of colonial oppression in Sápmi. Guided by a spirit, she is reminded to listen to her inner voice and trust her instincts. Both directors draw inspiration from their family traditions.
Battle for the Xingu (11 mins Iara Lee 2010)
The Xingu, a tributary of the Amazon, is home to over 10,000 indigenous people who rely on the river for survival. The Brazilian government, however, keen to develop the region, is proposing what would be the world’s third largest hydroelectric dam, threatening to destroy the biodiversity of the Xingu River basin and deprive these people of their rights to a sustainable future. The Caipirinha Productions team was in Altamira in 2008 for the Xingu Alive Encounter—one of the largest-ever gatherings of indigenous Brazilians—to witness the spectacular determination of the Amazon people to protect their way of life.
Children of Wool (5 mins Mike Beech 2020)
Shot on location in a very remote part of southern Morocco, this short film looks into the amazing craftsmanship and dedication of the Berber rug weavers in the region. These incredibly talented people are part of an ancient tradition that still employs centuries-old techniques to produce beautiful and unique handwoven rugs. (Not Indigenous directed, but Indigenous informed, centered and in collaboration)
Kapaemahu (9 mins Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Joe Wilson, Dean Hamer 2020)
Long ago, four extraordinary beings of dual male and female spirit brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii and imbued their powers in four giant boulders. The stones still stand on Waikiki Beach.
Series of “Minis” Shorts Focusing on Indigenous Languages in Mexico
Sesenta y Ocho Voces, Sesenta y Ocho Corazones (also known as 68 voces), is a new initiative from Mexico’s government Fund for The Culture and Arts (FONCA) that seeks to elevate Mexico’s 68 indigenous languages by preserving their myths, legends, poems, and stories in the form of beautifully animated short films.4have been selected for this portion.
- Imagen de Prometeo / Prometheus’ ImageBased on the story “Imagen de Prometeo” by Andrés HenestrosaLanguage: Zapoteco from the Planicie Costera, Oaxaca (3 mins)
Muere mi rostro / My Face DiesBased on the poem “Muere mi Rostro” by Manuel Espinosa SainosLanguage: Totonacofrom Puebla state (1 min) - Cuando muere una lengua / When a Tongue Dies Based on the poem “Cuando Muere una Lengua” by Miguel León Portilla Language: Náhuatl from the Huasteca, Hidalgo state (2 mins)
- El origen del sol y la luna / The Origin of the Sun and Moon Based on a story from the Tseltal oral tradition Language: Tseltal from northern Chiapas (1 min)
A celebration of the vital bond between the communities of the Solomon Islands’ last untouched rainforest, asthey claim their rights as the ancestral guardians of these sacred high mountain forests, known locally as the “Sky Aelans.”
This self-reflective work utilizesa split screen to examine ways of life for the people of Onyota’a:ka, both in the city of Toronto and on the Oneida Nation Settlement.
Pygmy Peoples of the DRC:A Rising Movement (6 mins If Not US Then Who 2017)
The fight for recognition in the DRC. Marginalized for decades, Pygmy peoples are fighting for recognition and land rights. Even the term ‘pygmy’ is laced with historical racism and prejudice, they are not treated as equal citizens in their home country. At the heart of pygmy culture is their forest, central to their spiritual beliefs, and ancestral heritage it is also their source of food and livelihood. Large swathes of their land is being exploited by international companies without the consent of the Pygmy peoples. But the Pygmy movement is growing and organizing fueled by the younger generation, their momentum sustained by solidarity.
Muthuvan Kalyanam (Wedding in The Hills) (9 mins Virtual Bharat 2021)
In the documentary Muthuvan Kalyanam, director Shawn Sebastian and cinematographer Sudeep Elamon take the audience deep inside the Western Ghats to attend a Muthuvan tribe wedding. In Vellaramkuthu, Kerala, a picturesque tribal hamlet in the Western Ghats,an elderly tribesman sits around a bonfire to narrate an old tale to a group of children. The atmosphere warms up for a story to unwind. The story of the wedding in the hills.
Indigenous Cypher “WALA3AT” (5 mins Ajwa’ Cinema’ 2018)
“Wala3at” is a series of Palestinian-Indigenous art/music/dance resistance sessions geared to creating a shared, transformative space for indigenous, brown, and Black folks to build and share their histories of pain, joy, rage and resistance.
The Fourfold (8 mins Alisi Telengut, 2021) – All the films following use this link
Based on the ancient animistic beliefs and shamanic rituals in Mongolia and Siberia, an exploration of the indigenous worldview and wisdom. Against the backdrop of the modern existential crisis and the human-induced rapid environmental change, there is a necessity to reclaim the ideas of animism for planetary health and non-human materialities.
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- Fainting Spells (11 mins Sky Hopinka, 2018)Told through recollections of youth, learning, lore, and departure, this is an imagined myth for the Xąwįska, or the Indian Pipe Plant -used by the Ho-Chunk to revive those who have fainted.
- Now is the Time (16 mins Christopher Auchter, 2020)In 1969, fifty years before this film is released, an indigenous community in Canada succeeds in constructing and erecting a totem pole, a practice which had been suppressed for decades by the local authorities.
- Fast Horse (13 mins Alexandra Lazarowich,2018)FAST HORSE follows the return of the Blackfoot bareback horseracing tradition in a new form: the Indian Relay. Siksika horseman Allison RedCrow struggles to build a team with second-hand races and a new jockey, Cody BigTobacco, to take on the best riders in the Blackfoot Confederacy at the Calgary Stampede.
- This Is the Way We Rise (12 Ciara Lacy, 2021) An exploration into the creative process, following native Hawaiian slam poet Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio as her art is reinvigorated by her calling to protect sacred sites atop Mauna Kea, Hawai’i.
Vamos Titans Week (4/2022)
Titan Men of Distinction Week (4/4/22-4/7/22)
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