The documentary will be released online for free streaming March 8. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

culture and traditions

Documentary filmed in La Ronge to appear on NFB website

Mar 6, 2020 | 12:59 PM

Documentarian Janine Windolph is releasing her new film Stories Are in Our Bones on the National Film Board of Canada’s (NFB) website on March 8.

Filmed in La Ronge, the 11-minute documentary is about Windolph bringing her two sons to town to go fishing with their grandmother, a residential school survivor who retains a deep knowledge and memory of the land. Having been born and raised in the city, the act of reconnecting with their homeland is a cultural and familial healing journey for the boys and it creates a powerful form of resistance for the women.

“The inspiration for the documentary came from the realization that my sons being born and raised in the city with limited interactions with home, which is La Ronge to me because that’s where I was born and raised,” Windolph said. “I realized if I didn’t connect them with the teachings in terms of fishing and foraging and later hunting that those connections I have would essentially not be passed on to the next generation.”

The film also explores Windolph’s own experience with food as she decided to become a vegetarian after learning more about commercial food and how it’s processed. Her boys challenged her by strike a deal if they are able to provide wild meat and fish, that she would eat those foods. While she doesn’t eat beef and pork, Windolph now eats foods harvested from the land again.

Windolph decided to release the documentary on the NFB’s website to allow more people to see it. She hopes it becomes a tool for Indigenous Peoples in an urban setting who want to relearn their culture and traditions.

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“The message for the story is also to remind people that as Indigenous Peoples we’re also adapting new tools and technologies, but what keeps us connected is the land, our practices and telling and sharing our stories,” Windolph said. “I think that’s the biggest message to encourage others to share their story.”

The release of the film also coincides with International Women’s Day. It can be viewed online here as of March 8.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno