“Inhabitants: Indigenous Perspectives for Restoring our World” will screen virtually 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 12, as part of the One Earth Film Festival. This screening is sponsored by The Conservation Foundation, Fox River Ecosystem Partnership, and additional Fox River Watershed Partners. (See virtual information below.)
This documentary follows five Native American Tribes as they restore their relationships to the land using ancient practices that nurture life. For millennia Native Americans stewarded and shaped their landscapes, but centuries of colonization have disrupted their ability to maintain traditional land management practices.
From deserts, coastlines, forests, mountains, and prairies, Native communities are restoring their ancient relationships with the land.
As the climate crisis escalates, these time-tested practices of North America’s original caretakers are becoming increasingly essential in a rapidly changing world. Film subject Dr. Michael Kotutwa Johnson of the Hopi Tribe, co-director and cinematographer Costa Boutsikaris, and producer and co-director Anna Palmer will participate in an online post-film discussion. Joseph Standing Bear Schranz from Midwest Soarring Foundation (a local Chicago area Indigenous Network) will also be joining the full stream post-discussion.
“We are excited to share this film that highlights Native American relationships with the land and how we can care for and live in harmony with nature, as we are a part of nature. Hearing these perspectives is both inspiring and fulfilling,” shared Jessica Mino, Kane and Kendall County Program Director with The Conservation Foundation.
“We are particularly thankful that Joseph Standing Bear representing a local view from Illinois will be sharing his wisdom and insight following the film. It is important for us all to recognize this land we call home has been cared for by Native Americans since long before European settlement, and is strongly spiritually connected to Native Americans throughout Illinois and the Midwest today.”
This year, One Earth Film Festival will present its 11th festival from March 4 through March 13, 2022. Seventeen carefully curated films will be streamed online, including in-person screenings at Chicago-based venues.
This year’s theme, Turn The Tide, reflects the urgency of today’s climate crisis. Each film uniquely educates, inspires, and demands action amid current environmental catastrophes.
Tickets and information can be found at foxriverecosystem.org/fox/film-festival.
All events are free with a suggested $8 donation. Watch our trailer.
The Conservation Foundation is a nonprofit that serves DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will Counties as well as LaSalle, Dekalb, and Grundy. With many diverse programs, The Conservation Foundation has nearly 6,000 members and 500 volunteers. The organization’s mission is to improve the health of our communities by preserving and restoring open space and natural lands, protecting rivers and watersheds, and promoting stewardship of the environment. To learn more about what we do and what you can do, visit www.theconservationfoundation.org.
— The Conservation Foundation