EFF25: Decolonizing Our Youth & Life in the Land (The Mighty View)

These two documentaries chronicle land based teachings from Indigenous communities and how they’re carried forward. Read more about each film below:

 

“Decolonizing Our Youth”: How can we rethink our Education system? Can we trade cinderblock square classrooms for the open skies and river valleys of our ancestors? Come join our land based classroom as we meet various Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and Elders that will share the importance of the traditional land, culture, and the language here on amiskwaciy-wâskahikan (Beaver Hills House), also known as Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are all wonderful and amazing storytellers and this is our gift to you, a collaboration of incredible Indigenous people working together to pass on our collective knowledge to future generations, students and viewers alike. Are you ready to decolonize your learning and come be a student with us?

 

 

Director Lyndon Suntjens Bio: I am a teacher of 15 years. I have taught Indigenous Studies 10, 20, and 30, Social 7, 8, and 9, Cree and Culture 7, 8, and 9, Physical Education 7, 8, 9, and 10, and currently working at amiskwaciy Academy, a public school planned by Elders and Knowledge Keepers for Indigenous students. I have always worked with First Nations youth and have a passion for passing on our culture, our language, and our ways of knowing and being to the next generation. As a nêhiýaw nâpêw (Cree man), I feel it is my responsibility to keep our culture, traditions, and customs alive. I have made it my life’s work to make sure that the knowledge I have obtained is passed onto future generations. I enjoy all sports especially basketball, golf, and volleyball. I love to hunt and fish. Basically, anything active that gets me onto the land is a passion of mine.

 

 

Director Statement: “As the world strives toward truth and reconciliation for Indigenous peoples of many cultures that have been devastated by centuries of forced colonization, efforts are underway to regain the culture, pride, and narratives through a process called “decolonization”. Educating our young people has the utmost importance in all cultures and this documentary film strives to show that rethinking how we teach children can be a truly amazing way to set a new future for Indigenous people and students from all cultures. This film’s director Lyndon Suntjens is an expert in childhood education from Canada who has taken his First Nations teenage students back to their roots with land based education which engages their heart, mind, and soul. Follow along with Lyndon as he takes the viewer on a student’s journey to learn the important lessons of their Elders and the land they walk upon, while providing a modern education that links to these amazing experiences. Decolonizing Our Youth is a story of hope and truth and reconciliation.”

 

“Life in the Land”: Iikooshtaka’atbaatchaache, home of the Mighty Few. Historically, and still today, the Mighty Few (a district of the Crow Nation in today’s Southeast Montana) have proven their name through resourcefulness, determination, and strength in unity. Witness the process of this community strengthening their connection to identity, the land, and community togetherness. Through grassroots efforts, the Mighty Few are guiding actions that create necessary healing, economic opportunities, and self-determination to thrive into the future.

Elys Historic Theater

 

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Fri, Mar 14, 2025 10:00 am
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