Beginning today, Thursday, March 22nd, through Saturday, March 24th, 2018, USC will be hosting the RAI International Festival for Ethnographic Film.
The films are all ethnographic in nature, however USC Archaeology would like to highlight some of the events that we think you may be especially interested in:
FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2018:
11am-12pm: Special Session: Visualizing the Anthropocene: Climate Change and Human Impact on the Environment (GFS 207)
SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2018:
2pm-4pm: Screening of the films Ever the Land, and Tracing Roots: A Weaver’s Journey (KAP 144)
These two films were the winners in the “material culture” category of the festival. Synopses of the films can be found below:
Ever the Land (New Zealand, 93 mins.)
This film explores the bond between people and their land through a landmark architectural undertaking by one of New Zealand’s most passionately independent Maori tribes, Ngāi Tūhoe. For the past 150 years, the relationship between the Tūhoe and the New Zealand government has been defined by longstanding grievances over severe colonization experiences such as illegal land confiscations. The film captures a period of change: Tūhoe are negotiating an apology and settlement from the Crown, and constructing an architectural gem of a community centre using radically sustainable methods. Tradition and environmentalism are brought together, and the film gives us a stirring depiction of Indigenous pride.
Tracing Roots: A Weaver’s Journey (Alaska, USA, 26 mins.)
This film follows master Haida weaver Delores Churchill on a journey to replicate the spruce root hat found with Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi, also known as the Long Ago Person Found. The remains of the traveller were discovered in Northern Canada and DNA testing discovered living descendants in Canada and Alaska. Delores Churchill’s search crosses cultures and borders, and involves artists, scholars and scientists. The documentary raises questions about understanding and interpreting ownership, knowledge and connection.
hunter blatherer 