Synopsis:
This short documentary offers a portrait of a group of women who led their community, the largest reserve in Canada, Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve, in an historic blockade to protect their land.
On February 28, 2006, members of the Iroquois Confederacy blockaded a highway near Caledonia, Ontario to prevent a housing development on land that falls within their traditional territories. The ensuing confrontation made national headlines for months. Less well-known is the crucial role of the clan mothers of the community who set the rules for conduct. When the community's chiefs ask people to abandon the barricades, it is the clan mothers who overrule them, leading a cultural reawakening in their traditionally matriarchal community.
Use the reflection questions to inspire your thoughts and feelings about the film. They are not meant to be homework questions that are taken up one by one, but rather prompts to conversation to help us locate ourselves in a new story.
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If you have trouble streaming the film, please select a lower quality rate (the settings are found at the bottom right corner). I suggest 540p - see images below