To recognize and celebrate Native American Heritage Month in November, Bellingham Public Library was honored on Nov. 4, 2021 to feature a screening of the film “Revitalizing Cultural Knowledge and Honoring Sacred Waters: The Documented Oral History of Life on the Nooksack River,” with Tli’nuk’dzwidzi, Althea Wilson, Lummi tribal member, documentary film maker and Northwest Indian College educator. DVD copies of the film are now catalogued and included in the Bellingham Public Library collection.
Althea was joined by a panel of esteemed Lummi tribal members connected to the film, as they welcomed the community for this special opportunity of learning and connecting.
About the film:
For the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) People, the ebb and flow of the Nooksack River shapes daily life. To explore the meaning of this relationship, Tli’nuk’dzwidzi, Althea Wilson, interviewed Lummi community members about their life along the river. The memories shared in the film are more than stories; they are the ethnology of a deep and sustained connection between the Lummi people and the land and water. This connection with the river — and the larger environment — sustains the community and shapes their collective identity.
About the Film Maker:
Tli’nuk’dzwidzi, Althea Wilson, is a Lummi tribal member who earned her bachelor’s degree in Native Environmental Science at the Northwest Indian College. This documentary film project is her culminating work and was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (#1461441). It is the first of several films by Althea about Lummi’s connection to the natural world. She earned first place in the undergraduate division at the 2018 Salish Sea Ecosystems Conference for this research project. Althea works at Northwest Indian College as the Bachelor of Science in Native Environmental Science Curriculum Development Coordinator.
Event Details:
Revitalizing Cultural Knowledge and Honoring Sacred Waters: The Documented Oral History of Life on the Nooksack River
Nov. 4, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., pre-registration not required
Zoom Link: cob.org/sacredwaters
Media Contact: Annette Bagley, Bellingham Public Library Head of Community Relations, ambagley@cob.org, 360-778-7206