14 Jul Elder in the Making

:An aboriginal and a settler go on a Treaty 7 roadtrip

Over the last year I have been getting to know the cast and crew of the Making Treaty 7 theatrical production. Seeing native and non-native actors, playwrights, dancers, and musicians studying, exploring, and expressing the stories surrounding Treaty 7 was eye-opening. How many of us know anything about our heritage here in Southern Alberta? Can we see how it shapes us today?

If the sold-out workshop presentation at the Canmore Opera House was any indication, the time may be right for this story to be told more fully. Keep an eye out for the first official theatrical performance in September.

For me the Making Treaty Cultural Society has inspired me to explore the possibility of doing a documentary. I have this idea that a film could take audiences across the land to meet the people and stories underlying the aboriginal-settler relationship. In the process, I get to learn something about the Albertan in me.

The good news is thanks to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the Calgary Foundation, I have the initial funding I need to start the project. This also means I am in over my head and will need your help to finish this project. Know something or someone who knows something about genocide, colonization, or residential schools? Drop me a line. Have stories on how people have overcome generations of trauma or who see the big picture? Introduce me. Maybe you just want to help. Drop me a line. My email is chris@hiddenstory.ca.

Blackfoot filmmaker/actor Cowboy Smithx and I have a roadtrip planned this summer. Our working title is “Elder in the Making”. I’ll keep you updated on my progress, but it is bound to be an adventure! In the meantime, have a sneak peek at never before seen footage I took from casting interviews I did at the Banff Centre.

**Sneek Peek Interview with Cowboy, Narcisse and Michelle**

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