Abenaki filmmaker Kim O’Bomsawin’s latest documentary, Ninan Auassat: We, the Children, is shot from the perspective of Indigenous children. The feature-length film highlights the daily lives, courage and dreams of “ordinary children.”
Produced at the National Film Board of Canada and premiered last fall at the Vancouver International Film Festival, it features stories from several youth from three Indigenous Nations: Atikamekw, Eeyou Cree and Innu.
O’Bomsawin is passionate about sharing the stories of First Nations people. For the past 20 years, she has travelled to numerous communities to understand the issues Indigenous children face, such as cultural barriers and socio-economic inequality.
O’Bomsawin says she wants to counter negative portrayals of Indigenous youth in the media.
“The general opinion is that they were dropouts, druggies or lazy, and that there was no hope for them,” she explained. “But this was not the experience I had with them. With the film, I wanted to give them the mic and the possibility to express themselves and be their own experts.”
Over a period of six years, O’Bomsawin spoke with Indigenous children from different age groups. “I was impressed with their maturity and their freedom, with their capacity being truly themselves in front of the camera,” she said.
“They were really happy to be able to speak out,” she added. “They are fully capable of telling what’s going on, what is great about being Indigenous and living in a reserve. But at the same time expressing what’s wrong and knowing what the solutions are. It tells society that we don’t do enough.”
In this free-flowing film, we see kids riding their bikes, singing, hanging out after school and experimenting with make-up. They speak about their day-to-day lives, as well as the challenges and concerns in their communities.
“Some kids said, ‘The adults are failing us,’ They think the adults sometimes don’t step up enough for them.”
O’Bomsawin sees bullying and the chronic lack of funds in the schools as systemic barriers to their growth and education.
“These kids are amazing,” she said. “They are brilliant, fun, and full of hope and dreams. But we are letting them down, and this is very unfair.”
In the Mukash family of Whapmagoostui, children were raised in a Cree cultural environment with an emphasis on artistic expression. Jade Mukash, a 19-year-old artist at that time and now a Youth Advocate with over 10 years of experience, believes that spirituality makes her family different.
“I’m very connected to our spirituality,” she states in Ninan Auassat. “We are not afraid to talk about it, to let each other know that something is wrong.”
She thinks it is not easy to be spiritual. “We’re in a time where a lot of people don’t accept spirituality, they think it is evil.” But it allows her family and siblings to be connected to Cree ceremonies and traditional lifestyle.
For Indigenous youth, cultural identity is a big part of their life, but sometimes it is hard for them at school. They want to fit in, but being different makes them feel isolated, O’Bomsawin points out.
“We can’t afford to lose our culture, but it is a big responsibility to learn every little thing,” says Monique Hervieux, a teen from Pessamit. “My dad says that when I have kids, I’ll realize the importance of our culture.”
O’Bomsawin believes these issues have existed for a long time, and while changes happen, they are slow.
“I have to be realistic,” she stated. “I am only a filmmaker and try to do my best. I don’t expect this film to change everything, but at least I can show the world that we have amazing kids and raise awareness. I hope that the kids can be proud of themselves and push themselves forward.”
One of the film’s producers, Mélanie Brière, a member of the First Nation Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk, strives to build bridges between Indigenous and francophone communities though her NFB projects.
She believes Ninan Auassat will wake up society to do more for the youth in order to avoid some issues in the communities.
“Having more time with the children and having more services not only in the schools but also for different social activities, will make sure that the youth is healthy,” Brière explains. “It is really important to listen to the children, they have a lot to say.”
One Atikamekw teen from Manawan says that adults don’t do a lot for the youth, and Brière thinks having these children speak about their realities encourages listening and understanding.
“This is how they talk about their community,” she said. “They know exactly what the problems are and how they want to fix them for the future. It’s impressive how mature they are. They give hope to the community – they are the future leaders.”
Brière says this film can help change the stereotypes of how Indigenous people have been depicted in mass media for years.
“I hope it will help to connect more Canadians with the Indigenous children, because we have a lot in common,” she added.
Ninan Auassat: We, the Children won the Tides Award for Best Canadian Documentary at the Vancouver festival and the Magnus Isacsson Award at the Montreal International Documentary Festival. It will be screening at Montreal’s Cinémathèque québécoise starting February 7, with French and English subtitles, and then in different regions in Quebec.