Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

November 21, 2024

Reciprocity: Indigenous Storytellers Film Series, Watch Now




SŪKŪJULA TEI (Stories of My Mother) David Hernandez Palmar with Flor Palmar (Wayuu Iipuana) During a visit to her sister Amaliata, Rosa, a wise Wayuu woman, teaches her grandchildren the importance of reciprocity within their culture.

Reciprocity: Indigenous Storytellers Film Series

FILMS: Amplifying Indigenous Stories
Watch series now




A grandfather teaches his granddaughter, a young Gwich'in mother named Alisha, how reciprocity is embedded in all aspects of life. The northern lights warm the caribou; the caribou helps feed and sustain the community; the community honors the connections. Each element in nature is purposeful and related. In turn, these connections bring new meaning to Alisha and her wishes for her children and for all living beings.

Diiyeghan naii Taii Tr’eedaa (We Will Walk the Trail of our Ancestors) |
Princess Daazhraii Johnson with Alisha Carlson (Gwich'in); Lower Tanana Dene Lands

ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught) | 
Brit Hensel with Keli Gonzales (Cherokee Nation); Qualla Boundary, North Carolina; Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma

SŪKŪJULA TEI (Stories of My Mother) | 
David Hernandez Palmar with Flor Palmar (Wayuu Iipuana); Wayuu Community of Majali, Wounmainkat, Abya Yala

Weckuwapasihtit (Those Yet to Come) | 
Geo Neptune and Brianna Smith (Passamaquoddy); Sipayik, Indian Township, Pleasant Point Maine


Giving thanks for the dawn and each day "The Approaching Dawn"

Weckuwapok (The Approaching Dawn) | 
Co-directors (alphabetically): Jacob Bearchum, Taylor Hensel, Adam Mazo, Chris Newell, Roger Paul, Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector, and Lauren Stevens; Schoodic Point, Maine

Ma’s House | 
Jeremy Dennis (Shinnecock); Shinnecock Indian Nation

Pili Ka Moʻo | 
Justyn Ah Chong with Malia Akutagawa (Kanaka Maoli); Occupied Hawaiian KingdomNative American Heritage Month Streaming Rec

This Reciprocity Project is a short film series made in partnership with Indigenous storytellers and their communities that invites learning from time honored and current Indigenous ways of being.

In recent years, the Reciprocity Project has been heavily featured in DCEFF's shorts programming. Led by Indigenous filmmakers, the first season of this initiative featured stories about land defenders, traditional knowledge, and sustainability. Those films are now free to stream online.


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