Jessica Silvey and her partner Robert Joe are traditionalists and knowledge keepers who reside on the Sechelt reserve on the Sunshine Coast, BC, Canada. Their professional and personal lives involve the preservation of cultural traditions, passed down from generation to generation. In this video, Jessica and Robert take us on a special trip to document the ancient tradition of harvesting cedar bark-the material of Coast Salish basket weaving and regalia making. In this territory, culturally modified trees (CMT) that are over 200 years old can be found, proving that the Coast Salish peoples of this land were here long before settlers from Europe. The Museum of Anthropology houses baskets made from this very material, harvested in exactly the same way, which are over 4500 years old.
In this video, follow as Jessica and Robert take us alongside a river in Sechelt, BC that is zoned for logging. By staying in contact with the local logging industries, they harvest the young cedar bark before the trees are logged. Jessica teaches the traditional art form of cedar weaving to universities, high schools and museums, but rarely does she have a student who understands just how meaningful the material they are working with truly is. On this special occasion, Jessica and Robert take us to where they find the materials for their educational weaving.
Please note: Only Indigenous people are permitted to harvest cedar in such a way as it is in alignment with their traditional protocols and beliefs. Jessica and Robert have participated in this series as a way to document their tradition, so that future generations of their ancestors will be able to witness and carry on this ancient practice.
Learn more about Knowledge Keepers: A MOA Original Documentary Series: moa.ubc.ca/2020/06/knowledge-...
Knowledge Keepers is a MOA original documentary series which documents traditional Indigenous knowledge keepers. See the land currently known as British Columbia in ways you’ve never seen it before as these individuals give us an inside look at the world we live in-through the eyes of a person who has thousands of years of oral history in their ears, and thousands of years of tradition in their blood. In a world of great unrest from environmental struggles, the voices of Indigenous knowledge keepers are essential to document for future generations.
Credits:
Jessica Silvey
Weaver/Traditionalist
Sechelt/Squamish Lineage
Robert Joe
Traditionalist/Knowledge Keeper
Sechelt Lineage
Marie Wustner
Director, Producer and Editor
Ben Cox
Director of Photography
Hanna Stutz
Camera Assistant
Location:
Old Jackson Logging Road
Chapman Creek, Sechelt
British Columbia, Canada
May 2020
6 июл 2020
