Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild] Screening at DC/DOX

AANIKOOBIJIGAN [ANCESTOR/GREAT-GRANDPARENT/GREAT-GRANDCHILD] documents the emotional and vital work of MACPRA (Michigan Anishinaabek Cultural Preservation and Repatriation Alliance). This alliance—made up of repatriation specialists representing all Michigan tribes—works to bring their Ancestors and funerary objects home from settler colonial institutions such as museums, libraries, and archives.

Adam and Zack Khalil’s monumental and formally daring film follows the urgent struggle to rebury Indigenous human remains held in sterile storage, laying bare the history of Indigenous collections and the ongoing effort to recognize and enforce the laws intended to facilitate their return to the communities from which they were taken. Using an essayistic approach alongside vérité portraits, the film honors the individuals who carry out this demanding and deeply emotional labor of return.

Michaela Pavlat, NPCA’s Indigenous Partnerships Program Manager, will be leading a post screening discussion.