Amplifying Indigenous Voices

Bay Street Theater will screen The Reciprocity Project film series “Amplifying Indigenous Voices” on Sunday, November 13, at 5 p.m. The screening of seven short films, which run a total of 69 minutes, will be followed by a talkback presented by contemporary fine art photographer and filmmaker Jeremy Dennis. All proceeds from the screening will go to benefit Ma’s House, a nonprofit art space for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation in Southampton. “Amplifying Indigenous Voices” was created by storytellers and community partners in response to the question: “What does reciprocity mean to your community?” The series has received critical acclaim as 2022 Official Selections at the Sundance, Full Frame, Maoriland, Big Sky, Blackstar and Hot Docs Film Festivals. Episode six, “Ma’s House,” written and directed by Dennis, takes place at the Shinnecock Indian Nation and focuses on the legacy of his family home.

The seven films to be screened are:

“Diiyeghan Naii Taii Tr’eedaa” (“We Will Walk the Trail of Our Ancestors”) by Princess Daazhraii Johnson with Alisha Carlson (Gwich’in). 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.

“ᎤᏕᏲᏅ” (“What They’ve Been Taught”) by Brit Hensel with Keli Gonzales (Cherokee Nation). Filmed on the Qualla Boundary and Cherokee Nation, the film explores expressions of reciprocity in the Cherokee world, brought to life through a story told by an elder and first language speaker.

“Sukujula Tei” (“Stories of My Mother”) by 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.

“Weckuwapasihtit” (“Those Yet to Come”) by Geo Neptune and Brianna Smith (Passamaquoddy). On the Eastern reaches of the occupied territory now referred to as North America, the children of Koluskap call upon ancestral teachings to guide them.

“Weckuwapok” (“The Approaching Dawn”) by Jacob Bearchum, Taylor Hensel, Adam Mazo, Chris Newell, Roger Paul, Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector and Lauren Stevens. On these traditional homelands, Waponahkik (the people of the dawn land) bring gratitude to the sun where it first looks their way. Song and stories invite them to accept the new day and put behind them any harm done the day before.

“Ma’s House” by Jeremy Dennis (Shinnecock). Ma’s House was once the heart of a community for the Shinnecock peoples, who have remained in their same homelands for 10,000 years. As Ma’s grandson, artist and photographer Jeremy Dennis is on a quest to restore the family home to its central role as a community gathering place for a new generation of diverse artists.

“Pili Ka Moʻo” by Justyn Ah Chong with Malia Akutagawa (Kanaka Maoli). The Fukumitsu ʻOhana (family) of Hakipuʻu are Native Hawaiian taro farmers and keepers of this generational practice. While much of Oʻahu has become urbanized, Hakipuʻu remains a kīpuka (oasis) of traditional knowledge where great chiefs once resided and their bones still remain.

The Reciprocity Project is a U.S.-based production company that works alongside Indigenous storytellers and communities worldwide. They aim to lift up the value of reciprocity in Indigenous ways of storytelling through film, podcasts, and other creative mediums. With the goal of creating a paradigm shift that reframes our relationships to the Earth, other living beings, and one another.

Tickets are on sale now starting at $15 for all seven films at baystreet.org or 631-725-9500. Bay Street Theater is on Long Wharf in Sag Harbor.