Indigenous Film Series for March 24: documentaries featuring Mohawk basketry and Pawnee leader Anthony Davis

Posted March 22, 2011 by Erin Algiere, Former Exhibitions Project Associate

Denver Botanic Gardens and IIIRM host a year-long Indigenous Film Series at the Gardens in 2011.

In support of our 2011 exhibition Native Roots|Modern Form: Plants, Peoples & the Art of Allan Houser, we have partnered with the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management (IIIRM) to present a year-long film series highlighting indigenous voices and issues from around the world.

On Thursday, March 24, 2011, we present two films from modern-day storyteller and Director R.J. Joseph (Cree): Carriers of Culture and Peyote Man. Q&A with R.J. Joesph will follow the films.

Carriers of Culture – Directed by R.J. Joesph, 2007, 26 min.

Carriers of Culture is a documentary about Akwesasne Mohawk basketry traditions.

Peyote Man - Directed by R.J. Joesph, 2003, 26 min.

This documentary profiles Anthony Davis, a 91-year old Pawnee Indian who was a leader in the Native American Church for more than 40 years and widely known and respected for his greatly detailed traditional fans.

Watch trailers for both films at Moccasin Path Productions.

Films are free to the public; a suggested donation of $5 will support public programming at IIIRM and Denver Botanic Gardens.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Films start at 7 p.m. and are screened at Gates Hall in the Boettcher Memorial Center. (The main entrance to the Gardens will be closed. Please use the group gate for entry.)

Moccasin Path Productions is a Native American owned company with a critical mission to preserve the living history of indigenous cultures. Thorough digital video production and unique educational programming, we strive to honor the voices and traditions of the past.

R.J.Joesph

About the Director: R.J. Joseph, of Cree heritage, grew up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. As the youngest of eleven children, he spent his childhood surrounded by multiple generations of extended family. The kitchen became a teaching circle, where parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles instilled lessons of culture as well as traditional and spiritual values. It is upon this foundation that R.J. built Moccasin Path Productions as a way to protect the richness of his Native American roots.

R.J.’s career began fifteen years ago in front of the camera as a Native American Actor and Stuntman, featured in well-known pieces as Thunderheart, Iron Will and Desperado among others. He became intrigued with directing, working with legends of the industry like Woody Allen, Charles Haid, Michael Apted and Sam Sheppard.

By marrying his vast experience in the film industry with his extensive knowledge of Native American history, R.J. has taken his filmmaking career into a new realm as a historian and preservationist of indigenous culture.

Next presentation in the Indigenous Film Series: Pachamama (Bolivia) Directed by Toshifumi Matsushita. 2008. 102 min. Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at 7 p.m. For future listings and showtimes visit the Gardens’ catalog.