Film Night: This River is Our Relative

This River is Our Relative is a new Sunlight Media Collective documentary about the Penobscot Nation’s intrinsic kinship connection to and tireless environmental advocacy for the Penobscot River. The story is told through the voices of 24 Penobscot people, who share their experience of historical, physical, and spiritual connection to place; cultural identity, and survival. Their narratives are interwoven with a traditional Wabanaki story about how The People and Glouskap defeated a greedy monster frog, Aklebemu, who was hoarding all the water.

This story parallels historical and present-day environmental concerns and is also the origin story of the Penobscot family Clans. “You can point to any aspect of our culture from a riverine perspective,” said Penobscot Cultural and Historic Preservation Dept. Director James E. Francis, Sr., in a Sunlight Media news release.