MooNaHaTihKaaSiWew UNEARTHING SPIRIT: INDIGENOUS APPROACH TO DOCUMENTARY MEDIA by Jules Arita Koostachin B.F.A., Concordia University, 1996 M.F.A., Ryerson University, 2010 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2021 © Jules Arita Koostachin, 2021 The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: MooNaHaTihKaaSiWew - Unearthing Spirit: Indigenous Approach to Documentary Media submitted Jules A. Koostachin___________ in partial fulfillment of the requirements bythe degree PhD____________________________________________________________ ofin Gender, Race, Social Justice_________________________________________ for Examining Committee: Dr. Jan Hare, Indigenous Education, UBC Supervisor Dr. Charles Menzies, Anthropology, UBC Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Tasha Hubbard, Native Studies, UAlberta Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Dory Nason, First Nations & Indigenous Studies, UBC University Examiner Dr. Candis Callison, Journalism, UBC University Examiner ii Abstract MooNaHaTihKaaSiWew / Unearthing Spirit, a MoshKeKo AsKi InNiNeWak (Swampy Cree) framework explores ways in which our positionality as Indigenous documentarians enables a comprehensive understanding and awareness of story. I employed systems of knowledge of my Ancestral lands to develop a theory to contribute to the study of visual sovereignty, the protection and protocols when working with Indigenous story. My research consisted of the study of Indigenous documentary discourse and explores the role of Indigenous cultural experiences and positionality in documentary practices and how it leads to the development of concepts of story, protocols, and Indigenous identity. My study advances my framework as a pedagogical model in academia but is much more than a model to be dissected; it is a way of life for the InNiNeWak. It also addresses the significance of Indigenous documentary practices when engaging with our communities and stories. The focus of this inquiry engages with how Indigenous documentary requires an extensive exploration of the influence of modality, creative range, and experience on methodologies. My research examines how positionality shapes the creative process as documentarians engage with core concepts, themes, and forms. An inquiry process was set in an Indigenous research paradigm that privileges the research considered and utilized scholarship regarding Indigenous research methodologies and storytelling, acknowledging that Indigenous representation shapes and contributes to Indigenous documentary theory. iii Lay Summary MooNaHaTihKaaSiWew / Unearthing Spirit explores how positionality, creative range and experience influence the methodologies of Indigenous documentarians. Research took place on the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus, situated on the traditional, Ancestral, and unceded lands of Musqueam peoples. Findings illustrate the commonalities within the diverse and expansive Indigenous approach to documentary media. Furthermore, the research suggests that our positionality as Indigenous documentarians does indeed shape our methodological processes, and how we approach Indigenous story. iv Preface This dissertation is original work by the author, Jules Arita Koostachin. I designed, conducted, analyzed, and represented the program of research with the guidance of my committee. The research received approval from the University of British Columbia Behavioural Research Ethics Board, Certificate number H17-00960-A001. v Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... iii Lay Summary ............................................................................................................................... iv Preface .............................................................................................................................................v Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ ix List of Images .................................................................................................................................x List of Poems ................................................................................................................................ xi List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................. xii Glossary ...................................................................................................................................... xiii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... xiv Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................1 1.1 Background of the Study ...................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Situating the Author .............................................................................................................. 6 1.2 Research Outline ................................................................................................................. 15 1.3 Positionality ........................................................................................................................ 21 1.4 MooNaHaTihKaaSiWew / Unearthing Spirit Framework .................................................. 26 1.5 Dissertation Overview ........................................................................................................ 27 Chapter 2: Literature Review .....................................................................................................29 2.1 Indigenous Documentary .................................................................................................... 32 2.2 Modes and Multi-Modal of Documentary .......................................................................... 35 2.2.1 Expository Approach ................................................................................................... 36 2.2.3 Participatory Approach ................................................................................................ 41 vi 2.2.4 Reflexive Approach ..................................................................................................... 43 2.2.5 Performative Approach ................................................................................................ 46 2.2 Shifting Stories.................................................................................................................... 49 2.3 Legacy of the Transformational 60s ................................................................................... 52 2.4 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 55 Chapter 3: Theoretical Frameworks ..........................................................................................57 3.1 MooNaHaTihKaaSiWew / Unearthing Spirit Framework .................................................. 58 3.2 Supporting Conceptual Frameworks................................................................................... 66 3.2.1 Indigenous Storytelling ................................................................................................ 67 3.2.2 Decolonizing Documentary ......................................................................................... 70 3.3 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 77 Chapter 4: Methodology and Analysis .......................................................................................79 4.1 Epistemology: MooNaHaTihKaaSiWew / Unearthing as a Methodology ......................... 83 4.2 Methods............................................................................................................................... 92 4.2.1 Method A: Outward Process ........................................................................................ 93 4.2.2 Method B: Inward Process ........................................................................................... 95 4.2.3 Two-way Process: Outward and Inward ....................................................................... 96 4.3 Participants .......................................................................................................................... 99 4.3.2 Interview Questions .................................................................................................. 104 4.4 Analysis............................................................................................................................. 107 4.4.1 Outward Process Analysis ......................................................................................... 108 4.4.2 Inward Process Analysis ...........................................................................................