The Cinematheque

This program of shorts, named after the Cree word for Mother Earth, explores the reverence for the natural world that sustains and shapes our lives. Shiringa: Amazon White Gold examines the connection of the Shiringa tree to the Indigenous peoples of Peru, while Walking with Plants navigates the academic and cultural realms of ethnobotany, the study of interrelations between people, place, and plants. Mãri Hi—The Tree of Dream follows shamanic experiences of the Yanomami people and their relationship with the Mãri Hi tree. Indigenous Plant Diva focuses on the work of T’uy’t’tanat Cease Wyss in downtown Vancouver, passing down plant wisdom to her daughter, Senaqwila. Each film highlights the deep interconnectedness of all living things and the essential link between humanity, nature, and Indigeneity to Mother Earth.

Following the screening, Kamala Todd, director of Indigenous Plant Diva, and T’uy’t’tanat Cease Wyss, the film’s subject, will participate in a discussion and Q&A about Indigenous ethnobotany, activism, and art.

Shiringa: Amazon White Gold
Canada 2022
Oscar Akamine, Joseph Neyra
9 min. DCP In Spanish with English subtitles

Walking with Plants
Canada 2020
Trevor Dixon Bennett, Leigh Joseph
23 min. DCP

Mãri Hi—The Tree of Dream
(Mãri Hi—A Árvore do Sonho)
Brazil 2023
Morzaniel Ɨramari
17 min. DCP In Yanomami with English subtitles

Indigenous Plant Diva
Canada 2008
Kamala Todd
9 min. DCP