“Sacred Waters: Anishinaabeg Naagdawenmaanaanig Giigoonhkewin” movie poster
The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians on Tuesday announced the online release of a short film it debuted earlier this year, documenting the tribe’s connection to the Great Lakes and its efforts to restore whitefish populations in Michigan.
The 15-minute film,“Sacred Waters: Anishinaabeg Naagdawenmaanaanig Giigoonhkewin (The First People Taking Care of the Fishery),” will be available on the Sault Tribe’s YouTube page beginning Friday.
It features interviews with Sault Tribe elders, commercial fishers and staff biologists, who discuss their cultural ties to fishing and the decline of whitefish populations due to invasive species. The film also showcases the methods the tribe is developing to pond raise and stock whitefish back into the Great Lakes.
“The Anishinaabek have always had a deep history and connection to our local lands and the waters. We are very proud that our fisheries program has been a longtime leader helping to protect and sustain the Great Lakes and its resources, but we’ve only recently started focusing on telling that story,” Sault Tribe Chairman Austin Lowes said in a statement. “This film proactively showcases the cultural significance of fishing to our tribe and documents our biologists’ groundbreaking work to restore Adikameg (whitefish) populations.”
The film debuted at the Fresh Coast Film Festival in Marquette on Oct. 18 and 19, 2024. It was later screened for local Sault Tribe members on Oct. 21 at the Dream Makers Theater within the Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie.
“We are very thankful for the thoughtful storytelling that our video team brought to the table to help share our relationship to Adikameg. The initial showings here in the U.P. have been very well received, and we look forward to now sharing this story online to a much wider audience,” Lowes said.
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