Inhabitants: An Indigenous Perspective is a 76 min feature documentary that follows five Native American communities as they restore their traditional land management practices in the face of a changing climate. Through conversations with Tribal project leaders and supporting foundations, the filmmakers developed a plan for creating a film to help document five Tribal land management projects. The five stories include sustaining traditions of Hopi dryland farming in Arizona; restoring buffalo to the Blackfeet reservation in Montana; maintaining sustainable forestry on the Menominee reservation in Wisconsin; reviving native food forests in Hawai'i; and returning prescribed fire to the landscape by the Karuk Tribe of California. Although these five tribal stories are not connected geographically, they share a common vision of restoring their cultural traditions to ensure a more resilient future in the face of a changing climate. This film was made collaboratively with a Tribal Advisory Board, which includes representatives from each of the Tribes highlighted in the film and the Kalliopeia Foundation. These partnerships allowed the filmmakers to ensure that the film is accurate, culturally appropriate, and meets the needs of the communities represented.

During this session, panelists will engage in a discussion about the documentary’s creation and the stories told in the documentary. Clips of the documentary will be shown throughout the session and attendees will have the opportunity to view the entire film with a private screening link on their own time.