Maine Native American Culture and History Videos
Our Stories: Healing Woods
This documentary explores the importance of culture, community and family within the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Washington County, Maine. Issues of concern to the contemporary community are explored, including preservation of the natural resources that have sustained the community throughout history. 57min. To order a free copy of this video for Educational Use, please contact the Maine State Library at 207-287-5620.
Wabanaki: A New Dawn Wabanaki
This video shows the quest for cultural survival by today’s Wabanaki-the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot people. The voices in the video offer hope that the Wabanaki will use their cultural and spiritual inheritance to survive and thrive in the third millennium. 28 min.
Our Lives in Our Hands
This documentary film shows the Micmac Indian way of life in northern Maine, focusing on the traditional craft of woodsplint basketry. Available through Northeast Historic Film. 50 min.
Invisible
Recommended for highschool level and above, this film examines some of the history of Euroamerican-Indian race relations in Maine. Through personal stories and candid interviews, the film reveals how deeply embedded racism still continues to shape Native American reality today. Includes frank talk about racism, genocide, stereotyping, child abuse and foster care. Produced by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine. 60 min.
Gabriel Women
One of the most accomplished and giving basketmakers of the Wabanaki people, Mary Gabriel was born in the Passamaquoddy Reservation of Indian Township in 1908. She was honored as a National Heritage Fellow in 1994. Here she tells her inspiring story of learning the centuries-old tradition from her grandmother and of passing it on to her two daughters, Sylvia and Clare. 28 min.