Uploaded July 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The documentary film N’Satung is a collaboration, underwritten by Indigenous Initiatives, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and the School for Advanced Studies (SASAH), that brings together current and former students and faculty members at Western, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to make a film showcasing the thinking of young Indigenous people regarding education. The film is centred on the Cape Croker Reserve community (on the Bruce Peninsula), which is where the lead filmmaker, Keesis Nadjiwon, is from. The personnel includes former A&H students (Keesis Nadjiwon, Summer Bressette, Sara Mai Chitty), current professors and teachers (Greg de Souza, Laurence de Looze, Michael Cywink), fellows from SASAH in active and supporting roles (Laurence de Looze, Aara Suksi), and an Indigenous current doctoral student (Megan Sherritt).
The project responds to a need for Indigenous students to explore creative ways to express their culture while also encouraging them to seek leadership roles in the arts and humanities. The most obvious product of this project will be the documentary film. But the making of the film should also strengthen relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities as well as between the university and Indigenous programs in the community. We also hope that both the process and the product of this project can be a recruiting tool for Indigenous students curious about pursuing post-secondary careers in the creative Arts.
The documentary film N’Satung is a collaboration, underwritten by Indigenous Initiatives, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and the School for Advanced Studies (SASAH), that brings together current and former students and faculty members at Western, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to make a film showcasing the thinking of young Indigenous people regarding education. The film is centred on the Cape Croker Reserve community (on the Bruce Peninsula), which is where the lead filmmaker, Keesis Nadjiwon, is from. The personnel includes former A&H students (Keesis Nadjiwon, Summer Bressette, Sara Mai Chitty), current professors and teachers (Greg de Souza, Laurence de Looze, Michael Cywink), fellows from SASAH in active and supporting roles (Laurence de Looze, Aara Suksi), and an Indigenous current doctoral student (Megan Sherritt).
The project responds to a need for Indigenous students to explore creative ways to express their culture while also encouraging them to seek leadership roles in the arts and humanities. The most obvious product of this project will be the documentary film. But the making of the film should also strengthen relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities as well as between the university and Indigenous programs in the community. We also hope that both the process and the product of this project can be a recruiting tool for Indigenous students curious about pursuing post-secondary careers in the creative Arts.
