A new climate preservation documentary is raising awareness about the climate crisis. INHABITANTS: An Indigenous Perspective follows five Native American tribes as they adapt to today's climate crisis by restoring their ancient relationships with the land. A press release from INHABIT Films points out that Native Americans had successfully stewarded and shaped their landscapes for millennia, but centuries of colonization disrupted their ability to maintain their traditional land management practices. The film weaves together histories of colonization with the modern resurgence of Native leadership, educating on America’s troubled past and hopeful future. "Ultimately," the release notes, "the documentary is a platform to empower Native communities to share their wisdom and expand their influence in decision making about how to steward these lands."
The five stories in the film 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 Hawaii.
- Returning prescribed fire to the landscape by the Karuk Tribe of California.
The documentary is collaborative project made in conjunction with the INHABIT Films Production Company, a Tribal Advisory Board, the Kalliopeia Foundation, the Namaste Foundation and the Social Good Fund.
For information on screening series and panel discussions, visit www.inhabitantsfilm.com/screenings.
