Hi, this is Daniel Garber at the Movies for culturalmining.com and CIUT 89.5 FM.

It’s the 1870s in what is now Manitoba. Representatives of the British Crown, the Anishinaabe and the Muskegon Cree are negotiating the ownership and stewardship of the lands there. James McKay, a former fur-trader for the Hudsons Bay Company plays a crucial role in translating for both sides. Treaty 1, the first of a number of such treaties, set the stage for the expansion of European settlements in western Canada. But what did they mean for the indigenous peoples? Were these treaties honoured? And what role do they still play in 2024?

A fascinating, six-part documentary series called Treaty Road examines in depth the history of these treaties, as seen by the descendants of the original signers and their representatives. Namely, the show’s co-hosts, writer-director Saxon de Cocq of the Métis Nation of Alberta, and artist and educator Erin Goodpipe of the Anishnaabe Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation. Saxon is an accomplished filmmaker who brought us CBC’s The Invincible Sergeant Bill  and CIFF’s Land Acknowledgement. Erin is known on stage and screen for productions like RezX, The Other Side, and Bathsheba: Search for Evil.

I spoke with Erin and Saxon via ZOOM.

You can watch Treaty Road on APTN.