On the second Monday of October each year, many American communities swivel their focus from the federally recognized Columbus Day to instead acknowledge Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

This practice has included the state of Wisconsin since 2019, when Governor Tony Evers signed Executive Order #50 to replace Columbus Day with a holiday celebrating the history and contributions of Native Americans and other Indigenous persons. 

This year, Indigenous Peoples’ Day falls on Monday, Oct. 13. UW-Eau Claire will be screening a locally produced film called “Sacred Wisdom, Sacred Earth” from 5-7 p.m. on this holiday in the Woodland Theater of Davies Student Center.

In 2021, the Loka Initiative of UW-Madison hosted an online convention to bring Indigenous speakers together to share their ecological and spiritual knowledge. 

This event inspired the idea of creating a documentary-style film showcasing the efforts of Wisconsin’s Native American tribes to restore their spiritual, cultural and environmental connections. The Indigenous Advisory Council was formed to help guide the production of the film.

The Loka Initiative also partnered with the Center for Healthy Minds, the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council and Bravebird Film Productions, an Indigenous and female-owned company based in Madison, Wisconsin. The team decided to focus on the Great Lakes area and interviewed many of the “culture keepers” who live there.

Involved in the interviewing process was Dr. Brian McInnes, a faculty member of the American Indian Studies program at UW-Eau Claire and a member of the Wasauksing First Nation. He has served as the film’s producer since 2023.

“I’ve helped produce some short documentaries before, but those (were) mostly based on my subject matter expertise as an academic,” McInnes said. “This was the first project I have done that was grounded in my personal connections to the earth and the traditional ways of the people.”

The 13 featured culture keepers included Native elders, activists, academics, scientists, knowledge holders and youth leaders. McInnes said the Loka Initiative had previously formed positive connections with these individuals.

“I am also a ceremonialist and language-culture keeper, so it was a very natural set of emerging and established connections with others who honor our traditions and work for the people in the same way I do,” McInnes said.

The 60-minute documentary is divided into four acts: “Connection to Land,” “Colonization, Identity Reclamation & Language Revitalization,” “All Our Relations” and “Vision for the Future & Call to Reconnect.”

McInnes said the filming aspect was the most memorable part of the production experience for him, as they traveled to and shot in the homes and environments of the culture keepers. He said the interviews never felt formal — just conversational.

“We are lucky to live in such a beautiful place in the world, and the nature footage really helps establish the context for the words of those we talked with,” McInnes said. “I felt so much more connected to this state by the time we finished filming.”

The first premiere of “Sacred Wisdom, Sacred Earth” took place in July on the Menominee Reservation. The celebratory event included a powwow and community feast before the screening, according to McInnes. 

The film was also shown twice at the YWCA Racial Justice Summit in Madison, Wisconsin. McInnes said he is used to presenting in front of large, diverse audiences, but he didn’t expect an unprompted standing ovation after both showings.

The documentary will also be shown during the Heartland International Film Festival from Oct. 9-19.

“We hope this will inspire spin-off works — particularly in rural and urban Indigenous communities — in protection of the important and good places we have here,” McInnes said. “A production like this helps ensure their messages are shared broadly and to many who might have never heard the call to ‘come home’ otherwise.”

The screening of “Sacred Wisdom, Sacred Earth” on Oct. 13 at UW-Eau Claire is a free event and open to anyone. Afterward, there will be a panel of film participants and a small reception.

Overall, McInnes said the three words he would use to describe this documentary are “truth, understanding and hope.” He hopes this experience can also be an opportunity for non-Indigenous individuals to learn about the Indigenous experience and why their traditional places and cultural identities are so highly valued.

“The connections to culture and land are absolutely vital,” McInnes said. “We hope to inspire a generation of allyship from non-Indigenous supporters and friends.”

Matczak can be reached at [email protected].