Madeline Island Film Series

Madeline Island Film Series

Madeline Island Film Series

Madeline Island Film Series poster

Winona LaDuke says that Madeline Island used to be the Washington D.C of the Ojibwe nations and now she refers to it as the Riviera of the Ojibwe.

There is important history on Madeline Island. As explained in the documentary, in 1850 the annuity payments were moved from Madeline Island, on Lake Superior in what is now Wisconsin to to Big Sandy Lake in what is now Minnesota. The states did not exist at the time the U.S. Government moved the payments to the start of winter, then they delayed the payments and the result was that over 400 people perished.

So the Madeline Island Film Series screening of the film on Madeline Island was very meaningful. Director Mary O’Brien said that I was the first director to be present for the screening and so to have myself, the principal participant Winona LaDuke and principal musician Annie Humphrey there for the screening was really a first.

The evening started off with a thunderstorm and rain but just an hour before we were due to start the sun came out, dried out the lawn of the Madeline Island Inn where the screening took place, and the lawn filled up with chairs. The screen was a blow up screen and there was a good speaker system. There were well over a hundred in attendance and no one seemed to leave their chairs or blankets during the presentation. Film series organizer Mary O’Brien kept saying that she was having an out of body experience as there were so many VIP’s from the film in attendance. Really the whole evening was magical. While watching the film the people laughed, gasped and clapped. Many people came up to me following the film screening to say how moved they were by Winona’s personal stories and the intimate look at her life. What a very cool screening!

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