Mother of Many Children

Directed by Alanis Obomsawin

Canada, 1977 (documentary, 58 minutes, colour, English)

Also known as "Mère de tant d'enfants"

Film Description:
"This film is an album of Native womanhood, portraying a proud matriarchal society that for centuries has been pressured to adopt different standards and customs. All of the women featured share a belief in the importance of tradition as a source of strength in the face of change."
-- National Film Board of Canada (source)

Film Credits (partial):
Written by:	Alanis Obomsawin
Produced by:	Alanis Obomsawin, Don Hopkins, Douglas MacDonald
Narrator:	Alanis Obomsawin
Cinematography:	Don Virgo, Bob Ridgell, Laval Fortier
Film Editing:	John Laing
Production Company:	National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada

(sources)

Notes about Mother of Many Children

Shown at the Festival of Festivals (Toronto) in 1977.

(sources)

Quotes about Mother of Many Children

"Mother of Many Children is a subtle document of female empowerment. It begins with an epigraph claiming that there is no he or she in Native languages, gently establishing a feminist theme that is inherent rather than overt."
-- Randolph Lewis (source)

"While documenting how First Nations women experience life from birth to old age, the film [Mother of Many Children] situates the multiple ways in which First Nations women's identities and experiences have been historically shaped and articulated."
-- Zuzana Pick (source)

Bibliography for Mother of Many Children

Brief Sections of Books

Lewis, Randolph. Alanis Obomsawin: The Vision of a Native Filmmaker. American Indian Lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. (pp. 40-45)

Web Sites about Mother of Many Children

National Film Board of Canada. "NFB -- Mother of Many Children." National Film Board of Canada. http://nfb.ca/trouverunfilm/fichefilm.php?id=13471&v=h&lg=en&exp=.
Office national du film du Canada. "ONF -- Mère de tant d'enfants." Office national du film du Canada. http://nfb.ca/trouverunfilm/fichefilm.php?id=1083&v=h&lg=fr&exp=. [in French]