Waban-Aki : peuple du soleil levant

Directed by Alanis Obomsawin

Canada, 2006 (documentary, 104 minutes, French)

Also known as "Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises"

Image: © National Film Board of Canada

Film Description:
"Yvonne M'Sadoques rocks forward in her chair. She's lived in the Abenaki community of Odanak for over a century—and has no shortage of stories to tell. 'The priest would march into our home and order us to stop dancing. We were going to the devil, he said.' She pauses, a humorous glint in her eye. 'But you know—I don't really believe in the devil. Do you?' M'Sadoques is in conversation with Alanis Obomsawin, another of Odanak's proud daughters—and one of Canada's leading documentary filmmakers. Obomsawin's illustrious career comes full circle with Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises. Having dedicated nearly four decades to chronicling the lives of Canada's First Nations, she returns to the village where she was raised to craft a lyric account of her own people."
-- National Film Board of Canada (source)

Film Credits (partial):
Written by:	Alanis Obomsawin
Produced by:	Alanis Obomsawin, Sally Bochner
Film Editing:	Alison Burns
Music:	Francis Grandmont
Production Company:	Office national du film du Canada / National Film Board of Canada

(sources)

Quote by the Director

"I always wanted to do something with my own people. But I was busy with other stories that urgently needed to be done. I am 74. I am still healthy, and I felt that now is the time to do it."
-- Alanis Obomsawin (source)

Quote about Waban-Aki : peuple du soleil levant

"Focused for the most part on Odanak, where I too am from, Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises (2006) offers an overview of the cultural, social, economic, and political aspects of our community's past and present life. From the first sound heard and the first image seen, Alanis [Obomsawin] takes us back in time to when the daily life of Odanak unfolded around the rhythmic pounding of black ash trees, which is the basic material used in Abenaki basketry practices. For nearly a century, the basket-making industry was the main source of income in Odanak, and everyone in the family (men, women, and children) would work together to weave the baskets."
-- Monique Nolett-Ille (source)

Quote about Waban-Aki : peuple du soleil levant [in French]

"C'est justement pour se rappeler les luttes passées, les victoires présentes et un avenir toujours incertain qu'Alanis Obomsawin tenait à réaliser Waban-Aki : peuple du soleil levant. Ce film sur son peuple, elle le destine d'abord aux jeunes, trop souvent coupés de leur histoire."
-- André Lavoie (source)

Bibliography for Waban-Aki : peuple du soleil levant

Book Chapters

Nolett-Ille, Monique. "Waban-Aki: People From Where The Sun Rises." In Alanis Obomsawin: Lifework, edited by Richard William Hill and Hila Peleg, 214-227. Munich: Prestel, 2022. 'This book accompanies the exhibition The Children Have to Hear Another Story—Alanis Obomsawin: Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, January 23-April 18, 2022; Vancouver Art Gallery, Spring 2023; Art Museum at the University of Toronto, Summer 2023'. [exhibition catalogue]

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

Hampson, Sarah. "Love and genocide; After decades of telling other people's stories, the Aboriginal filmmaker focuses on the tragedies of her own people. The power is still there, but the anger is gone." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Globe and Mail, October 21, 2006.
Irvine, Linda. "Waban-aki: People from where the sun rises." Review of Waban-Aki : peuple du soleil levant. Resource Links, April 2008.
Lavoie, André. "Entretien avec la réalisatrice Alanis Obomsawin : La culture comme résistance." Interview with Alanis Obomsawin. Le Devoir, August 30, 2006. [in French]

Web Sites about Waban-Aki : peuple du soleil levant

National Film Board of Canada. "NFB -- Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises." National Film Board of Canada. http://nfb.ca/trouverunfilm/fichefilm.php?id=52533&v=h&lg=en&exp=.
Office national du film du Canada. "ONF -- Waban-Aki : peuple du soleil levant." Office national du film du Canada. http://nfb.ca/trouverunfilm/fichefilm.php?id=54250&v=h&lg=fr&exp=. [in French]