Documentary at Syracuse International Film Festival highlights Onondaga Nation
UPDATED: May 2, 2016 at 9:42 p.m.
A new film provides insights on how the Onondaga Nation is currently living and how it is trying to fight injustices against the Earth and against themselves.
“The Good Mind” is a documentary by Gwendolen Cates. It made its central New York premiere at the Syracuse International Film Festival’s SpringFest on Saturday, along with two other short films.
Each film shown was related to Native American culture and had some connection to central New York.
“All of these films share something special,” said the festival’s executive director, Mike Massurin, who opened the day’s screenings.
The film is mostly told through the eyes of Onondaga Nation Faithkeeper, Oren Lyons, who also attended the screening. While the film began by covering the history of the Onondaga Nation and how the United States government ignored the treaty that was signed in 1794, the film also explores the stance the Onondagan people take on issues like fracking or pollution.
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Oren Lyons narrated most of the film, but other Joe Heath, General Counsel for the Onondaga Nation, and Onondaga members such as Asa Shenandoah, mother of a young son she is raising in Onondaga tradition, also explain issues and philosophies.
“Our sacred places are right here,” Shenandoah said, explaining the differences between how she and her people view the Earth compared to others.
At points, the film leaves central New York for other locales. In the documentary, Lyons visits the Huffington Post headquarters in New York City to do a video and discussion about the land rights dispute.
When the film ended, there was universal praise from the audience. They erupted in immediate applause the moment the credits began, and did not stop until the discussion panel started. The panel consisted of Cates and several Onondaga Nation members, including Lyons and Heath.
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“This was an adventure, as you could see. We don’t usually see this continuity,” Oren Lyons said as he opened the panel. “The first time I saw it was today, thought it was pretty good.”
The entire crowd laughed at Lyon’s joke.
Another audience member told Cates that the film was so informational and relatable that it should be used for educational purposes. The audience member suggested showing the film in schools to teach children not only about Native American culture, but also environmental issues.
“Youth are our future,” Heath chimed in. “They need to understand how we need to protect the Earth.”
CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, the year The Treaty of Canandaigua was signed and the association of Joe Heath with the Onondaga Nation were misstated. The treaty was signed in 1794 and Heath is not a member of the Onondaga Nation. The Daily Orange regrets this error.