UBW PRESS KIT 1
UNITED BY WATER
"You can flood the path but we will always find our way back"
THE NESPELEM (COLVILLE) CANOE AT WHITE STONE CEREMONIAL SITE ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER.
SYNOPSIS
The 5 tribes (Colville Confederated Tribes, Couer D'Alene, Kalispel, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, Spokane) of the Upper Columbia River unite on the water in traditional canoes for the first time since the Grand Coulee Dam flooded their traditional waterways 76 years ago.
Directed by Derrick LaMere / Narrated by Sherman Alexie / Sponsored in part by Upper Columbia United Tribes / a War Pony Pictures Production
Cast and crew:
Directed by Derrick LaMere
Derrick LaMere is a Native American Filmmaker from Spokane Washington by way of the Colville indian Reservation. He is an award winning documentary filmmaker who's recent film has been an official selection to more than 15 film festivals internationally.
Narrated by Sherman Alexie Jr.
Sherman Alexie, Jr. is a Spokane-Coeur d'Alene Native American novelist, short story writer, poet, and filmmaker. Much of his writing draws on his experiences as an Indigenous American with ancestry from several tribes. He grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation and now lives in Seattle, Washington.
Sponsored in part by:
Upper Columbia United Tribes
Pictured:
Left: The Nespelem Canoe, a 32 ft. hand dugout canoe.
Right: a Traditional Salishan Sturgeon Nose Canoe built by Shawn Brigman