Genocide can wear many masks. Sometimes it looks like the systematic slaughter of a group of people; sometimes it’s the stripping away of an identity. European settlers in North America tried both approaches to eliminate the first people of “turtle island.”
After the Civil War the United States and Canada started “Indian Residential Schools.” Governments and many Christian denominations operated boarding schools where generations of Native American children were isolated from their families, taught some academics and subjected to hard work and abuse. These schools sought to erase elements of tribal identity, from language to clothing styles to hairstyles and even names.
On Saturday, Nov. 22, Niles Discovery Church will host a free screening of the documentary Sugarcane, which focuses on the Catholic-run residential school on the Sugarcane Indian reserve in British Columbia, Canada, offering a portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning.
This is the debut feature documentary from Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie.
Pre-register at kinema.com/events/Sugarcane-hz4c6v to reserve your ticket.
‘Sugarcane’ documentary screening
Saturday, Nov. 22
1:30pm
Niles Discovery Church
36600 Niles Blvd., Fremont
