Synopsis
This is the second documentary in a series of four drawn from the Elders who spoke during the six-day International Indigenous Elders Summit 2004 hosted at Six Nations of the Grand River, Ontario. Hundreds of Elders from North, South and Central America gathered on Haudenosaunee territory for six days and developed an Elders Declaration. The first statement in the Declaration reads “Women Give Life: Violence against Indigenous women must cease. Women are the mothers of our nations and their authority must be recognized within and outside Indigenous nations.”

Mothers of Our Nations examines the need for Indigenous women to reclaim, restore and revitalize their traditional knowledge which has become marginalized through centuries of colonialism. This documentary focuses on the ways in which Indigenous women are attempting to nurture their families through healing themselves and their communities. They strive for a future for their families by breaking the silence of abuse and establishing a stronger family foundation which was shattered through residential schools, relocation and assimilation policies.

This documentary also highlights the plight of the 500 missing and murdered women in Canada by acknowledging the racialized violence towards Indigenous women as chronicled in the Native Women's Association of Canada Stolen Sisters campaign. Included are the voices of women who have endured the realities of racism, murder, historical trauma and those who continue to be embroiled in violence. Elders express the need to heal and break the silence for the future of their families and Nations. They also identify solutions that strive to improve their children’s wellness.

Produced in cooperation with the Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres, the Indigenous Health Research Development Program, Canadian Heritage, FNCPN, and the Indigenous Studies Programme at McMaster University.