Скачать или смотреть Mary Thomas - A Pair of Moccasins 1976

Digitally Restored and edited for web release. Please enjoy this rare video now added to the Dr. Mary Thomas Building A Bridge Of Understanding Playlist. Mary Thomas is from the Neskonlith Indian Band, In the film she shows and explains how she first prepares and tans the hide... and then makes a pair of moccasins for herself, Mary was born in Salmon Arm in 1918 and fortunately much of her childhood was spent with her grandparents, from whom she learned a great deal about her Secwepemc culture. The joy of her childhood changed abruptly when she was shipped off to attend residential school in Kamloops, where she was forbidden to speak her language. “And we were told never to practice nor to believe the spirituality of our people. It was taboo,” recalled Mary many years later. By 1977, Mary had returned to the Shuswap and with the knowledge she gained from the elders and the memories she had from her childhood, she became an authority on traditional plants and their uses. As an expert, she became more aware of the environmental degradation occurring near her home, especially in the Salmon River valley. Not content to ignore the growing problems, Mary worked with others in the community to create the Salmon River Roundtable, which has helped to restore many kilometres of riparian area, as well as end cattle grazing in the floodplain.
This film was produced by National Indian Arts & Crafts in 1976.