>>>
>>> ONE
>>> ONE 4@OF THE 4@DARK4@EST CH MAINE'S HISTORY, UNFOLDED. IT'S HOW 4@THE GOVERNMENT 4@
FORCIBLY 4@FORCED THEM WITH WHI
FAMILIES.
>> THEY INVESTIGATED WHAT
HAPPENED AND ALLOW PEOPLE TO
BEAR WITNESS.
ALL OF WHICH IS THE SUBJECT OF
A DOCUMENTARY CALLED DAWN LAND.
>> I NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT
THAT THE STATE OF MAINE WOULD
EVER ENGAGE THE RAW VERNACULAR
IN THE STORY. 4@4@
>> IT'S AN UNNECESSARY
TRANSITION.
FROM BEING OCCUPIED TO BEING A
NEIGHBOR. 4@
>> STAN PENDER 4@CUDLEP IS ONE
THE DIRECTORS.
WE ASKED WHEN THE FOREST
REMOVAL OF NATIVE AMERICAN
CHILDREN FIRST BEGAN.
>> YOU HAVE TO GO FIRST TO THE @
CONTACT WITH 4@EUROPEANS.
THEY FOUND NATIVE PEOPLE
INFERIOR.
SO THOSE ATTITUDES RESULTED IN
OUTRIGHT MURDER AND
ENSLAVEMENT.
AND THE LATE 1800s TO 1900S,
NATIVE 4@CHILDREN WERE TAKEN TO
BORDING SCHOOLS, WHERE THEIR
HAIR WAS 4@CUT.
THEY WERE BEATEN TO SPEAK THEIR
LANGUAGE. 4@
WHEN THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM
DEVELOPED IN 4@THE 40s, THOSE
ATTITUDES FILTERED INTO THE
SYSTEM.
SO YOU HAVE LARGELY NON-NATIVE
SOCIAL WORKERS, LOOKING AT A
CULTURE THAT ISN'T THEIR OWN.
AND FINDING IT INFERIOR.
>> AND WHAT PEOPLE WILL FIND 4@
STRIKING IS THAT THIS IS NOT
SOMETHING THAT JUST OCCU4@RRED,
EVEN AS LATE AS THE 40s.
THIS WAS HAPPENING AS RECENTLY @
AS THE 1970s IN MAINE?
>> OH, SURE.
I MEAN, IN THE 1970s, THERE WAS
A CONGRESSIONAL 4@STUDY THAT
FOUND NATIONWIDE, BETWEEN ONE-
THIRD AND ONE-QUARTER OF ALL
NATIVE CHILDREN 4@AT THAT TIME
WERE LIVING OUTSIDE OF 4@THEIR
HOMES IN FOSTER CARE, ADOPTIVE
HOMES OR BOARDING SCHOOLS.
>> 4@ONE QUARTER OF ALL NATIVE
AMERICAN CHILDREN.
>> YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT THAT
DOES TO COMMUNITY.
LOSING THEIR CHILDREN.
>> LET'S BRING THE STORY 4@
FORWARD TO JUST RECENT YEARS.
IN 4@2013, A PANEL WAS SET UP F
TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
COMMISSION.
MAINE WAS THE FIRST STATE EVER
TO SET UP 4@A PANEL LIKE THIS,
WHICH WAS TO LOOK AT WHAT
HAPPENED AND HOW RECONCILIATION
COULD BE STARTED OR BROUGHT
ABOUT.
IS THAT 4@A FAIR ASSESSMENT.
>>
YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. I'D SAY AND POSSIBLY MORE THAN
THAT IS HEALING.
THE TRAUMA THAT HAS BEEN DONE 4@
TO THE COMMUNITIES IN MAINE IS
INTERGENERATIONAL.
IT'S LONG LASTING.
SO ONE OF THE COMMISSION'S
HIGHEST PURPOSES WAS TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT HOW THROUGH THIS
PROCESS OF TRUTH TELLING, THEY
COULD BRING ABOUT HEALING IN
THESE COMMUNITIES.
>> AND THIS IS WHAT YOUR FILM,
DAWN LAND, REALLY ZEROES IN ON,
IS THE TRUTH.
THE STORIES THAT WERE TOLD OF
PEOPLE WHO WERE AFFECTED AND 4@
WHAT THEIR HOPES AND
ASPIRATIONS ARE IN TERMS OF
HEALING AND A BETTER 4@FUTURE F
ALL OF 4@MAINE, RIGHT?
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
SO OUR FILMS GOES BEHIND THE
SCENES OF THE TRUTH AND
RECONCILIATION PROCESSES.
AND WITNESSES THE RESILIENCE 4@
AND THE STRENGTH.
OF THE WAKANABY, AND PRENOB
SCOTT PEOPLE 4@THAT CAME FORWAR
AND THE STRENGTH. OF THE WAKANABY, AND PRENOB SCOTT PEOPLE 4@THAT CAME FORWAR@
TO SHARE THEIR STORIES.
AND THE FILM -- OUR HOPE FOR
THE FILM IS TO LIFT UP THIS
PROCESS THAT HAPPENED IN MAINE.
AND SHOW IT AS A MODEL FOR
OTHER STATES AND OTHER PLACES
AROUND THE WORLD.
SO THAT THEY CAN EMBARK IN
THEIR OWN TYPES OF RESTORATIVE
JUSTICES, PRACTICES, HOWEVER
THEY MAY FIT THOSE COMMUNITIES.
>> WHEN YOU HEAR THE STORIES
PEOPLE TELL.
AND YOU SEE HOW RAW THE WOUNDS
STILL ARE.
IT'S HEARTBREAKING.
WAS IT HARD TO TELL THE STORY
BECAUSE THESE WOUNDS ARE STILL
SO RAW?
>> YES.
BUT IT'S NOT ABOUT ME.
IT'S NOT ABOUT US. 4@
THE FILM TEAM.
REALLY, OUR HIGHEST PURPOSE WAS
TO TRY AND DO JUSTICE TO THESE
STORIES. 4@
TO TRY TO AUTHENTICALLY LIFT
THEM UP AND SHARE THEM IN A WAY
THAT WAS HONEST, IN A WAY THAT
WAS RESPECTFUL.
AND I HOPE THAT WE'VE DONE THAT
IN THE FILM.
>> YOU ACTUALLY -- DURING THE
MAKING OF THE FILM, YOU WERE
JUST PARTWAY THROUGH, 4@YOU
SHOWED PARTS OF IT 4@TO 4@NICK
MALACY, PENOB SCOTT
REPRESENTATIVES AND SAID, WHAT
DO YOU THINK?
ARE WE TELLING THE STORY 4@IN T
RIGHT WAY, 4@ACCURATELY?
>> THAT'S CORRECT.
MY CODIRECTOR AND 4@I ARE NO NO-
NATIVE.
SO IT WAS IMPORTANT TO US TO
NOT BE 4@"THOSE GUYS," THE WHIT
FILMMAKERS WHO COME IN AND
SAY, TRUSTS US, WE'RE HERE TO
TELL YOUR STORY.
WE'RE HERE TO DO GOOD.
SO THE PEOPLE 4@IN THE FILM
REACHED THE COMMISSIONERS AND
SO FORTH.
AND IT WAS MADE VERY 4@CLEAR TO
US THE THINGS THAT -- THE
THINGS THAT WE COULD DO A LOT 4@
BETTER.
SO WE TOOK THAT FEEDBACK.
INTERNALIZED IT.
AND CAME BACK WITH A FILM THAT
WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF AND THAT
WE 4@HOPE CAN DO SOME GOOD.
>>> DAWN LAND IS GOING TO AIR
ON PUBLIC TELEVISION
NATIONWIDE, 4@ON MONDAY NIGHT.
THAT'S NOVEMBER 5th.
>> 4@ON NOVEMBER 16T, AT THE --
NOVEMBER 16th, AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE,
THERE