William Commanda, whose Algonquin name is Ojigkwanong, was born on the Maniwaki reserve in Quebec in 1913. The story of his early life is a familiar one: the loss of Native culture, numbing poverty and escape into alcohol. In 1961 Commanda, then chief of his reserve, was terminally ill. He had a vision that would transform his life and those of his people. Imagining a Circle of all Nations, his first gesture was to reconcile the Algonquins and Iroquois. Since then, he has devoted himself to the reconciliation of peoples and cultures. The message of this old sage is universal: healing is the main priority and can only be achieved through forgiveness and tolerance. In this, he shares much with other remarkable individuals who managed to wash politics clean of resentment: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela. Ojigkwanong - an encounter with a remarkable man! In French with English subtitles.
Editing, Térésa de Luca; director of photography, Carlos Ferrand; original music, Alain Bellaïche.
Distributor subjects
Indigenous Peoples in Canada - Cultural Identity, Indigenous Peoples in Canada - Living in non-Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Peoples in Canada - Portraits, Indigenous Peoples in Canada - Relations with Government and Security Forces, Indigenous Peoples in Canada - Religion and Spirituality, Religion, Beliefs and Ethics - Indigenous Spirituality, Religion, Beliefs and Ethics - Portraits, Documentary
Keywords
Indigenous Peoples in Canada - Cultural Identity, Indigenous Peoples in Canada - Living in non-Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Peoples in Canada - Portraits, Indigenous Peoples in Canada - Relations with Government and Security Forces, Indigenous Peoples in Canada - Religion and Spirituality, Religion, Beliefs and Ethics - Indigenous Spirituality, Religion, Beliefs and Ethics - Portraits, Documentary; "Ojigkwanong: Encounter With an Algonquin Sage"; National Film Board of Canada
Distributor: National Film Board of Canada
Length: 26 minutes
Date: 2001
Genre: Expository
Language: French
Closed Captioning: Available
Public Performance Rights are available for this title.
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