Catalogue

Record Details

Catalogue Search



Mother of Many Children  Cover Image E-video E-video

Mother of Many Children / directed by: Alanis Obomsawin ; produced by: Alanis Obomsawin, Don Hopkins, Douglas MacDonald ; production agencies: National Film Board of Canada (Montreal), National Film Board of Canada (Montreal).

Obomsawin, Alanis, (film director.). Obomsawin, Alanis, (film producer.). Hopkins, Don, (film producer.). MacDonald, Douglas, (film producer.). National Film Board of Canada (Montreal), (film producer.). National Film Board of Canada (Montreal), (film producer.).

Summary:

In her first feature-length documentary, released in 1977, Alanis Obomsawin honours the central place of women and mothers within Indigenous cultures. An album of Indigenous womanhood, the film portrays proud matriarchal cultures that for centuries have been pressured to adopt the standards and customs of the dominant society.  Tracing the cycle of Indigenous women's lives from birth to childhood, puberty, young adulthood, maturity and old age, the film reveals how Indigenous women have fought to regain a sense of equality, instilled cultural pride in their children and passed on their stories and language to new generations.

Record details

  • Physical Description: 1 streaming video (57 min., 50 sec.) : sound
  • Publisher: Montreal : National Film Board of Canada, 2017.

Content descriptions

General Note:
Aboriginal filmmaker.
Agency:.Produced by the NFB in collaboration with Indian and Northern Affairs of Canada and the Canadian Secretary of State.
Restrictions on Access Note:
No restrictions.
Creation/Production Credits Note:
Director, Alanis Obomsawin ; producer, Alanis Obomsawin ; writer, Alanis Obomsawin ; executive producer, Don Hopkins, Douglas MacDonald ; photography, Don Virgo, Bob Riddell, Laval Fortier ; animation camera, Jacques Avoine, Simon Leblanc ; sound, Louis Echaquan, Raymond Marcoux, Bob Charlie, Claude Hazanavicius, Christopher Tate, Bev Davidson, J.G. Normandin ; editing, John Laing ; sound editing, Bill Graziadei ; re-recording, Richard Besse.
Participant or Performer Note:
Narrator, Alanis Obomsawin ; participant, Samson Nahacappo, Cesar Newashish, Nancy Snowboy, Alasie Arnakayak, Wilma Simon, Jeannette Vivian Corbiere, Ed Seymour, Augusta Marie Gudine.
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded 1977.
System Details Note:
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Awards Note:
Best Semi-Documentary Award, 1978
Grand Prize of the Festival, 1983
Source of Description Note:
Description based on online resource; title from title screen (National Film Board of Canada, viewed 2023-04-05).
Subject: Indian women > Canada.
Indians of North America > Canada > Social life and customs.
Indians of North America > Canada > Social conditions.
Indigenous women > Canada.
Indigenous peoples > Canada > Social life and customs.
Indigenous peoples > Canada > Social conditions.
Genre: Documentary films.
Topic Heading: National Film Board > National Film Board Collection


Additional Resources