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Indigenous activist arrested by RCMP screens documentary of her journey on Wet'suwet'en land

Mohawk woman and filmaker Layla Black shared her documentary 'Blood & Water' in front of city hall on Saturday evening

After being arrested on Wet'suwet'en land out west, Layla Black, a Mohawk woman, is telling stories from the front lines of the protests.

On Saturday evening in front of city hall, Layla Black screened Blood and Water, a documentary she made that details her journey to Wet'suwet'en land and the trauma she suffered from the violent RCMP raid.

Over 70 People gathered at the event. Local activists shared hot chocolate and snacks for those in attendance. 

“I’m here to stand in solidarity with those that are defending the land and the Wet'suwet'en. I was recently arrested out in the west for standing with the Wet'suwet'en people. I felt it was important to come back and share the stories and the voices from the frontlines,” said Black. 

Her journey to the lands was with her brother Logan Staats, a singer and songwriter. 

“My ancestors, the future generations are profoundly disappointed and hurt for the desecration of our lands and our physical bodies are not going to give up,” said Staats.

Black told those in attendance that her grandfather was a survivor of residential schools and instead of teaching her about the Mohawk language and culture, he passed down a coat of shame. 

“I was ashamed to be Indigenous. I was told, ‘don't tell people that you're Native. You'll be at a disadvantage in your life.’ But even though my grandfather didn't teach me what I was intended to learn from my ancestors, he always taught me about the water. He said, ‘Layla, you need to figure out a way to get clean water. You need to figure out a way to help people get water whoever has the water at the end of all times, they're going to be the ones that survive,’” said Black.

She said this was the reason she made a documentary about generational trauma and the issue her generation is facing as survivors of residential schools. 

“There are some things that they can't residential school out of us. There are some things that they can't take from us and that is our genetic connection to water,” said Black.

Blood & Water is not yet publicly available. It is currently playing at film festivals around the world. She has also been showing the documentary in schools.


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Anam Khan

About the Author: Anam Khan

Anam Khan is a journalist who covers numerous beats in Guelph and Wellington County that include politics, crime, features, environment and social justice
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