Indigenous arts in Origins festival

London gets first festival of First Nations voices

Native Earth theatre troupe, NFB filmmakers celebrated in U.K.The Origins Festival of First Nations features indigenous artists from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the U.S. and Pacific Islands and is being organized by intercultural theatre company Border Crossings of London.Examples of the arts:Almighty Voice & His Wife, a play by Kingston, Ont.-based Daniel David Moses, tells the story of a 19th-century Cree called Almighty Voice who unintentionally becomes a martyr in Saskatchewan.And:NFB filmmaker Obomsawin, who was recently honoured at the Hot Docs festival in Toronto, screened three films about the aboriginal experience: Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, Gene Boy Came Home and Sigwan.

Origins also featured six short films from Wapikoni Mobile, a travelling training and production studio, as well as NFB co-productions such as Mohawk Girls by Tracey Deer and Inuit film Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny, directed by Mark Sandiford.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Salvage in UK Arts Festival and Native Documentaries and News.

Below:  "The play Almighty Voice and His Wife stars Cara Gee, left, and Derek Garza." (Nir Bareket/Native Earth)