The Advancing Indigenous Health Equity through Decolonizing Public Health speaker series presents a film screening and panel discussion of the film Restoring Néške’emāne on Saturday, March 25 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the Native American Student and Community Center at Portland State University.
“Restoring Néške’emāne” is an educational and informational 11-minute documentary short film featuring Damon Dunbar, a Tribal Environmental Professional (TEP) who has worked for more than 20 years to coordinate a community-engaged effort to assess and remediate the toxic landscape of a boarding school shut down in the early 1980s by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The film Restoring Néške’emāne is directed by award-winning filmmaker Loren Waters. Loren Waters is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the Kiowa Tribe. She’s worked on projects such as Seasons 1-3 of Reservation Dogs, Fancy Dance (2023) and the Martin Scorsese-directed feature film, Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). Restoring Néške’emāne is her first short documentary, winning the Best Short Documentary at North Dakota Environmental Rights Film Festival and the Honorable Mention at the Tallgrass Film Festival.
Following the screening, there will be a panel discussion moderated by Mick Rose of Native Arts & Cultures Foundation with panelists that include director Loren Waters, members of Native Wellness Institute and Native Arts & Cultures Foundation.
This event is sponsored by Native Arts & Cultures Foundation, Native Wellness Institute, Indigenous Equity, PSU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and OHSU-PSU School of Public Health.