The People

Mary-Rose Sundberg is the great-granddaughter of Chief Jean Baptise Madzii Drygeese, Chief Drygeese, who signed the treaty of 1921 (Treaty 8). Her parents worked at Giant Mine. She has dedicated her life to the transmission of her language and traditions to other generations. Mary-Rose is the director of the Goyatiko Language Society in Dettah. A translator and community leader, Mary-Rose teaches language and history.

Fred Sangris is the former Chief of the Yellowknives Dene First Nations (N’dilo) and land claim negotiator. He is a community negotiator with the Treaty 8 Yellowknives Dene, a cultural historian, trapper and hunter who cares deeply about the land. 

Kevin O’Reilly is the Giant Mine Co-ordinator for Alternatives North. He has resided in Yellowknife since 1985 working for Aboriginal, federal and territorial government agencies, and on Giant Mine issues for over 20 years.  Kevin served on Yellowknife City Council 1997-2006.

John Sandlos is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he conducts research on mining and indigenous communities in northern Canada. With Arn Keeling, he is the co-editor of the book Mining and Communities in Northern Canada (University of Calgary Press).

Arn Keeling is an associate professor of geography at Memorial University. His research focuses on mineral development and indigenous communities in the Canadian Arctic. With John Sandlos, he co-directed the Abandoned Mines in Northern Canada and Toxic Legacies projects.

The Place

Guardians of Eternity was filmed on the traditional land of the Yellowknife Dene First Nation and in the communities of Dettah and N’Dilo. The film was made in cooperation with the Yellowknife Dene First Nation. Partners on the project are the Goyatiko Language Society and Alternatives North.

The Partners

Goyatiko is a Yellowknives Dene First Nation non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Weledeh language. It is a language research, training and educational institute serving Yellowknives Dene Communities. It is located in the Dene community of Dettah.

Alternatives North is a social justice coalition operating in the Northwest Territories. Within our ranks are representatives of churches, labour unions, environmental organizations, women and family advocates, anti-poverty groups and committed citizens.  Sometimes referred to as the NWT’s “unofficial opposition”, Alternatives North takes the grassroots approach to democratic change.  Our alliance of interests provides a forum and a voice for issues analysis, popular action and social change.

http://www.alternativesnorth.ca/Home.aspx

Financial and In-Kind Support

Production was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) with additional support from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Lakehead University and Resources and Sustainable Development in the Arctic (ReSDA).

ReSDA is  a research network that brings together researchers from a broad range of disciplines and organizations representing communities, government, the private sector, and non-profit organizations. Through partnerships and collaborations ReSDA conducts and mobilizes research aimed at the sustainable development of Arctic natural resources in a manner that will improve the health and well-being of northern communities while preserving the region’s unique environment.