Lin Alluna's Twice Colonized follows renowned Inuk lawyer and activist Aaju Peter in her persistent battle for Indigenous rights. Specifically, Peter focuses on the issue of Arctic seal hunting, which has been affected by economic and social tides to the detriment of the Inuit. Her struggle for recognition of Indigenous peoples' rights in the courts proves that colonialism is not a thing of the past: it is active and thriving.
This ongoing battle reveals Peter's own trauma, which opens her life over a seven-year period. The film covers various aspects of her life, including the death of her son and her struggle to navigate an abusive relationship. We also travel with her through Canada, Greenland, Sweden and Denmark to meet with Indigenous leaders and other activists to hear the stories of how those governments are trying to erase Indigenous identities. With staunch determination, Peters helped establish a permanent Indigenous forum at the UN headquarters and opened the dialogue to present the deceitful colonial leadership throughout the years and the impact of continuous colonization efforts to undermine Indigenous peoples and their human rights around the world.
She recounts her life story and discovers that as a child she had been taken out of her homeland of Greenland and moved to Denmark to embark on an educational journey at the expense of her culture, family and language. She describes her experience as being akin to Canada's residential school and the Sixties Scoop. Peters speaks to many Indigenous people across the globe experiencing colonization and punctuates her point with the haunting, violent slogan, "Take the Indian out of the child."
She philosophizes about a better tomorrow for her grandchildren, calling attention to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls epidemic in North America. She shares her knowledge and experiences working in the justice system with her granddaughter, and the driving force that compels her to continue.
Peter states unequivocally that there is discrimination being Indigenous, but she has high expectations for the future to make great change with opportunities and cultural revitalization. Throughout the film, despite the distressing news and her life struggles, she continues to keep her optimism by engaging deeply with her culture, dancing to both traditional and contemporary Inuit music.
Twice Colonized is a poignant documentary that is both heartrending and buoyant, a glimpse at how to navigate life from an inspirational and thought-provoking perspective. It is a clear reminder that successes can be dealt with in grief's silences and significant failures are a necessary texture of daily life.
Just as Peter continues her fight, Indigenous peoples continue to experience hurdles, prejudices and injustices — but they too remain diligent in their lifelong and ongoing journey toward selfhood. Twice Colonized is thus aptly titled. The rich culture and dancing, since time immemorial, conveys the sheer willpower and resilience to overcome the destructive societal treatment of Indigenous peoples.
(Films We Like)This ongoing battle reveals Peter's own trauma, which opens her life over a seven-year period. The film covers various aspects of her life, including the death of her son and her struggle to navigate an abusive relationship. We also travel with her through Canada, Greenland, Sweden and Denmark to meet with Indigenous leaders and other activists to hear the stories of how those governments are trying to erase Indigenous identities. With staunch determination, Peters helped establish a permanent Indigenous forum at the UN headquarters and opened the dialogue to present the deceitful colonial leadership throughout the years and the impact of continuous colonization efforts to undermine Indigenous peoples and their human rights around the world.
She recounts her life story and discovers that as a child she had been taken out of her homeland of Greenland and moved to Denmark to embark on an educational journey at the expense of her culture, family and language. She describes her experience as being akin to Canada's residential school and the Sixties Scoop. Peters speaks to many Indigenous people across the globe experiencing colonization and punctuates her point with the haunting, violent slogan, "Take the Indian out of the child."
She philosophizes about a better tomorrow for her grandchildren, calling attention to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls epidemic in North America. She shares her knowledge and experiences working in the justice system with her granddaughter, and the driving force that compels her to continue.
Peter states unequivocally that there is discrimination being Indigenous, but she has high expectations for the future to make great change with opportunities and cultural revitalization. Throughout the film, despite the distressing news and her life struggles, she continues to keep her optimism by engaging deeply with her culture, dancing to both traditional and contemporary Inuit music.
Twice Colonized is a poignant documentary that is both heartrending and buoyant, a glimpse at how to navigate life from an inspirational and thought-provoking perspective. It is a clear reminder that successes can be dealt with in grief's silences and significant failures are a necessary texture of daily life.
Just as Peter continues her fight, Indigenous peoples continue to experience hurdles, prejudices and injustices — but they too remain diligent in their lifelong and ongoing journey toward selfhood. Twice Colonized is thus aptly titled. The rich culture and dancing, since time immemorial, conveys the sheer willpower and resilience to overcome the destructive societal treatment of Indigenous peoples.
