ABENAKI FILMMAKER/MUSICIAN/ARTIST ALANIS OBOMSAWIN BORN
Alanis, whose name means “Pathfinder,” was born in New Hampshire, but grew up on the Odanak & Trois-Rivières reserves in Quebec. Debuting, musically, at New York’s Town Hall in 1960, Alanis has performed at music festivals, on Canada’s version of Sesame Street, and, in 1984, recorded the CD Bush Lady. In 1966, the National Film Board (NFB) made her a consultant, and later a director, on First Nations projects. Her 45 films include Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, on the 1990 Oka Crisis, which won Best Canadian Feature Film & Best Documentary Feature, 1993 Toronto & Vancouver International Film Festivals. She’s been board member, officer, and/or consultant for: NFB; Aboriginal Peoples Television Network; Public Broadcasting; and National Geographic International. Honors include: Order of Canada–Member (1983), Officer (2001), Companion (2019); Governor General’s Arts Awards–Performing (1983), Visual & Media (2001); Grand Officer, National Order of Québec (2016); and Prix Albert-Tessier (2016).
Source : Winston Wuttunee, Zuzanna M. Pick, Paul Williams, “Alanis Obomsawin,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 4/6/2017. Retrieved 2/28/2022, Alanis Obomsawin | The Canadian Encyclopedia Photo: Bull-Dozer, 9/27/2018. Public Domain.
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