Teachings of the Tree People

His story offers a powerful model of cultural and environmental stewardship. IslandWood is honored to have worked with Bruce as a cultural advisor and teacher.

Teachings of the Tree People: The Work of Bruce Miller
One-hour film

"The trees were our first teachers."

Nationally acclaimed artist and Skokomish tribal leader, Gerald Bruce Miller (subiyay) interpreted the sacred teachings of the natural world to anyone who wanted to learn.

A passionate student of the traditional culture, Bruce became the bearer of the language, oral history, art and spirituality of the tuwaduq (Twana) and Southern Coast Salish peoples. This gentle and generous film documents his race against time and ailing health to pass the knowledge of his ancestors on to those who would listen.

The film chronicles Bruce's youth among his tribal elders; his young adulthood in school (Berkeley), war (Viet Nam) and on the stage (New York City); and his decision to return home and lead a cultural renaissance in the Pacific Northwest. It documents traditional practices of gathering and preparing cedar bark for weaving, uses of medicinal plants, and the presentation of wild foods for the fall Ceremony of First Foods. Throughout the film Bruce delivers lessons from our first teachers, the trees.

The four-part seasonal structure, gradually unfolding narrative, and currents of deep emotion make Teachings of the Tree People a poignant walk through Indian Country.

back

Ordering Information

or call 1.888.367.9154

or call 206.855.4300

back

Reviews/Screenings

”...thoughtful storytelling and cinematic craftsmanship."
Sherman Alexie, National Book Award winner

"Well researched and superbly produced, this documentary is truly successful in sharing native reality and environmental knowledge with many people."
Professor Donald L. Fixico, Distinguished Foundation Professor of History, Arizona State University

"This inspiring film will help young Native American students understand their culture's contributions to the larger society and develop a positive sense of identity."
Professor William Demmert, CREDE Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence; Western Washington University

Premiered February 2006

Film Festivals

• Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
• Palm Springs Native American Film Festival
• Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival
• Celluloid Bainbridge
• Local Sightings Film Festival, Seattle

Screenings

• American Indian Film Festival, San Francisco, November 2 at 7:30pm (Opening Night): nominated for Best Feature Documentary

• Far North Conservation Film Festival; Fairbanks, Alaska; November 10-11, 2006

• Native American Film and Video Festival; Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, New York City; November 30- December 3, 2006. More than 125 feature films, short fictions, documentaries, experiemental videos, and animations. Introduced by Native media makers from Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, and the continental United States and Hawai'i.

• 5th Annual Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival; Nevada City, CA; January 12-14, 2007

• Burke Museum, University of Washington, Seattle

Broadcast

• National PBS broadcast November, 2006

back

About Bruce Miller

Recognized as a master of Skokomish oral traditions, Bruce Miller was the keeper of a repertoire of more than 120 traditional stories, many of which take days to tell, and maintained a large repertoire of songs and dances related to ceremonies and rituals.

Modeling the mentor/apprentice teaching approach, Miller embodied the philosophy that relationships are at the center of the educational process, and demonstrated the importance of integrated curriculum. He spoke strongly about the importance of embracing diversity in our natural and cultural communities.

Miller helped revive the First Salmon and the First Elk ceremonies and, following his initiation in a longhouse in 1977, brought winter ceremonies back to his people. A visual artist as well, Miller made baskets, carved ceremonial masks and poles, and made regalia or ritual dress.

A Washington State Arts Commissioner, Governor's Heritage Award recipient, and Folk Arts Fellowship and Apprenticeship Programs participant, in 1999 Miller was named a Living Treasure by the Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction for his lifetime of work teaching young people. In 2004, he was awarded the NEA National Heritage Fellowship, the country's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

back

About the filmmakers

Katie Jennings, Producer/Director, has been an artist and educator for 20 years, at KCTS/9 Seattle (PBS) and IslandWood, a unique 255-acre outdoor learning center on Bainbridge Island, WA. She was a founding instructor in the University of Washington Documentary Filmmaking Certificate Program, and has taught at George Washington University, 911 Media Arts and the Seattle Art Institute.

back

Director's Comments

Teachings of the Tree People: The Work of Bruce Miller
by Katie Jennings, Producer/Director

In his last two years of life, one of our nation's most respected Native leaders and teachers made a film to preserve and disseminate some of the information he felt compelled to leave behind.

I became involved in the film, Teachings of the Tree People, when I went to work for IslandWood, a 255-acre outdoor learning center on Bainbridge Island in the Puget Sound. Bruce had agreed to weave four large cedar mats for the Great Hall at IslandWood and requested that I document the process; including stripping the bark from cedar trees at Mount Rainier, and finishing one mat in a children's workshop with fourth graders from Suquamish Elementary School.

This gentle and generous film took shape around the ideas and opportunities presented by Bruce. Instead of shooting to a script, we responded to phone calls like the one announcing, "it's time to gather cedar bark-we're going on Wednesday." During our marathon four-hour "interview," I was not allowed to ask questions. After 15 years making documentaries for public television, I was accustomed to directing, and had to learn to just show up and see what Bruce had in mind that day. The magnificence of his intellect and personality drew us all in. No one was paid their usual day rate; everyone fit it in around other commitments, and eagerly awaited trips to the reservation to visit with Bruce and his family.

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to screen the fine cut of the one-hour version with Bruce on February 3, 2005. He invited a roomful of family and friends, and watched the full hour silently. As the credits rolled, he sat back in his wheelchair. Raising his hands over his head in a gesture of triumph, he declared, "I'm finished now," and gave a great laugh.

Two days later we learned that a stroke had claimed his life.

Bruce was a teacher of incomparable talent and influence. We feel his loss keenly.

back

Teachings of the Tree People - 20-minute version

The twenty-minute version of Teachings of the Tree People was created in conjunction with the Seattle Art Museum for the special exhibition "Song Story Speech: Oral Traditions of Puget Sound's First People."

Reviews/Festivals/Screenings

"A memorable and poignant tribute...“
National Geographic All Roads Film Festival

Premiered August 2005

Film Festivals

• National Geographic All Roads Film Festival
• Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival
• Port Townsend Film Festival
• Siskyou Environmental Film Festival
• Far North Environmental Film Festival
• Tulalip Film Festival

Public Screenings/Discussions

• United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
• Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
• Seattle Art Museum
• Tacoma Art Museum
• Environmental Protection Agency, Seattle
• Northwest Indigenous Film Festival/University of Washington School of Education Forum on Native Teaching Methods
• Far North Conservation Film Festival

Broadcast

• PBS Seattle, fall 2005

back