In 1989, twenty five adult survivors of various Native American boarding and residential schools in both the United States and Canada gathered at the Alkali Lake Indian Reserve in British Columbia, Canada to attend a four-day intensive workshop on healing the hurt and shame of the demeaning Native boarding school experience. This documentary takes an intimate look at the painful but rewarding healing process. The boarding school system was established, in both the United States and Canada, to forcibly assimilate Native peoples into mainstream society. A major force for breaking the cultures and traditions, this system stripped the Native peoples of role models and skills for healthy parenting and family life, leaving them instead institutionalized with models for low self-esteem and abuse.

Healing the Hurt is part of the First Peoples' TV series made possible by DreamCatchers, a non-profit organization working to bring Native films to a wider audience.

LEARN MORE:
To purchase this film, please contact the distributor below:
Phil Lucas Productions
PHONE (206) 979 9819
FAX (425) 557 2361
EMAIL lphil1@qwest.net