North House Folk School

North House Resident Artisan Emily Derke hosts Tracing Roots filmmaker Ellen Frankenstein and Haida elder and master weaver Delores Churchill to discuss their film.

This event was part of North House's Basket Week 2021.

Learn more about the film here.

Tracing Roots is a heartfelt glimpse into the world of Haida elder and master weaver Delores Churchill. The film is a portrait infused with her passion and curiosity. It is also a mystery. Tracing Roots follows Delores on her journey to uncover the origins of a spruce root hat found with Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi, also known as the Long Ago Person Found, in a retreating glacier in the Northern Canada. Her search to understand the roots of the woven hat crosses cultures and borders, and involves artists, scholars and scientists. The documentary raises questions about understanding and interpreting ownership, knowledge and connection. After watching a work in progress of Tracing Roots, Delores described it as a story of connection to where we live, the art we make and the people we teach.