Story of Igiugig: Native Sovereignty in Alaska

This short film, co-directed by Alaskan Native filmmaker Erica Wood and Harvard Kennedy School graduate and filmmaker Patrick J. Lynch, looks at how a sovereign Native people are planning for the future, as told through three short chapters: Nunaput (Our Homelands); Capricaraq (Persistence), Pinarqut (Possibility).

The film was made possible through a course taught at Harvard Kennedy School, Native Americans in the 21st Century: Nation Building II. Through the course, students assist Native leaders in pursuit of tribal goals to advance Native sovereignty. For one week in November 2021, Harvard University took down its entire website and replaced it with a curated list of experiences, projects and stories about Native Americans and Alaska Natives, as part of National Native American Heritage Month. Story of Igiugig was featured on the site, along with an article about the team behind the film, including docutribe Founder Cecily Tyler and Fellow Patrick J. Lynch. You can read that story here.

05:38 minutes

Filmed on Location in the Native Village of Igiugig and Traditional Lands.

Directors: Erica Wood & Patrick J. Lynch
Executive Producers: Eric Henson, Patrick J. Lynch and Erica Wood
Producers: Jon Salmon and Keilan Wassillie
Narration: AlexAnna Salmon
Cameras: Jon Salmon, Keilan Wassilliee & Ryan Peterson
Editing: Patrick J. Lynch
Graphics: G. Laster & Paul Beach
Music (CC by Attribution Non-Commercial License):
Rho "Skyline Horizon" | Tom Carter "For 4Cs" | Maps & Transit "Lullaby for Anya" | EUS "Transparencia"

Filmed on Location: Native Village of Igiugig and Traditional Lands
Funded by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians

Special thanks to:
AlexAnna Salmon, Jon Salmon, Cecily Tyler, The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development at Harvard Kennedy School, and The Sovereign Native Village of Igiugig.

Press coverage:

U.S. Department of Energy
Article, "People Powered: Championing Indigenous Values in the Clean Energy Transition," Feb 17, 2022:

Native Nations Institute (NNI)
The Native Nations Institute at the University of Arizona added the film to their Indigenous Governance Database. NNI is one of the leading research institutes working to support Native governance.

National Native Children's Trauma Center (NNCTC) at the University of Montana published it to their website, sharing the following description:
"Check out this newly released short film about the Igiugig Native Village in Alaska, located at the mouth of the Kvichak River, home to the world’s largest salmon run. The Igiugig people have been on a journey toward true self-determination, using their 8,000-year history in the region to inform a plan for stewarding natural resources while ensuring cultural continuity and the health and wellbeing of their children and families. Students from the Harvard Kennedy School worked with Igiugig filmmakers to produce the video, which offers an inspiring view of the possibilities for tribal community development in even the most remote locations in North America."

National Tribal Air Association: December news briefs

HKS Admissions: Admissions Blog

Center for Native Peoples and the Environment
The Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at the State University of New York - ESF (Syracuse) shared the film on social media, with the following note:
"Sloan Scholar Erica Wood (@erica_ashh) recently co-directed a short film along with her partner, Patrick Lynch (@plynchrivers), highlighting the remarkable work the Native Village of Igiugig, Alaska, is doing to reclaim traditional territory and assert sovereignty. Last week, the US Department of Energy profiled AlexAnna Salmon, Village of Igiugig Tribal Council President, on her work with clean energy—and featured Erica and Patrick's beautiful film."