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This unique portrait of Kaash KlaÕ (George Johnston), a photographer who was a creator of portraits and a keeper of his culture, is a told from the perspective of a filmmaker who is of the same people; the Teslin Tlingit, Deisleen Kwáan, who live on the lands surrounding Teslin Lake. A trapper, fur trader, entrepreneur and photographer, Johnston cared deeply about the traditions of the Tlingit people, and he recorded a critical period in the history of the Tlingit Nation. In 1920, Johnston did something that was quite extraordinary for someone who lived as remotely as he did at that time: after ordering a camera from a mail-order catalogue, he taught himself to use it and to develop and print his own photographs. The images he recorded—of special moments and everyday occasions—became a beacon to the young and a testament to the golden times of the Tlingit people. Johnston's photos lovingly portray a sense of history and a zest for life. His work as a photographer in the period from 1920 to 1945 has long been recognized in the Indigenous community, predating a generation of Indigenous and Inuit photographers. As Geddes says, his legacy was "to help us dream the future as much as to remember the past."
Preceded by the short film:
How People Got Fire dir. Daniel Janke, 2008, 16 MIN
This introspective short animation takes place in the village of Carcross, at the heart of the Carross/Tagish First Nation. Neighbourhood pillar Grandma Kay tell the local children the tale of how Crow brought fire to people. As the story unfolds, we also meet 12-year-old Tish, an introspective, talented girl who feels drawn to the elder.
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