BDOTE: LEARNING FROM PLACE

Minnesota is native land that had been stripped from the native people by the American government. The land is sacred. This tour is led by Native Americans and teaches participants about how their ancestors interacted with the land and how we are all stewards of it. Because the Bdote: Learning from Place tour is rooted in place, I wanted to create a piece that honored the land with enveloping soundscapes, beautiful landscapes and honest narratives told by the descendants of this place and it’s stories.

My team and I created this piece for the Minnesota Humanities Center to commemorate 10 years of their Bdote: Learning from Place tour over the course of a few weeks. The story always begins with the people so we started by interviewing Ramona and her son, Reuben. Ramona started this tour with Ethan ten years ago and her son now shares in the legacy and helps lead the tours as well. With their experience as a guide, we spent time with on the land and captured sweeping landscapes just before golden hour all accompanied by the sounds of nature we recorded to further support the narrative of this rich history.

This piece was used on their website, social media and at their 50th anniversary Gala.