“We Are Made from the Land” is a new short documentary profiling the Seal River Watershed Alliance — comprised of the Sayisi Dene First Nation, Northlands Dene Nation, Barren Lands First Nation, and O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation — and their efforts to preserve the Seal River Watershed, one of the last ecologically intact watersheds in the world. The poignant film showcases the Nations’ deep connection to their ancestral lands and the vital role Indigenous Guardians play in protecting this vast, undisturbed region in northern Manitoba.

Earlier this year, a historic conservation agreement was reached as the members of the Seal River Watershed Alliance joined Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault to sign a memorandum of understanding, committing all parties to a feasibility study to establish the entirety of the Seal River Watershed as an Indigenous Protected Area.

The establishment of the Indigenous Protected Area would ensure that the Indigenous communities who call the region home would hold the primary role in protecting and managing the watershed, and the permanent protection of the 50,000 square kilometres of culturally and ecologically significant lands and waters that make up the Seal River Watershed.

“We Are Made from the Land” is a production of the Seal River Watershed Indigenous Protected Area Initiative and the Indigenous Leadership Initiative. Watch the 38-minute film by here.