The Indigenous Futures Research Centre (IFRC) co-presented a panel at CUJAH’s conference, Unveiling Narratives: Exploring the Intersection of Art and Storytelling.  

This panel brought together Professor Nicolas Renaud, filmmaker, installation artist, and Concordia Faculty member from the Huron-Wendat First Nation of Wendake, in conversation with artist and undergraduate student, Neko Wong-Houle, from the Blackfoot, Kainai First Nation, to discuss their respective artistic practices and the possibilities of using digital and analog animation as a tool for Indigenous storytelling. This panel was moderated by the IFRC’s Research Coordinator, Hanss Lujan Torres. 

Nicolas Renaud discussed his film, Onyionhwentsïio’ (2022) (which means “Our wonderful land” in Wendat), an experimental animated short film on the path of a portage trail that reads as a commentary on Indigenous people having to carry the weight of a long-enduring legacy of colonial oppression.  

 Neko Wong-Houle discussed their film Otanimm/Onnimm (Daughter/Father) (2020), a collaborative project between Wong-Houle and their father, Terrance Houle. Together, they present a work articulated around their deep connection to one another, lovingly exploring an Indigenous daughter/father story.