Nahanni: River of Forgiveness
The Nahanni River in Canada’s Northwest Territories runs through one of the wildest, most beautiful, little known, and fascinating landscapes in the world. Celebrated as Canada’s Grand Canyon, the Na’ha Dehé (Nahanni) is within the traditional indigenous territory of the Dehcho Dene. In June 2017, a group of several Dene families (12 people) will seek to reconnect with the spirit of their ancestors on an epic journey through their most sacred land.
High in the mountains near the headwaters of the Nahanni, they will build a great boat 45 feet long. It will be constructed in the traditional way reviving ancient, almost forgotten, engineering skills passed down from generation to generation. The Dene will make a boat of moose skins stretched over a spruce wood frame and navigate it down the river. No boat of this size or construction has been seen on the Nahanni in a hundred years.
Watch the premiere broadcast on documentary Channel on Sunday August 9, 2020 at 9pm.
Streaming available on CBC GEM
Congratulations to Kiarash Sadigh, nominated for Best Cinematography for a Feature Length documentary at the 2021 Canada Screen Awards.