Educational Media Reviews Online

This documentary tells the story of Rhonda Larrabee growing up in Vancouver’s Chinatown thinking she is of Chinese and French descent. She later learns that she and her brothers are half-native as their mother was full Qayqayt First Nation. Their mother was deeply ashamed and embarrassed to be Indian so she passed herself off as non-native. The film is primarily comprised of Rhonda telling her life story and includes some interviews with her brothers and other relatives.

Rhonda became curious about her background when she began working on a family tree while she was in her early twenties. She soon realized that she could trace her father’s Chinese origins far back but knew virtually nothing about her mother’s side of the family. Rhonda was told the story of her background only one time by her mother prior to her mother’s death. She learned that her grandparents and mother had been born on the Indian reserve and had led very difficult lives facing prejudice due to their heritage. Her mother eventually married a Chinese man and was very successful at hiding her true heritage.

But Rhonda felt a burning compulsion to bring her mother’s heritage to the light of day. She spent many long hours researching the background of the forgotten First Nation in New Westminster, British Columbia. She learned that the Canadian government had closed the reserve and sold the land. She also realized that having a land base would be vital in re-establishing the Indian band. There were many overlapping land issues including Aboriginal rights and title claims by the 17 different Indian bands in the area. Eventually she discovered her maternal grandfather’s burial site in a section of a cemetery reserved for native peoples. She contacted the Department of Indian Affairs in Ottawa and applied for a status card to be registered as an Indian. She received her status card 13 months later.

Eventually she was able to bring the tribe back together and was elected Chief. Her goal is to build a community education center to teach about the heritage and culture of the Qayqayt Nation. She wants to be able to pass the legacy down to future generations while keeping the tribe alive. She stresses that being native is nothing to be ashamed about and hopes that her mother’s spirit is accepting of what she has done.

There is some lovely film footage of the Vancouver area as well as the natives in full, colorful costume at a gathering with music and dancing.

This film is recommended for libraries with Native American collections.