Educational Media Reviews Online

At the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers sits Pike Island, a 210-acre peninsula that is home to Fort Snelling State Park. To most Minnesotans, it is merely a recreational spot with a beach, hiking trails, and water that is ripe for boating and fishing. To others, it is a sacred place rich in history and familial tales. Depending on who you talk to, however, the narrative about the island sounds different. Some are merely too ignorant to understand the truth behind what actually happened on this treasured land.

Stories I Didn’t Know is a documentary that toils with one person’s journey to understand, and rectify, the truth behind her ancestry and identity. Rita Davern, the film’s director, comes from a large Irish-Catholic family. Like countless other immigrants, her family migrated to the United States to escape famine, poverty, and religious persecution. Davern grew up knowing that her roots traced back to the Burren region of Ireland, a place she has visited countless times in her life. She was also familiar with the fact that portions of Pike Island were owned by her ancestors, where her family farmed crops to sustain life in their new home. As she aged, Davern always maintained pride in her lineage alongside a continual thirst for knowledge. She began to ask questions, many that she was alarmed to hear the answers to. What she learned was her ancestors were privy to, and also had a hand in, taking sacred land way from the Dakota people in the Americas.

Davern’s film is an exploration of white privilege in the United States. Through interviews with her family members and prominent Dakotans in Minnesota, the viewer is treated to a tumultuous dialogue that still exists to this day. Davern explores the possibility of returning Pike Island back to its rightful owners; the indigenous who were marched and slaughtered from their homes in the 1860s. Her ingenuity shines as she strives to uncover answers, all the while knowing she might hurt her family, and herself, in the process.

Stories I Didn’t Know is an appropriate film for the current climate of the United States. Not only does it deal with familial exploration and self-identity, it also sheds light on a little known piece of American history. The camera work is candid throughout, and the interviews are pointed, natural, and engaging. The quality of production is also remarkable, with simple scene transitions and smart editing to make the film appear like an unbroken conversation.

This film will be a strong addition to any college library collection, especially those that focus on Native American Studies. The themes of self-identity, racism, and inner turmoil regarding white privilege will certainly spark fruitful conversations in both academic spheres and everyday life.

Awards:
Best of Fest: Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF39) 2020; Best Documentary Feature Nominee: Beloit International Film Festival 2021; Official Selection: Cucalorus Film Festival 2020, MOL DOX International Film Festival 2020, The Lake County Film Festival 2020, We Come in Peace Film Festival 2020

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