(2001, 51 mins)
Near to Nature's Heart: Women of Waskesiu explores the diverse lives of eight First Nations, Métis and Euro-Canadian women who made their homes in Prince Albert National Park. Elder Agnes Dreaver guided her family to create an alcohol and drug-free traditional community. Victoria Patterson was a renowned Métis medicine woman. Speaking through her 1927 diary as an isolated pioneer, Elizabeth Pease welcomed her sole female visitor, a Montréal Lake Cree woman, with whom she did not share a language. Myrtle Strangway was a tourist, teacher, photographer and community activist. Mohawk conservationist, Anahareo received international awards for her work. Dorothy Corrigal, Margaret Ferguson and Leona Leader-Genge were de facto park wardens, partners in every way in the tasks that their husbands were paid to do. With original music by Connie Kaldor, this moving documentary delves into the spiritual relationship these women enjoyed with the land, how this shaped not only their lives but the history of Waskesiu area.