Lavallee of the Piapot
(2005, 24 minutes)

From his home on the Piapot reserve in Saskatchewan's Qu'Appelle Valley, medicine man Ray Lavallee has spent his life preserving and sharing the spiritual traditions of his Cree ancestors. He talks about his reverence for his grandfather, who could communicate with spirits, and his grandmother, whose work as a medicine woman focussed on delivering babies. He gathers many of his medicines on the patch of virgin prairie that he and his wife Tillie have nurtured.

A Family Tree Narrative portrays six families of Canada's First Nations through the oral traditions of storytelling. Celebrating their ancestry as far back as the stories go, they share the relationships that have given them strength, pride and love throughout the years. Through an exploration of each family's legacy, the stories weave hope and challenge, loss and triumph in the lives of the First People of this land.

A Family Tree Narrative, 6 part series x 24 minutes:
Assu of Cape Mudge
Dion of the Kehewin
Dorion of Prince Albert and Cumberland House
Hungry Wolf of the Blood Tribe
Lavallee of the Piapot
Marchand of the Okanagan

Directors: Martin de Valk
Producers: Chiaro Productions, Martin de Valk

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