Marchand of the Okanagan
(2005, 24 minutes)

The Okanagan people are a nation running through two countries. The Marchand family came to their British Columbia home when their grandmother Mary Ann rode up from Washington State by horseback. Len Marchand, his sister Pauline Chiba, and her daughter Valerie share the stories of their ancestors who farmed, fished, gardened, picked berries and sold cordwood to sustain the family. Len, who became the country's first Indigenous MP as part of Trudeau's 1968 election team discusses his grandmother's influence on his sense of identity and how starkly it contrasted with the public image of his people at that pivotal point in Canadian history.

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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