THE STORY

“We Tlingit warriors went to war. Unthinkable things happened to us. Suddenly we were sent back home. The bad dreams began. Our actions were unrecognizable. We could no longer recognize the way we moved through life.”

– George Bennett Sr.

Alaska’s Tlingit Tribe members drafted during the Vietnam War were forced to commit acts that directly conflicted with their cultural teachings. These events left them with indelible marks that challenged their cultural identity in fundamental and irrevocable ways.

George Bennett Sr., a renowned woodworker and elder of the Tlingit Tribe, was drafted in 1966 to serve in the Vietnam War.

When George and fellow tribe members returned home their new battle began. They now had to overcome their shame, taboos and PTSD as well as a fight to take back their ancestral land.

This story is George’s triumph over trauma, told through his lens, as he and his fellow Tlingit Veterans share their path to healing through their culture and their community.

Through George’s access to the Alaskan Tlingit Veteran community, we hope to give George and his fellow vets a platform to tell their stories as they recount the past, navigate the present, and change the future. Most of these men have never talked about their experiences, even amongst their closest loved ones.

These venerable Tlingits who fought in Vietnam suffer both physical and mental repercussions from the war and the time to capture their stories is running out.

OUR GOAL

The film will showcase Tlingit culture – both the conflict between tribal values and a call to war, and its importance as a healing tool, as speaking their Native language and practicing cultural arts such as woodworking were a major force in assisting Native Veterans to move past the darkness of war.

The Alaska landscape will also play an intricate role – a living, breathing character intrinsic to Tlingit culture to help audiences better understand the tribe’s connection to the land and commitment to retaining possession of their ancestral homeland.

THANK YOU

We became filmmakers because of our belief in the power of storytelling.

We are passionate about stories that center on human resilience, triumph over trauma, and hope for healing.