As a species, humans are unique in understanding, or at least trying to discover, where they come from, embracing their past and holding on to the traditions built by ancestors. It’s a pride among any culture on the planet, the markers that identify the differences and contributions to our progress through history.
Of course, as a species we have also yet to, unconditionally, accept the value of each of these meaningful tributaries in the long winding river of life on Earth, instead often hosting conflict in the aggressive overthrow of one people over another, burying cultures in the process. This is the sad, harrowing truth of our history, a blight with consequences of centuries past violence resonating in all corners of the globe.
Gather, a new documentary from Sanjay Rawal, examines one chapter in this story, that of the Native Americans of North America, concentrating on the impact of food sources and the right to reclaim the sovereignty of ancestral food systems. That might not seem all that sexy in terms of a catchy topic, but there is a lot underneath in uncovering how deeply it has changed so many on all sides of the table.
We meet several Native Americans who make livings fishing and farming and working to repopulate the dwindling herds of buffalo. These are struggles to reclaim their way of life and spread that understanding to others, teaching that, while battles and bloodshed have long gained favor as the reality in how native peoples were conquered across the land, it was the devastation of food systems that ultimately left indigenous tribes with no choice but to give up what they had to survive.
The plight of these people is not new, but most likely this side of that knowledge is unfamiliar, with much focused on how the changes in diet had significant impacts on new generations. It has inspired many in this film to take the reigns in turning things around, teaching others to let go of the dangerous unhealthy lifestyles that cheaply-made, processed foods have given them – often the only nurishment available – and look to the past in finding healthful futures.
Gather is not a pulpit bound preachy effort with pointing fingers because that is something the filmmakers wisely take for granted viewers already understand. Instead, it works to illuminate by demonstrating how change can occur and make a difference, from a young woman in school using science to educate, to a man flipping an old gas station into a from-scratch food cafe to recover recipes of the Apache, to groups teaching youths how to fish, the theme is all about holding on to culture and redefining what it means to do something important.
The takeaway from Rawal’s film is most definitely its sincerity as the documentary steers clear of the genre’s tropes, avoiding talking heads and interviews, rather pointing a non-invasive lens at action. That has a tremendous effect on the viewer as we head out onto the plains and over rivers, walk among the buffalo and sit in on presentations by those demanding change. It’s a small film but its message is grand. Highly recommended.