Screenshots of the '90's

StrongFront.tv worked closely with Mamawi Apikatetan on an Indigenous Documentary Heritage Initiative called Screenshots of the 90's: Active Wisdom and Modern Voices. This video heritage project was supported by Listen, Hear Our Voices with a financial contribution from Listen, Hear Our Voices (2021 - 2022). Mamawi Apikatetan is a non-profit organization that contributes to the documentation of Indigenous knowledge, memory. Together with like-minded folks, they are fostering a digital landscape where First Nations and Métis people connect with local narratives of enduring value.

Screenshots of the 90's: Active Wisdom and Modern Voices was a coordinated effort to preserve a collection of MiniDV tapes, ranging in date from 1996 -1999. It has been 25 years since the oldest community footage was captured and since then, Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers have passed on, cultural practices have changed, communities have transformed, and local archives are emerging or growing. The oldest formats are deteriorating or are at the end of their lifetime. Tapes in the worst condition will not play and are in danger of being lost. Others are viewable but dulled by digital noise.

We prepared 122 culture and language recordings for digitization and identified 22 Indigenous organizations for future partnerships by processing 153 tapes, or 6860 minutes of content. Preparing the video collection for digitization involved playback of each mini DV tape on a Sony Deck, labeling, describing the content, and generating a master authority list populated by crucial themes and information, such as language, location, timecode, etc. Building this framework ensures a solid foundation for future archival initiatives and partnerships with other Indigenous.