Dust & Bones

Synopsis

Dust & Bones is a POV documentary that brings to light the legal, political, historical and spiritual challenges faced by Indigenous leaders and archaeologists as they fight to give disinterred ancestors their proper reverence. Framed around the pending transfer of artefacts from the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, BC, Canada, Dust n’ Bones takes us through the discovery, preservation and rededication of human remains and artefacts, and with them, a reclamation of First Nations culture and history. The main thread of Dust n’ Bones is the day-to-day (and overnight) work of Harold Joe, a revered archaeological consultant and filmmaker who has been challenging cultural and spiritual appropriation by museums, universities and private collectors for over 40 years.