Part of Indigen: Das Nordamerika Filmfestival
Location: Linden-Museum Stuttgart, Hegelplatz 1, 70174 Stuttgart
Admission: Free
Language: English
Registration: Please register via anmeldung@daz.org
Physical and mental training has always played a vital role in Indigenous cultures of North America—not only for youth developing skills to serve their communities but also for adults of all ages in maintaining them.
Unlike Western traditions, Indigenous games focus on connection: to each other, to the environment, and to shared spirituality. Traditions like katajjaq, once banned during the assimilation era, and games like lacrosse, later adapted into competitive sports, continue to shape cultural identity and resilience today.
This panel discussion will delve into how these games simultaneously serve not only as social gatherings, but as spiritual practices, and even as tools for political conflict resolution.
With: Katsitsionni Fox, Filmmaker; Kayley Inuksuk Mackay, Film Artist and Musician; Desmond Ukkuq Mackay, Artist; Jeremy Williams, Filmmaker
Moderated by: Dr. Nina Reuther, cultural scientist
In cooperation with: Linden-Museum Stuttgart
is a filmmaker, producer, activist, cultural mediator and ceramic artist. She is a UNICEF representative at the festival. She lives with her family on the Six Nations Reserve in Canada. Her film documentaries have won several awards, including international ones.
is a film artist and musician from Arctic Canada whose family roots are in the Kivalliq region of Nunavut. She grew up in Yellow Knife (Northwest Territories), where maintaining her connection to Inuit culture was often a challenge. She will be playing in the Duo Piqsiq on February 12, 2025 at the opening concert of the film festival.
is the son of Kayley Inuksuk. The 15-year-old artist is passionate about preserving and sharing traditional Inuit games. He sees these games as both an appreciation of Inuit culture and a culturally specific way to maintain health and fitness.
is a filmmaker and producer and works for the US sports production company ESPN, which reports on alternative sports. He is the director of the documentary Sacred Dog, which will be shown in the festival program. His film is about the “Indian Relay”, an extreme horse race in which the rider has to ride three times around the track on three different horses without a saddle. The competition reflects the supremacy of the horse among the Lakota – the horse as “medicine” and as a lifeline.
