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Director: Lawrence Johnson

Alaskan Native Wisdom: The People of the Caribou

Directed by Lawrence Johnson

Athabascans have inhabited Alaska for over 14,500 years. Also known as the Caribou People, there are 12 distinct linguistic groups …

Alaskan Native Wisdom: The People of the Whale

Directed by Lawrence Johnson

The Inupiaq people are experiencing unprecedented changes and yet continue to cherish their rich way of life in the uppermost …

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Baling Baling

Directed by Lawrence Johnson

In rice fields of the Indonesian island of Bali, farmers keep the birds away with rhythmic noisemakers, plastic bags, and …

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Cube Variations

Directed by Lawrence Johnson

Repetition and unfulfilled anticipation fuel this abstract experiment with animated objects.

Native Wisdom Films

Directed by Lawrence Johnson

Wisdom of the Elders, a Portland cultural organization, records and preserves the history and arts — music, dance, storytelling and …

Native Wisdom: The People of Oregon’s Interior

Directed by Lawrence Johnson

Featuring several of Oregon’s interior tribes, including the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Reservation, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and Confederated …

Native Wisdom: The People of the Oregon Coast

Directed by Lawrence Johnson

Native American elders, indigenous scientists, and cultural leaders from the Pacific Coast–including the Confederated Tribes of Siletz, Confederated Tribes of …

The Native Wisdom Documentary Film Series

Directed by Lawrence Johnson, Tim Keenan Burgess

Presented in conjunction with Portland-based non-profit Wisdom of the Elders, this short series explores how climate change is affecting native …

The Northwest Film Center recognizes and honors the Indigenous peoples of this region on whose ancestral lands the museum now stands. These include the Willamette Tumwater, Clackamas, Kathlemet, Molalla, Multnomah and Watlala Chinook Peoples and the Tualatin Kalapuya who today are part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and many other Native communities who made their homes along the Columbia River. We also want to recognize that Portland today is a community of many diverse Native peoples who continue to live and work here. We respectfully acknowledge and honor all Indigenous communities—past, present, future—and are grateful for their ongoing and vibrant presence.