Deskaheh
Deskaheh weaves the profound story of Haudenosaunee leader Deskaheh Levi General’s travels from Six Nations of the Grand River to the League of Nations between 1923 and 1925, where he sought to gain international recognition of the Haudenosaunee’s sovereignty. Co-created by Allan Downey, Tekenikhon Doreen, Jersee Hill, Kira Gibson, and Saki Murotani, Deskaheh is the result of an Indigenous youth mentorship program at McMaster University, which empowers Indigenous youth to create digital animations that bring Indigenous histories to life for public education.
Co-created by Allan Downey, Tekenikhon Doreen, Jersee Hill, Kira Gibson, and Saki Murotani.
About the film
By the early 20th century, Haudenosaunee communities, and Indigenous communities across Canada, were witnessing an intense series of attacks on their historic institutions by the Canadian government. Through a series of laws, policies, and various forms of intimidation and violence, the Canadian government sought to assimilate Indigenous peoples, secure their lands, and eliminate their sovereignty.
Indigenous communities across the country responded in different ways to these elimination tactics. In Six Nations of the Grand River– a Haudenosaunee community in Southern Ontario– the hereditary Confederacy Council, understanding the Canadian government’s actions as a direct attack on their self-determination, responded by leading a series of national and international appeals to gain recognition of their sovereignty. To do so, they selected Levi General, with the hereditary title Deskaheh, to travel to the League of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland to be their public spokesperson between 1923 and 1925.
Deskaheh weaves the profound story of General’s travels and is the result of an Indigenous youth mentorship program at McMaster University, which empowers Indigenous youth to create digital animations that bring Indigenous histories to life for public education.
About the team
Allan Downey
Allan Downey is Dakelh, Nak’azdli Whut’en, and a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous History, Nationhood, and Self-Determination. An Associate Professor in the Department of History and Indigenous Studies Department at McMaster University, Allan is the co-director of Deskaheh (2024), Rotinonshón:ni Ironworkers (2020), and the author of The Creator’s Game (UBC Press, 2018).
Tekenikhon Doreen (Yónkyats)
Tekenikhon Doreen (Yónkyats) is Kanyen’kehá:ka, Wakhskaré:wake (Bear Clan), from Kente:ke (Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory). Co-director of the film Deskaheh (2024), Tekenikhon is currently a third-year honours student in Indigenous Studies and a recent recipient of the Humanities Essay Award at McMaster University.
Jersee Hill
Jersee Hill is Mohawk, Turtle Clan, from Six Nations of the Grand River and a fourth-year student in the Honours Applied Psychology in Human Behaviour Program at McMaster University. Co-director of the film Deskaheh (2024), Jersee has previously served as a research intern at the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute and the University of Toronto.
Saki Murotani
Saki Murotani is a freelance animator and illustrator based in Vancouver, BC, originally from Hokkaido, Japan. She has been particularly involved in projects that revolve around Indigenous communities, academic research, non-profit organizations, and multidisciplinary performances. Her highly crafted animation brings ideas, histories, and stories to life. Her passion lies in visual storytelling through everything from complex animation to simple illustration. Saki’s art, designs, and animations bring people and stories closer together.