Image of the poster for the film “AANIKOOBIJIGAN, {ANCESTOR/GREAT-GRANDPARENT/GREAT-GRANDCHILD}” about repatriation efforts in Michigan, is courtesy of the Manistee Area Racial Justice and Diversity Initiative (MARJDI).
From staff reports
MANISTEE, Mich. – Museums, libraries and archives have been repositories for Native American remains discovered in the U.S. and Canada, the consequence of colonial thinking that continues today, according to filmmakers Adam and Zack Khalil.
The pair has documented the efforts of various tribal members in Michigan to reclaim and rebury the remains of their ancestors, called “repatriation,” from these institutions in their film, “AANIKOOBIJIGAN {ANCESTOR/GREAT-GRANDPARENT/GREAT-GRANDCHILD},” to be shown at 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 19, at the Little River Casino Resort Event Center.
The film follows the work of various tribal members who are part of the Michigan Anishinaabek Cultural Preservation and Repatriation Alliance. Repatriation is the act of returning and reburying the ancestral remains and funerary objects of Native American families and their communities.
Sundance Film Festival calls the efforts “emotional” and “vital” and describes the film as “monumental and formally daring,” adding: “Using an essayistic approach alongside vérité portraits, the film celebrates the courageous individuals who carry out this hard and emotionally draining labor of return.”
LRBOI tribal member Valerie Chandler wrote about her and her husband’s repatriation efforts in her story, “Repatriation: seeking justice for lost loved ones” in Freshwater Reporter’s August 2026 issue.
A $10 donation at the door is requested to support the efforts of the Michigan Anishinaabek Cultural Preservation and Repatriation Alliance. The Little River Casino Resort is located at 2700 Orchard Highway (M-22).
