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Documentary film looks at life of Qayqayt Chief Rhonda Larrabee

A documentary that looks at the life of Qayqayt Chief Rhonda Larrabee is screening in New Westminster next month. A Tribe of One will show at the Anvil Centre, in Room 417, on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 11 a.m.
Rhonda Larrabee
Rhonda Larrabee is chief of the Qayqayt First Nation. The First Nation is suing the B.C. government, claiming an insurance policy it took out to fund its legal challenge over land taken by the federal government is non-taxable. FILE PHOTO

A documentary that looks at the life of Qayqayt Chief Rhonda Larrabee is screening in New Westminster next month.

A Tribe of One will show at the Anvil Centre, in Room 417, on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 11 a.m., in conjunction with the Coastal Dance Festival.

The film by Eunhee Cha follows Larrabee’s journey of discovery to finding her own First Nations identity. Larrabee grew up believing she was Chinese on her father’s side and French on her mother’s, not knowing until adulthood that her mother was in fact Indigenous – a member of the last family to live on the New Westminster reserve. The film traces Larrabee’s journey to obtaining her Indian Status card and re-establishing the New Westminster band. Today, Larrabee is chief of the Qayqayt First Nation and focuses her efforts on revitalizing it.

“Featuring beautiful archival images and compelling interviews, this documentary captures Rhonda’s quest to embrace her roots and make amends for her mother’s pain,” says a write-up about the film.

The screening is free. See the Anvil Centre’s current program brochure (you can download one at www.anvilcentre.com) for information.