Writing the Land

The Musqueam people have lived for thousands of years in and around what is now the city of Vancouver. (The word Musqueam is an anglicized term describing 'where the Muxqui [river grass] grows.') Director Kevin Lee Burton's new film Writing the Land meticulously combines film language with Hunkamenum words to recreate Musqueam elder Larry Grant's experience of rediscovering his language and cultural traditions.

Fluid roaming camera movement captures the ever-changing nature of a modern city - the glass and steel towers cut against the sky, grass, trees and a sudden flash of birds in flight. In this mutable, multifaceted environment, the enduring power of language to shape perception and create memory is etched onto the wind and water. In Larry Grant's own words, 'I am from Musqueam...We have been here forever.'