The film Honor Thy Mother: The Untold Story of Aboriginal Women and Their Indipino Children follows the lives of 36 Aboriginal women from Canada and Native women from tribes in Washington and Alaska who in the 1940s, after surviving Indian Residential Schools, migrated to pick berries for Japanese American farmers on Bainbridge Island, the traditional territory of the Suquamish people. While there, they married Filipino immigrants and settled on the island to raise their mixed-heritage Indipino children. Some of these children talk about their mothers in the film.

Executive producer Gina Corpuz with grad students at the special IslandWood showing of Honor Thy Mother.

Learning about the island’s cultural roots is a big part of the first few weeks during Foundations- what we call the curriculum during orientation to IslandWood’s Graduate Program in Education for Environment and Community. “We have three days where we invite in cultural community expertise. We do this by inviting local community or visiting a cultural space and then tie what we’ve learned directly to the IslandWood School Overnight Program curriculum and things that grads can teach their own students,” explains Dr. Déana Scipio.

For example, “One day we spend visiting the Suquamish Museum in the morning and then return to IslandWood to learn about ways grads can incorporate IslandWood’s collection of Indigenous baskets into their teaching. Another day we visit the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion memorial and meet with members of the BIJAC and then learn about teaching with history through the History Mysteries and the cemetery here at IslandWood. On the third day, we invite a panel of Black professionals on Bainbridge involved in antiracist work on the Island to speak with the class, followed by a lesson about the Djembes here at IslandWood.”

A couple of our past IslandWood grad cohorts have been lucky enough to also experience viewings and community discussion panels about Honor Thy Mother associated with Indigenous People’s Day celebrations.

This year, grad student Aileen Nichols asked Dr. Dé if a special showing could be held on the IslandWood campus for current grad students to view, and Dr. Dé committed to making it happen. She reached out to Gina Corpuz, an educator and the Executive Producer of the documentary, who came to present the film and speak with grads. We interviewed Aileen about the experience.

What inspired you to request a showing of Honor Thy Mother for our grad program?

As a Filipino-American, I was interested in learning more about Filipino Immigrants that had come to Bainbridge Island in search of work and a better life. Prior to IslandWood, I had only heard of Larry Itliong, a Filipino immigrant that landed in Seattle and began working in the canneries of Alaska. He then became a migrant farm worker in California, eventually joining Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta to fight for farm workers’ rights and started the United Farm Workers Association. But what was the story of Filipinos on Bainbridge Island? Dr. De lent me the DVD “Honor They Mother.”  I had never heard of the Indipino Community before.  After viewing it on my own, I felt it was an important part of the narrative that we, as a cohort, needed to know. I am grateful Dr. De honored my request and made it even more meaningful by inviting Gina Corpuz to speak with us.

How was the film presented to the grad students?

Prior to the presentation, Dr. De asked our grad cohort to familiarize ourselves with resources Gina Corpuz created on the Bainbridge Indipino Community Website: The History of the Indipino Community and the Inidipino Elder Oral History Project 2023. I introduced Gina prior to the film viewing. Afterward, we had a Q&A with her.

What was a takeaway you had from this experience? 

This experience sparked deeper conversations with classmates about multicultural identities, racism, and social justice that we might not have had otherwise. It has personally created a cultural connection with my teaching practice, as I learn more about Filipino and Indigenous roots on Bainbridge Island. Gina shared some beautiful wisdom that was a takeaway expressed by many of us with multi-racial backgrounds: “You are 100% of each of your identities.”