Smudging on skates: Indigenous roller derby team slams onto the big screen

By Dionne Phillips, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews A documentary about a multinational all-Indigenous roller derby team is skating into theatres across the country this week. Rising Through the Fray, by Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) filmmaker Courtney Montour, chronicles the journey of Team Indigenous Rising. The team, formerly known simply as Team Indigenous, describes itself as “borderless” because it’s rooted in cultural identity, not local geography — its skaters come together from dozens of nations despite colonial boundaries dividing them. Montour, from the community of Kahnawà:ke, spent several years filming Team Indigenous Rising for her latest project. In an interview with IndigiNews, she says she’d been following roller derby throughout her life. But when she heard an all-Indigenous team would attend the Roller Derby World Cup in the United Kingdom, she knew…

This content is for Yearly Subscription, Yearly Subscription – Corporate, Print Subscription Only, and Canada Print and Online members only.
Register
Already a member? Log in here

Add Your Voice

Is there more to this story? We'd like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Contribute your voice on our contribute page.