The Creation Story
A Native elder shares his tribe's creation story for the first time outside his community, in dialogue with spiritual leaders from four traditions.
In the summer of 2022, Jasper Young Bear, a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, invited three friends from outside of his community to a unique ceremonial offering that took place in a medicine lodge on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, North Dakota. Across three days, Jasper tells his people's Creation Story, a story as old as time immemorial itself. Previously preserved and passed down the generations in an oral tradition, his reasons for committing it to film for the first time in history soon become apparent, and are as urgent and pertinent as the story itself. The result is a film like no other — a medicine film. (Source: thecreationstory.co)
- Year
- 2024
- Hunter's role
- Director of Photography
- Director
- Sol Guy
- Type
- Feature Doc
- Runtime
- Unknown (3 days of source material edited to feature length)
- Countries
- USA (ND)
Collaborators
- Sol Guy
- Jasper Young Bear — Cultural leader, storyteller.
Awards
PREMIERE: Unknown — small independent production, believed publicly available online NO KNOWN FESTIVAL SELECTIONS OR AWARDS
Festivals
Fist Up Film Festival — October 2024 (Closing Night Film) • Community screenings (donation-based, hosted screenings with guidelines for holding sacred space) • Not on traditional festival circuit by design
Real-world impact
The film documents what is believed to be the first time a Native elder's tribal creation story was shared and recorded outside the tribe. Jasper Young Bear sat in a circle with four thought leaders — a monk, a Christian, a Muslim, and himself — and shared the full story over three days of filming on a reservation in North Dakota. The project represents a rare act of cultural preservation and cross-faith dialogue, demonstrating the power of intimate, trust-based filmmaking.