Episode 159: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers

Kainai is the largest reserve in Canada. Since 2014, the community has lost hundreds of its members to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine. Every single member of the Kainai First Nation has been impacted by fentanyl- and addiction-related loss – which is the story in a lot of places all over the world. But Kainai’s approach to addiction is rooted in the Blackfoot word Kímmapiiyipitssini, which means “giving kindness to each other.”Celebrated filmmaker Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers is a member of the Kainai First Nation, as well as Sámi from Norway. Her new film is Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy. The feature-length documentary celebrates the harm reduction efforts that have been adopted in her community, in no small part due to the work of her mother, Dr. Esther Tailfeathers. Kímmapiiyipitssini introduces us to community members active in addiction and recovery, and to first responders and medical professionals who are using harm reduction to save lives. Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy will have its world premiere at the Hot Docs Documentary Film Festival in Toronto (geo-blocked to all of Canada), followed by highly anticipated screenings at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival in Vancouver. Elle-Máijá returns to the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to talk about Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy, the impact that fentanyl has had on Kainai, and the community’s kindness-centered approach to addiction. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA