Submitted Photo On the red carpet at the LA SKINS FEST are, from left, Kathy Renault, Justin Deegan, Lynn Gourneau, Les Thomas, JT Shining Oneside and Trevor Gunville. A documentary on the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa’s gifting of white buffalo to other tribes received first place in its category at the Native American film festival, held Nov. 19-23 in Hollywood.

A documentary on the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa’s donation of five white buffalo calves to area tribal nations took first place in its Feature Documentary category at a Native American film festival in Hollywood, California, Nov. 19-23.

Les Thomas, tourism consultant for the Turtle Mountain tribe, said not only was last year’s white buffalo donation ceremony historic but first place in a national film festival is historic for a North Dakota tribe.

The 19th annual LA SKINS FEST showcased more than 80 films, including features, documentaries, shorts and animation from emerging and established indigenous filmmakers. The Native American Media Awards Ceremony was held Sunday, Nov. 23, at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood.

“Waabishi Maskode-bizhiki (White Bison)” is a 14-minute documentary on the Turtle Mountain tribe’s buffalo gifting ceremony in October 2024. More than a simple gesture, it was the sharing of medicine and fulfillment of a spiritual prophecy among indigenous tribes on turtle island, according to a synopsis.

The film was directed by Justin Deegan of Bismarck, a Parshall native and enrolled member of the MHA Nation. As an actor and filmmaker, he saw the need in years past for films that portrayed Native people outside of negative stereotypes, which led him to launch his production company, Thunder Revolution Studio.

“I came up with the idea of an indigenous lens for an indigenous narrative because that kind of encapsulates the work that I do and shows us how we live today. Even if it’s something that’s historical, like a historic documentary, it’s about the oral histories,” Deegan said.

He said he received an invitation to document the white buffalo gifting on short notice but eagerly hopped on the assignment. He recalled capturing all the scenes and interviews in a run-and-gun style of shooting in only a day.

“It was like, literally, sun up to sundown of constant shooting that entire day,” he said.

He has worked with prominent actors and platforms and has had opportunities to develop films that have earned him entry into LA SKINS FEST since 2019. The festival is one of his favorites, and he said he felt fortunate to have the white buffalo documentary accepted, given the highly competitive selection process.

JT Shining Oneside, a Dunseith educator and enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain tribe, was interviewed and included in the documentary. She had arranged for more than 30 students to attend the white buffalo ceremony and also performed as a jingle dancer.

She said it was an honor to be invited to attend LA SKINS FEST, where her extensive knowledge of tribal tradition and the significance of the white buffalo put her in a position to speak to represent the film at the showing. Shining Oneside said she has heard and memorized hundreds of stories from elders that she is passing on to her children, grandchildren and students.

“I just remember those elders, how giving and sharing they were with their knowledge and wisdom,” she said. “That’s the reason I share the knowledge and wisdom I have, because I really want that to continue.”

She said she believes the film will be valuable as another storytelling tool but admits she was surprised when it rose to the top in the judging.

“It was tough competition,” Shining Oneside said.

Deegan said the prestigious award was a pleasant surprise to him as well.

“We were all shocked,” he said. “I was in complete and utter disbelief that I had won because the level of films that were in my category that were also screening at the same time, they were beautiful, gorgeous documentaries.”

The filming of “Waabishi Maskode-bizhiki” had the support of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Tribal Council. Lynn Gourneau, District 3 representative on the council, participated at the festival. Although he was among those unable to stay for the awards ceremony, he said the news of the first-place award was exciting.

“It’s going to mean the world to our tribe, just knowing that people know of our white buffalo and what the white buffalo means to us – what the buffalo have done for our tribe,” he said. “When they were almost eliminated, our people were almost eliminated. Now that they are coming back, our tribe is coming back successfully and growing.”

The significance of the white buffalo comes from the centuries-old legend of White Buffalo Calf Woman. Several variations on the legend exist among tribes, but their meanings all are similar in expressing the intent for peace, harmony and protection for Mother Earth.

White buffalo births are extremely rare. However, the Turtle Mountain herd has experienced a number of such births since acquiring a white buffalo bull in 2021.

In North Dakota, an also rare albino buffalo named White Cloud, born in 1996 near Michigan, gave birth in 2007 to a white calf, Dakota Miracle, in Jamestown. White Cloud died in 2016 and is displayed in the North American Bison Discovery Center in Jamestown.

Thomas said a showing of “Waabishi Maskode-bizhiki” is being arranged at Turtle Mountain College. He added another documentary is being planned about the Turtle Mountain tribe.

Deegan said he would like to eventually present a showcase of some of his work, to include “Waabishi Maskode-bizhiki.” The white buffalo documentary also is expected to be made available online. Information about upcoming viewing opportunities will be made available on Thunder Revolution’s Instagram.