Ken Workman

Promised Land is a social justice documentary that follows two tribes in the Pacific Northwest: the Duwamish and the Chinook, as they fight for the restoration of treaty rights they've long been denied. In following their story, the film examines a larger problem in the way that the government and society still looks at tribal sovereignty.

On May 11, 2022, the Duwamish Tribe filed a renewed petition for federal recognition in Seattle. Under revised terms, the tribe is now permitted to submit new evidence—an opportunity that could reshape its long-standing case and the tribal landscape in Puget Sound. UNRECOGNIZED is about power, politics and culture. Drawing on historical records, lived experience, and behind-the-scenes decisions about public art, the half-hour film shows how the struggle for recognition is both political and cultural.

Ken Workman, Duwamish tribal member and descendant of Chief Seattle, reflects on the time between the arrival of the Denny Party on Alki, Nov. 13, 1851, and the signing of the Treaty of Point Elliott on Jan. 22, 1855. In English and Lushootseed (txʷəlšucid). Learn more about Duwamish history by visiting the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center. www.duwamishtribe.org

Ken Workman, Duwamish tribal member and descendant of Chief Seattle, reflects on the time between the arrival of the Denny Party on Alki, Nov. 13, 1851, and the signing of the Treaty of Point Elliott on Jan. 22, 1855. In English and Lushootseed (txʷəlšucid). Learn more about Duwamish history by visiting the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center. www.duwamishtribe.org