James Rasmussen

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.

This film was made as part of 2001 "The Spirit Returns" exhibit at Seattle's Log House Museum. This film features Cecile Hansen and James Rasmussen (Duwamish Tribe), historians David Buerge and Alexandra Harmon, and author Jonathan Raban.

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.

Seattle is about 40% water, but not all of our bodies of water are created equal. Sixty years ago, Lake Washington was cleaned at the expense of the Duwamish River and the residents who rely on it. Decades of pollution have left a largely immigrant and Indigenous community to bear the environmental burden.

This half-hour film coincided with the opening of the Log House Museum in West Seattle in 1997. For the first time, the story of the pioneers was told alongside the stories of Duwamish people during the mid-1850s. Historian David Buerge, pioneer descendant Brewster Denny, and Duwamish tribal member James Rasmussen share their perspectives.