Ancestral Land

Watch Ancestral Land

  • 2017
  • 1 Season
  • 7.7  (130)

Ancestral Land is a documentary film that explores the Indigenous rights movement in Papua New Guinea. The film follows the lives of five different tribes as they fight to maintain their connection to the land that has been their home for generations. The tribes are from the Madang Province, located on the northern coast of PNG, and they are each facing their own unique set of challenges in their struggle for land rights.

The film begins by introducing the viewer to the concept of land ownership and use in PNG. In this country, the government owns all the land, but Indigenous communities are permitted to occupy and use it. However, as the population grows and outside interests begin to encroach on Indigenous territories, the government has been increasingly granting leases to extractive industries like mining and logging. This has forced many Indigenous people off their land and created a host of social, economic, and environmental problems.

The film then delves into the stories of the five tribes. We meet the Asmat, whose ancestral lands have been heavily impacted by decades of logging. We see how their traditional hunting and fishing practices have been disrupted, and how their community has been divided by the influx of outside workers. We also meet the Ahus, who have been fighting for decades to stop a proposed mine that would destroy their sacred sites and threaten their water supply. We witness their frustration as they navigate a complex web of regulations and political maneuvering.

Another tribe featured in the film is the Wanang, who have been impacted by a gas project that has caused significant environmental damage. We see how they are working to hold the company responsible and protect their community from further harm. We also meet the Gogodala, who are fighting against the government's decision to grant a lease over their land. This lease threatens to destroy their fishing grounds and disrupt their social and cultural practices.

Finally, we meet the Tikana, who have been some of the most successful in their fight for land rights. They have secured a legal victory that recognizes their ownership of their land and have used this to build a successful eco-tourism business. We see how they have been able to create economic opportunities for their community while also preserving their traditional practices and protecting their environment.

Throughout the film, we hear from a range of voices, including community members, activists, lawyers, and government officials. We learn about the complex political and legal landscape that Indigenous people must navigate in order to secure their rights. We also hear about the devastating impacts that the loss of land and culture can have on individuals and communities.

Despite the significant challenges faced by these Indigenous groups, the film leaves us with a sense of hope and resilience. We see people coming together to fight for their rights, using their traditional knowledge and customs as a source of strength. We witness the power of community-led initiatives, as well as the impact of international solidarity and support. And we see that, even in the face of immense odds, change is possible.

Overall, Ancestral Land is a powerful and thought-provoking film that sheds light on an urgent issue facing many Indigenous communities around the world. Through its engaging storytelling and compelling characters, the film invites us to consider our own relationship to land, culture, and identity, and to reflect on the ways in which we can support and learn from Indigenous struggles for justice and sovereignty.

Ancestral Land is a series that is currently running and has 1 seasons (16 episodes). The series first aired on September 11, 2017.

Ancestral Land
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Seasons
Episode 16
16. Episode 16
September 11, 2017
Lily finally acknowledges that she is seriously ill, and agrees to Alesha's requests for surgeries, however, it ends tragically. Alenka's husband is caught and arrested for his illegal jewelry deals. Varvara introduces Stepka to her son, as his father. Ignat comes home to find that Alenka has returned. Varvara and Alenka make amends, now the whole family is back living in the village.
Episode 15
15. Episode 15
September 11, 2017
Lilya must undergo emergency surgery, even though she has previously refused. Stepka learns that he is being released early. Alenka goes to collect her things from her old house and runs into her ex husband, leading her to return to him. Stepka searches for a job Varvara gets news that she must move out and searches for a new place, and while doing so, sees Stepka.
Episode 14
14. Episode 14
September 11, 2017
Lilya finally opens up to Alesha about the brutal treatment she got from the Germans. The priest is murdered in the middle of the night, by a man that Stepka used to work with before the war. Stepka then sets fire to their barrack. Alenka tells Ignat she has left her husband for good. Varvara ensures to Egor that his father will return, after her admirer spends time with Egor.
Episode 13
13. Episode 13
September 11, 2017
Alesha finds his way home to Lilya, and discovers the news of their son. Alenka is finally together with Ignat, however, her husband suspects that she has been seeing someone. Ignat asks her to help raise his daughter. Egor, Varvara's son, continues to ask questions about his father. The elderly gentlemen is still trying to win over Varvara.
Episode 12
12. Episode 12
September 11, 2017
Lilya is in the hospital and continues to have terrible tremors. Stepka and his friend discover a home, and the woman who lives there takes them in. However, they are caught by soldiers. Lilya and Varvara have an emotional reunion, as Lilya also is reunited with the boy she wanted to adopt. Stepka is brutally beaten. News that the war has ended spreads, and Alenka goes to see Ignat.
Episode 11
11. Episode 11
September 11, 2017
Stepka is put in a Nazi prison camp and is fighting severe starvation. An old woman is sheltering Lilya. Alenka continues to read poetry to wound victims in the hospital, in hopes to see Ignat. While at the hospital, she runs into Varvara, who is cleaning. Lily is sent off with soldiers, and parts ways with the elderly woman. Stepka and his friend plot how to escape the prison camp.
Episode 10
10. Episode 10
September 11, 2017
Stepka has an emotional reunion with his father, for the first time since he ran away, however, the meeting ends abruptly. Lilya, Alesha's wife, watches her officer die, after taking a lot of time to care for him. Varvara gets to know the people that took her in. Lilya is terribly beaten, and Alesha has a premonition that she is in need. A man looks to make Varvara his wife.
Episode 9
9. Episode 9
September 11, 2017
Alenka learns that Ignat's wife has died, and goes to see Ignat's daughter. She brings some terrible news home to Varvara. Alenka believes that Varvara is seducing her husband and kicks her out forcing her to find a new home, however, it is actually him who is going after her. Stepka reminisces of his days with Varvara. Alesha's wife struggles during battle.
Episode 8
8. Episode 8
September 11, 2017
It is time for Alesha's wife to send him off for the war, but he is met with a surprise she is coming with him. Stepka is staying with his grandfather when an unexpected attack occurs. Alesha's wife becomes extremely ill and they must get off the train. Varvara goes to live with her older sister, since she no longer has family in the village, but makes her the maid. Varvara goes into labor.
Episode 7
7. Episode 7
September 11, 2017
Varvara sends her husband off to war. The boy that Alesha and his wife want to adopt has run away, or so it seems. There is another death in the family. Stepka also is sent off to war, with an emotional goodbye. Then, while he is on the train, there is an attack. Varvara reveals that she is pregnant. The episode ends with an emotional meeting between Varvara and her grandfather.
Episode 6
6. Episode 6
September 11, 2017
Vavara is beaten by her new husband. He sends her to the city to sell meet, where Stepka spots her. They have an emotional reunion, where Varvara tells him how they are really not blood related. Varvara's husband comes home severely beaten, unsure of by who. Stepka meets with the woman who organized the attempt to murder Alenka. Alenka agrees to adopt the young boy.
Episode 5
5. Episode 5
September 11, 2017
Stepka begins to associate with a group of robbers. Alenka threatens to leave her man if he does not cast her in the play. Ignat's wife dies while giving birth. The actress whose spot is taken by Alenka gets her killed. Once she is dead, Stepka is ordered to rob her, but he realizes it is his sister. He rushes her to the hospital, the doctor turns out to be Alenka.
Episode 4
4. Episode 4
September 11, 2017
Alenka is met with heartbreak again by the same man of when she was young. On her way home she catches Varvara and Stepka. The mother admits that Varvara is not actually related to Stepka. All of this craziness leads to someone killing themself, as predicted by the grandmother in her dream. Stepka has disappeared. The relationship between the father and Varvara is ruined.
Episode 3
3. Episode 3
September 11, 2017
Alenka continues to pursue acting. With Alesha's wedding coming up, she learns she must head back to the village. Alesha takes in a young boy and helps his family. Stepka gets in a brutal fight with the man that Varvara is seeing. The whole family is back together for for Alesha's wedding. Alenka comes face to face with the man she used to love, Ignat, but he is married.
Episode 2
2. Episode 2
September 11, 2017
The youngest son starts being able to walk again, however, becomes bullied leading him to fight another boy. Alenka learns some heartbreaking news, leading her to do something crazy. Alesha falls for a woman while studying at school and goes to meet her, but is met with bad news. Ten years later, the children have grown. Something develops between Varvara and Stepka.
Episode 1
1. Episode 1
September 11, 2017
A woman goes into labor and her husband is not able to leave work. She gives birth to a baby boy. Before the husband arrives, she take a young baby girl under her wing after the baby's mother died during labor. Their older daughter tries to win the love of an older man, Ignat. The oldest son moves off to study medicine. There is a scary accident, leaving someone unable to walk.
Description
Where to Watch Ancestral Land
Ancestral Land is available for streaming on the Janson Media website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch Ancestral Land on demand at Amazon Prime, Amazon and Tubi TV.
  • Premiere Date
    September 11, 2017
  • IMDB Rating
    7.7  (130)