Status Indian Analysis

Status Indian or Watered Down?
The scene begins with a small sunlit bedroom; the camera’s focus is on an empty bed fitted with railings. The narrator’s voice emerges: “I’ve never asked myself what binds me to my community or to my culture. I’ve never had to. It seemed obvious.” Last Call Indian: Searching For Mohawk Identity, is a documentary that begins with a clear and direct statement that takes a look at the reality Sonia Boileau, a last generation status Indian, faces as she tries to hold on to her culture after the passing of her grandfather. In the process of Boileau’s quest to find her identity, what it means to be Mohawk and to understand the generation of status Indians, she discovers true identity isn’t determined by any band number or status card.
Boileau felt that her grandfather’s existence was her connection to the Mohawk culture, the reason she could claim to be Mohawk. However, with the passing of her grandfather, it seems as if her Mohawk connection no longer exists, therefore, making her unsure of her identity as an Indian. According to Boileau, “For some reason it’s like my
Considered being a 6.2 status, if Sonia conceives children with a non-registered Indian, her children will not have any Indian status. To keep the bloodline flowing, Bouileau must have children with a status Indian, a dilemma that faces many of the last generation Indians. One scene shows Sonia searching online for a Mohawk partner indicating how absurd she feels the situation is and the pressure that is put on the last generation Indians to keep the status in the