Plants are the second oldest beings on the planet. They’re our teachers. Without them, we wouldn’t even have air to breathe. T’Uy’Tanat, a Squamish Nation woman whose nickname is Cease Wyss, invites us to rethink our relationship with plants, how they are communicating with us, and to rethink the “barrenness” of the city, in this short film from Kamala Todd.

Kamala Todd’s short film is a lyrical portrait of Cease Wyss, of the Squamish Nation. Wyss is a woman who understands the remarkable healing powers of the plants growing all over downtown Vancouver. Whether it’s the secret curl of a fiddlehead, or the gentleness of comfrey, plants carry ageless wisdom with them, communicated through colour, texture, and form. Wyss has been listening to this unspoken language and is now passing this ancient and intimate connection down to her own daughter, Senaqwila.

Indigenous Plant Diva, Kamala Todd, provided by the National Film Board of Canada