New docuseries solves 80-year-old Indigenous family mystery

The Knowing is a family history journey like none we’ve seen on television.

In the four-part docuseries that begins airing on CBC and CBC Gem on Wednesday, September 25, Anishinaabe journalist Tanya Talaga goes on a search to find out what happened to her great-great-grandmother Annie Carpenter.

Armed with a collection of historical documents, Ms. Talaga meets previously unknown relatives, discovers her new homelands, and deepens her knowledge about her family’s history. She learned about the violence her great-great-grandmother and her family suffered at the hands of the Catholic Church and Canadian government.

The Knowing weaves together residential school history, the Canada-wide recognition of unmarked graves — beginning with Kamloops — and the personal history of Ms. Talaga’s family.

Based on the book by the same name, the docuseries sheds light on the research process. It premiered earlier this month at the Toronto International Film Festival. The book was released in August. 

In an interview on CBC, Ms. Talaga said the finding of Annie Carpenter’s grave led to the discovery of 32 other First Nations people in the same unmarked grave in Toronto.

Unfortunately, CBC is probably only available to Canadians.

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