The Urbariginal

Rudy brings us to the one place where he feels kinship with his people and connection to his culture: a basketball tournament where hope and victory, halibut and clam fritters, drumming and dance, help him feel truly All Native.

Rudy returns to his father’s village Lax Kw’alaams and finds himself in the middle of a community torn apart by a global industrial project that could bring with it wealth, or the destruction of the resource they are sworn to protect: the salmon.

Rudy struggles with the death of his father and his Christian burial because of the role the church played in attempting to suppress and eradicate Indigenous culture, and discovers how the people he is close to are learning to heal.

Rudy uncovers shocking truths about his father's past and seeks answers from his parents' closest friends to understand the struggles of Indigenous peoples in the face of cultural upheaval.

Rudy was so good at acting white, that even his white friends forgot he was Indigenous. He meets with a friend who he never knew was Indigenous and grapples with the idea of connecting to culture as a way to create meaningful change.

He honoured his father’s wish to leave his Tsimshian family, community and culture behind to succeed in the white world, but now Rudy finds himself caught between two cultures and travels to his family’s first home for answers.

Join Rudy Kelly, Tsimshian author, and entertainer, on a deeply personal journey to reconcile the legend of his father, a powerful chief, with the man he knew - who drove him away from his community and culture. The Urbariginal goes beyond Rudy’s own experiences, to show how colonization affected Indigenous people, by hearing from those who lived it. All six episodes will be released on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.