Language, culture, land and rights: four facets of indigenous life that Kalvin Hartwig hopes to safeguard. Hartwig, a 2010 Michigan Technological University social sciences graduate, aims to shed new light on important issues of indigenous life through This is Who I Am, a film he’s spearheading.

The film’s subject matter hits home for Hartwig, a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. As a tribal member, he says he’s seen the challenges many indigenous peoples face when they live as part of a larger population.

You can begin to see a lack of interest in preserving and celebrating one’s original identity among some indigenous people, Hartwig says. Many others face pressures to assimilate into a dominant culture. Issues of language, culture, land and rights—a quartet of factors that creates a symphony of identity for individuals—can quickly be forgotten.

“We aim the film to inspire indigenous youth to be proud of their heritage despite possible geographic displacement and the effects of globalization,” he says.