C4E Screening of ‘Drowned Land’ Explores Role of Water in Indigenous Resistance

Environmental sciences, Indigenous rights and history intersected at Stony Brook University on March 30, when Science+Cinema and the Collaborative for the Earth hosted a full-house screening of Drowned Land.

The documentary examines the environmental and cultural pitfalls of dam construction and water extraction in Oklahoma, specifically the Kiamichi Rider. Colleen Thurston, the film's director, is a Tulsa-based filmmaker and member of the Choctaw Nation. Her work, which has been featured on the Smithsonian Channel and screened internationally, is often centered on location and Indigenous worldviews.

Drowned Landis Thurston's first feature documentary and weaves her own personal history with archival research and ongoing environmental conflicts. Following the screening, Thurston joined Darcey Evans, an anthropology professor at Stony Brook, to discuss the film's themes.

Opening the event, Dave Chan of Stony Brook's Department of Creative Writing, Film and Television emphasized the importance of collaboration across disciplines and described the film as "powerful" for doing just that.

The film documents what Thurston calls a "cycle of displacement," tracing how Indigenous communities that were already forced westward during the 19th century are continuing to face threats to the environment tied to resource exploitation.

Voices like that of Charlotte Robbins Leonard, a Kiamichi River basin landowner and water protector, are featured in the film, documenting personal experiences. Reflecting on the repeated loss of land throughout history and in her own life, Leonard says, "You think they're not going to do this… and then they do."

Thurston explained after the screening that connecting with and understanding this history is essential to approaching current environmental conflicts.

"This film would be very different if the majority of people in America knew this history already," she said. "People have been moved and removed time and time again… It's a cycle tied to resource exploitation."

Thurston described the documentary as an extended "land acknowledgement," delving deeper than brief statements to explore the full historical and cultural context of a place, emphasizing the importance of knowing what body of water feeds the land.

While the film focuses on Oklahoma, Evans noted that the experiences depicted are not entirely unique to one region. She mentioned that over one million acres of tribal land in the United States have been lost to dams and reservoirs.

Thurston shared that the Kiamichi River is particularly vulnerable due to its size, sensitivity and the sheer amount of land and people that rely on it.

"If you were to build a giant power plant or put another dam on that river, the river would dry," she said, noting that warming waters are already a detrimental threat to river species.

The film also highlights the strong sense of responsibility within those who are fighting to protect the river, especially among members of the Choctaw Nation. Leonard explains this pressure, describing that for them, it is not just about the land, it is about their families: "There's generations of ancestors you might be letting down if you can't pull off some kind of miracle."

The conversation also turned towards the societal impacts of environmental decisions, including how areas with low population or low income are often targets for development.

"Sparsity doesn't mean not populated," Evans said, noting that broad or unsubstantiated labels often overlook the cultural or ecological significance of these regions.

Thurston spoke about the importance of collaboration between Western science and Indigenous knowledge systems. She pointed to relationships featured in her film between scientists and community members as an example of those perspectives aligned, offering real evidence and cultural understanding of environmental change.

"We do not need to work in opposition," she said. "We can work together."

The discussion also explored the growing "rights of nature" movement, which works to grant legal personhood, and therefore protection, to natural landmarks like rivers. Thurston said that the movement has gained global traction and is being considered by the Choctaw as a way to protect the Kiamichi River.

"If it can happen in a place like Oklahoma," she said, "it can truly happen anywhere."

The floor was opened to audience members to ask questions and engage in the conversation, turning the discussion towards students in advocacy.

Thurston encouraged the audience to think about their own relationship with the environment, pushing them to consider where their water comes from and how they can preserve it.

"Get to know your water sources," she said. "Think about who the stewards are and how you can be one too."

-Lily Miller