We Are The Warriors – Synopsis

Film Synopsis:

As the harmful phenomenon of Native American mascots continues to be challenged nationally, public school systems are addressing their own use of Indigenous team names, icons, and imagery. We are the Warriors is a documentary following residents of Wells as they take on this polarizing issue after facing public allegations that Warriors football fans mocked Indigenous culture. The school district investigates the incident and forms a Mascot Advisory Committee to hear Wabanaki perspectives and consider the fate of their beloved mascot.

We Are The Warriors follows the residents as they convene to speak, hear each other, and seek consensus. And by inviting Wabanaki voices from across the state to join the conversation, including the mother whose experience ignited the debate, the residents work to better understand the lasting effects of their colonial past and how it relates to the present day impact of their good intentions.

We are the Warriors reveals how difficult conversations about identity and history are key to addressing Native American mascots.  The film’s Co-Directors, both graduates of Wells High School, gathered interviews and insights from residents of Wells and Wabanaki people from what is now Maine, Québec, and the Canadian Maritimes. 

Run Time: 72 min. Release Year: 2023