‘In Good Faith’ examines mixed-band for Wagon Days
The reconciliation of past grievances through contemporary politics is at the forefront of Ketchum, Idaho’s collective consciousness, as the city readies for its biggest event of the year: Wagon Days.
Last year’s Wagon Days festival marked the first time in the event’s long history that the city formally extended an invitation to the Shoshone-Bannock people to take part in the weekend’s proceedings. That invitation was extended once again this year, but the Mixed-Band’s presence will be expanded further, both with the festival and by independent, unaffiliated organizations.
In particular, The Community Library is doing its share, inviting back a Washington State University history professor and filmmakers of “In Good Faith” to install an associated exhibition of art and artifacts at the library’s Regional History Museum in Ketchum’s Forest Service Park.
The film and the exhibition alike were created by Orlan Svingen, a professor of history at WSU who came upon the story of the Virginia City Treaty while doing fieldwork with students in Montana.
Speaking with locals of Virginia City, Mont., and members of the Fort Hall Reservation, Svingen and his associates wove together a comprehensive history of events. The museum exhibition elaborates upon the narrative of the documentary with a wide array of artifacts.
“We are grateful to be able to share the decades of collaborative work between the Shoshone-Bannock tribe and the students and faculty of WSU,” said Mary Tyson, the library’s director of regional history. “This telling of the Virginia City Treaty and the case for reparations is a powerful story for all ages.”