Home cooking, Tlingit-syle

Smokin’ Fish – A Night of Food and Film at Plimoth Cinema

For some, smoked salmon reminds them of the delicatessens of New York. Others might think of a delicacy imported from Norway.

For Cory Mann, a Tlingit native trying to make a living in Juneau, Alaska, it’s home cooking. Nostalgic for his childhood, he returned to his family home in Klukwan, Alaska to spend a summer smoking salmon.

His adventure is told in the documentary “Smokin’ Fish,” which will be screened at Plimoth Plantation, Saturday, Feb. 18, it is the first film in its 2012 Food and Film series.

Audience members will have the opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine and taste of salmon, provided by Spence and Co., Ltd. of Brockton, during a post-film reception. Blueberry tea, corn meal and roast duck will be served at a special Wampanoag table with native interpreters explaining the food offerings and artifacts on display.

Combining Tlingit history and culture with the process of preparing traditional food, "Smokin’ Fish" is told distinctly from a Native American perspective. But much of Mann’s experiences will be familiar to anyone as he struggles to pay his bills, keep the IRS off his back and keep his business selling Native arts and crafts afloat.

“'Smokin’ Fish' has something for everyone,” said Tim Turner, Wampanoag Indigenous Program Manager at Plimoth Plantation. “It shows a little bit of Tlingit history, a behind the scenes look into smoking salmon, and a light-hearted glimpse into the life of Cory Mann and his family. You never know what’s coming next in this film and I love it!”

Mann and his co-director, Luke Griswold-Tergis, came up with the idea of making a movie in 2005, according to the Juneau-based Capital City Weekly. It took five years to complete it. "We had a nice video camera, a laptop, and we thought, 'We'll shoot it over the summer and then we'll party like rock stars," Griswold-Tergis told the Weekly. "The 'partying like rock stars' has yet to come."

Tickets can be purchased at the door, by calling (508) 746-1622 (ext. 8877) or through plimoth.org/cinema for $25 per person or $40 per couple.

Net proceeds from Plimoth Cinema directly support Plimoth’s educational mission of bringing 17th-century history to life.

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