
Coming Home: From Shadowland to Spiritworld is the story of a California native tribe's surprisingly successful recovery of sacred land and their unique quest for reunification with descendants of tribal women taken to Russia at the end of that country's brief colonial enterprise on the California coast.
Shot over a period of 14 years beginning in 2012 in a cinema verite style, Coming Home: From Shadowland to Spiritworld follows the story of the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians as they undertake an extraordinary effort to reclaim their ancestral lands on the Sonoma Coast after 170 years of displacement. Interweaving the little-known history of Russian colonization in California with a modern story of negotiation, diplomacy, and ceremony, the film shows how land repatriation becomes a powerful act of cultural renewal. The Kashia tell their own story without a third-party narrator as they confront the legacy of historical trauma—including generational loss and the ongoing impacts of colonialism—the return to their sacred places like Mettini and Danaka reveals how restoring land can help restore identity, resilience, and community.