“The trees were our first teachers.” Known to the Skokomish people of the Pacific Northwest as “subiyay“, National Heritage Fellow, Gerald Bruce Miller, passed on the silent teachings of the natural world to anyone who came to learn. A passionate student of the culture, Bruce became the bearer of the language, oral traditions, art and spirituality of the Twana people of Hood Canal. This gentle and generous film documents his race against time and ailing health to pass his knowledge on to the next generation. The four-part seasonal structure, gradually unfolding narrative, and currents of deep emotion make Teachings of the Tree People a poignant walk through Indian Country.