Sneak Preview Documentary Screening: Coming Home: From Shadowland to Spiritworld 

 

Sneak Preview Documentary Screening: Coming Home: From Shadowland to Spiritworld 

- Produced and Directed by Daniel Golding & J. Mitchell Johnson

The Fort Ross Conservancy is pleased to present a special sneak preview of Coming Home: From Shadowland to Spiritworld, an inspiring new documentary by filmmakers Daniel Golding and J. Mitchell Johnson, at the conclusion of the 2026 Fort Ross Festival. 

Screening: Saturday, July 25, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. A suggested donation of $10 per person is encouraged to reserve a seat. Seating is limited!
Location: Fort Ross State Historic Park

The film follows the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians as they undertake the extraordinary journey of reclaiming their ancestral homeland on the Sonoma Coast after 170 years of displacement. Through a powerful blend of history and contemporary storytelling, Coming Home traces the enduring connection between the Kashia people and the coastal lands they have called home for countless generations.

FORT ROSS FESTIVAL JULY 25, 2026

The documentary explores the little-known story of Russian colonization in California beginning in 1812 and its lasting impact on the Kashia people, whose ancestral village of Metini—a name meaning "a place to kneel" in the Kashia language—became part of a changing colonial landscape. As American expansion followed, the Kashia were forced inland, enduring generations of cultural disruption, economic hardship, and the lasting effects of historical trauma.

“At the heart of the film is the Kashia principle of reciprocity — living in balance with the land and with one another. Our collaboration brings together different filmmaking traditions but shares a common commitment: to center the Kashia perspective and honor the values that guide their community. We are storytellers in service to that community, not its narrators — and the film carries forward only what the Kashia themselves chose to share.” —  Daniel Golding & J. Mitchell Johnson.

Despite these challenges, the Kashia never lost their spiritual and cultural ties to their homeland. Through determined leadership, diplomacy, partnerships with Native land trusts, and meaningful collaboration across communities—including renewed cultural connections with Russia—the tribe successfully reclaimed thousands of acres of their ancestral lands, including some of their most sacred places.

One of the film's most moving moments follows the return of ceremonial seeds preserved for generations inside a Kashia basket housed in a museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Their return symbolizes healing, renewal, and the enduring strength of cultural traditions.

More than a story about land, Coming Home is a story of resilience, reconciliation, and hope. It demonstrates how restoring ancestral lands can strengthen culture, revitalize language and ceremony, and support healing across generations.

A suggested donation of $10 per person is encouraged to reserve a seat and support the Fort Ross Conservancy's educational programs, helping preserve and share the unique history and living cultures of Fort Ross for future generations.

Join us as we conclude this year's festival with this moving and timely film, offering a powerful reflection on history, resilience, and the enduring relationship between people and place.

FORT ROSS FESTIVAL JULY 25, 2026