ReVision QuestDarrell Dennis plunders the past to challenge misconceptions of what it means to be an Aboriginal person in Canada today.
Aboriginal Peoples, Canada & the Way Forward
8th Fire invited twenty First Nations, Inuit and Métis reporters and filmmakers to produce short films from Aboriginal communities across the country.
Tanya Tagaq is a Canadian (Inuk) throat singer from Cambridge Bay (Ikaluktuutiak), Nunavut, Canada, on the south coast of Victoria Island. She developed her own solo form of Inuit throat singing, which is normally done by two women.
Karin and Kathy Kettler, the Canadian throat-singing sisters who together are known as Nukariik, carry on the traditions of the elders from their mothers' village in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik, which is located in northern Quebec.
This is an NFB initiative with remote First Nations communities in BC and in the Yukon. Our World teaches aboriginal youth how to use contemporary digital technology in making films in First Language that express something about their world. You are able to watch all the films by clicking the "Our World" thumbnail.
From 1989 to 2006 nine young women went missing or were found murdered along the 724 kilometre length of highway 16 – now commonly referred to as the Highway of Tears. All but one of these victims were Aboriginal women.
There is still much debate over the exact number of women who have gone missing in northern BC, but many people living in the north believe that the number exceeds 30. The Project
With respect and love for the victims of the Highway of Tears, and guided by their communities, this project is committed to fulfilling the 33 recommendations from the Highway of Tears Symposium Recommendations Report. The project works diligently towards preventing further victimization, supporting the families of the victims, planning for emergencies and supporting the communities’ efforts towards health and vibrancy. This website provides advocacy and support to all family members and friends that have lost a loved one to violence.
The Documentary
A documentary on the unsolved murders on Canada's Highway 16, called "Highway of Tears", came out in 2014. Find out more on the film's website:
http://highwayoftearsfilm.com. Watch the full documentary below: The Petition
While making the documentary, Matt Smiley (the director) heard thousands of stories of violence against aboriginal women and girls - not just along the Highway of Tears. What's more - he learned that very few families have had any closure or justice for their lost loved ones. Consequently, a petition was started with the support of communities and families of missing women to tell Canada’s government to implement A FEDERAL ACT TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST ABORIGINAL WOMEN IN CANADA.
Take action now and sign the petition by clicking below:
Over the last 40 years, Bullfrog Films has become the leading US publisher of independently- produced, environmental DVDs & videos, that point the way to living healthily, happily, and with greater concern for the other inhabitants of this planet, and for our descendants. We also distribute world-famous performing arts programs from Rhombus Media.
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Le Peuple invisibleLe Peuple invisible is a documentary by Richard Desjardins and Robert Monderie, which came out in 2007. The documentary sheds light on the Algonquins, an indigenous tribe in Canada and won a Jutra in 2008 for best documentary.
Watch the full documentary below:
Mohawk Girls is a 2005 documentary film by Tracey Deer about the experiences of adolescent girls growing up on the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawake, across the Saint Lawrence River from Montreal. Deer, who was born and raised in Kahnawake, focuses on three young women: Felicia, Amy and Lauren, a mixed race teen.
Watch an excerpt below:
Mohawk Girls is a half hour dramatic comedy about four young women figuring out how to be Mohawk in the 21st century. The series centers around four twenty-something Mohawk women trying to find their place in the world. And, of course, trying to find love. But in a small world where you or your friends have dated everyone on the rez, or the hot new guy turns out to be your cousin, it ain't that simple. Torn between family pressure, tradition, obligation and the intoxicating freedom of the "outside world," this fabulous foursome is on a mission to find happiness... and to find themselves.
Finding My Talk is a documentary about language loss and revival among the Mohawk, Tlingit, Cree, and Inuit.
This one hour documentary follows the journey of Cree filmmaker Paul M. Rickard as he searches for his own language roots and discovers the tireless efforts of many individuals who are promoting, reviving and preserving the use of Aboriginal languages within their communities. He visits Carcross in the Yukon where the Tlingit language is one of the most endangered languages in Canada. From there he travels to Kahnawake Quebec where the Mohawk have been conducting special language programs since 1977. His journey also takes him to Iqualuit where Inuktitut is thriving as the official language of the government of Nunavut. In each place he meets dynamic people who are leaders in the struggle to save their languages. Revitalized by these experiences, Paul returns home to Moose Factory, Ontario with a new appreciation for his own language. Watch an excerpt below:
Anne Marie Nakagawa's documentary examines what it means to have a background of mixed ancestries that cannot be easily categorized. By focusing on 7 Canadians who have one parent from a European background and one of a visible minority, she attempts to get at the root of what it means to be multi-ethnic in a world that wants each person to fit into a single category.
Finding a satisfactory frame of reference in our 'multicultural utopia' turns out to be more complex than one might think. Between: Living in the Hyphen offers a provocative glimpse of what the future holds: a departure from hyphenated names towards a celebration of fluidity and being mixed. Watch the full documentary below: Four Directions TeachingsFour Directions Teachings celebrates Indigenous oral traditions by honoring the process of listening with intent as each elder or traditional teacher shares a teaching from their perspective on the richness and value of cultural traditions from their nation.
In honor of the timelessness of Indigenous oral traditions, audio narration is provided throughout the site, complimented by beautifully animated visuals. In addition, the site provides free curriculum packages for grades 1 to 12 to further explore the vast richness of knowledge and cultural philosophy that is introduced within each teaching. The curriculum is provided in downloadable PDF and can also be read online through the Teacher’s Resources link. The elders and traditional teachers who have shared a teaching on this site were approached through a National Advisory Committee of Indigenous people concerned with the protection and promotion of Indigenous knowledge. This committee was formed directly for the purposes of this website to ensure a community based approach that was respectful and accountable. |