Aboriginal Services & Programs (A216) at Nipissing University has the following resources (resources may be borrowed for a two-week period and must be signed out by one of the staff at ASP):
| Band-Aid | In the
remote Ojibway community of Whitedog, in northwestern Ontario, medical help
is located hours away, and the line between life and death is defended by
the 12 dedicated volunteers of the community's First Response team. Audrey
Mandamin and Cindy Cameron are two of these volunteers who dedicate most of
their spare hours to first response work-even though it means late nights,
tough decisions and little recognition. We follow Audrey and Cindy as they
respond to emergencies in far-flung parts of the reserve. Band-Aid
shows how even in toughest conditions, Native people can overcome personal
and social tragedies, take control and make a difference. Time: 42 min. |
|
| Coppermine |
Coppermine is a story about the consequences of two cultures coming to
live together in the same place. The people who lived around the Coronation
Gulf and on Victoria Island in Canada's central arctic were called the
Copper Inuit. When southern Canadians, Americans and British moved into the
area in the early 1900's, they established a settlement at the mouth of the
Coppermine River which became known as Coppermine. The whites came for many
different reasons: mining, exploration, the fur trade, law enforcement,
scientific research, even adventure. While their motives may have differed,
the whites had one thing in common: they carried with them diseases that
were previously unknown to the Inuit and to which they had no resistance. In
1929 a virulent form of tuberculosis arrived with the boat. And this time it
was different; those who got sick didn't get better. Time: 56 min. |
|
| Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief | Five
Native women from across Canada talk about how they achieved successes in a
variety of careers: politics, the fishery, teaching and the law.
Time: 29 min. |
|
| First Nation Blue |
Uncovers the changing attitudes of the police officers who serve First
Nations communities in Ontario. Intercutting actual patrol footage with the
personal stories of several Native officers, we see first-hand the
relationships they have developed with the people they serve, what effect
their work has on their private lives, and the problems affecting
communities today. Time: 48 min. |
|
| Forgotten Warriors |
Although they could not be conscripted when World War II was declared,
thousands of Canadian Aboriginal men enlisted. While they fought for freedom
for others, the Aboriginal soldiers were not allowed equality in their own
country. Unlike other veterans, they were not offered the chance to buy
cheap land as a reward for fighting-on the contrary, many returned to find
that parts of their reserve land had been given away to others by the
government. In this video, Aboriginal veterans share their war memories and
their healing process. Time: 51 min. |
|
| Hollow Water |
Members of a small Ojibway reserve in northern Manitoba decided to end the
years of abuse and violence. Hollow Water is home to 450 people, two-thirds
of them victims of sexual abuse. By law, offenders were the responsibility
of the provincial justice system, but jail had not stopped abuse in the
past. Returning to Aboriginal tradition, the community decided to give
offenders the chance to face sentencing in a healing circle. A stunning 90%
of all who take part admit guilt and take responsibility for their actions.
This video follows the journey of one family who participates in the healing
circle to confront their past. Their story of hope is a testament to one
community's ability to change and heal. Time: 48 min. |
|
| If Only I Were an Indian | Two
Cree and Ojibwa from Manitoba travel to former Czechoslovakia to meet
several hundred Czechs and Slovaks who have set up a remarkable "Indian"
community. Wearing Indian dress and living in teepees, these central
Europeans have adopted the traditions of North American Native Indians. Some
scenes contain nudity. Time: 81 min. |
|
| Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance | July
1990. A historic confrontation propels Native issues in Kanehsatake and the
village of Oka, Quebec, into the international spotlight. Director Alanis
Obomsawin endured 78 nerve-wracking days and nights filming the armed
standoff between the Mohawks, the Quebec police and the Canadian army. The
result is a portrait of the people behind the barricades, providing insight
into the Mohawks' unyielding determination to protect their land.
Time: 119 min. |
|
| Keepers of the Fire | For
half a millennium, First Nations women have been at the forefront of
Aboriginal peoples' resistance to cultural assimilation. Keepers of the
Fire profiles contemporary Canadian Native women who, in the
time-honored tradition of their foremothers, are fighting for the survival
of their cultures and their peoples-in the rain forest and the city, in the
courts and the legislatures, in the longhouses and the media. Time: 55 min. |
|
| Kwekanamad-The Wind Is Changing | Annie
Smith-St-Georges, an Algonquin, led a largely uneventful life until her
teenage son Yanik ended his life. Then she had a vision of a glass teepee
ten stories high, in Ottawa, to a house a National Aboriginal Arts and
Performance Centre. A traditional habitat made from non-traditional
material, the teepee would be in memory of her son and for all young Natives
struggling to find meaning. Annie wishes to give back to her people their
ancestral pride and dignity and feels now is a time of hope. As she says, "Kwekanamad,"
the wind is changing.
Time: 54 min. |
|
| Laxwess Wa-Strength of the River | As
distinct fishing societies of great spiritual, cultural and economic wealth.
First Nations have always respected the resources of their rivers and
oceans. But within their own lifetime, they have watched governments
"manage" the fishery into a state of crisis. Now it's time for people to
listen to what Natives have to say. Time: 54 min. |
|
| Legends sxwexwxwiy'am: The Story of Siwash Rock |
Speaking in the Squamish language, Chief Simon Baker tells the story that
has passed down through his family for centuries. It is a contemporary
retelling of an ancient Coast Salish myth about the famous Vancouver
landmark Siwash Rock. When young Andrew is faced with unemployment and the
unplanned pregnancy of his girlfriend Kelsey, he must prove himself worthy
of fatherhood by following the path his ancestors. He soon finds out that
making the right choices isn't easy. Time: 24 min. |
|
| The Little Trapper | Robert
Grandjambe, Jr., is a unique and industrious 13-year-old. While his peers
are adopting a more modern, urban lifestyle, Robert is continuing the
traditions of his Cree forebears. Equally at home in town or in the bush,
the young boy is The Little Trapper, hunting, fishing and learning to
live off the land. Robert's sense of responsibility and initiative, his
great love and enthusiasm for the bush, his respectful approach to hunting
and trapping-all are qualities that make him special and a model for other
kids his age. Time: 26 min. |
|
| The Long Walk | Ken
Ward was the first Native Canadian to go public with his HIV diagnosis. Ward
works primarily with the First Nations populations, where the epidemic is
often compounded by isolation and poverty. He also takes his message into
the prisons, where the infection rate among Native inmates is 17 times the
national average. Follow Ward as he travels the back roads of the Canadian
West, nurturing tolerance and understanding within the fearful communities
and bringing hope and guidance to people living with HIV or AIDS. Time: 49 min. |
|
| Mi'kmaq Family Migaoei Otjiosog | A
Mi'kmaq filmmaker and mother offers an introspective journey into the
extended family of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq society. An enlightening and
inspiring resource for people looking for ways to explore and strengthen
their own families and traditions. Time: 32 min. |
|
| Mystery of the Maya | While
Europe slumbered in the Dark Ages, the Maya people had charted the heavens,
evolved a true writing system and made tremendous strides in astronomy,
mathematics and calendrics. Filmed on location at sacred sited throughout
Central America-and with breathtaking aerial footage-Mystery of the Maya
explores the culture, science and history of this fascinating people and
follows the archaeologists' quest to uncover their story. Time: 38 min. |
|
| My Name Is Kahentiiosta |
Following the outstanding success of Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance,
director Alanis Obomsawin offers another penetrating glimpse behind the
barricades at Kanehsatake. Arrested after the armed standoff at Oka in 1990,
Kahentiiosta is separated from her children and forced to remain in
detention. Her crime? The prosecutor for the Quebec government will not
accept her Aboriginal name in court. Time: 30 min. |
|
| Native Legends | A
compilation of 3 animated legends for children: The Owl Who Married a
Goose: An Inuit tale for young and old about a goose who captures the
fancy of an owl; Summer Legend: The Mi'kmaq legend describing the
cycle of the seasons; and The Owl and the Raven: An Inuit story of
how the raven became black. Time: 22 min. |
|
| Native Reflections | A
compilation of 2 NFB classics: The Ballad of Crowfoot: A haunting,
often bitter account of the opening of the Canadian West, present through
still photography of the words and music of William Dunn, a Mi'kmaq from
Montreal (B&W); and School in the Bush: A re-creation of Cree values
and culture. Time: 25 min. |
|
| The Nitinaht Chronicles | This
video follows the Ditidaht First Nation on BC's Nitinaht Lake Reserve over a
7-year period, after a respected elder is found guilty of sexually
assaulting his granddaughter. Filmmaker Maurice Bulbulian was granted
permission by members of the community to record their stories and become
part of their healing process. These courageous interviews came to play a
key role in enabling people in the community to share their experiences and
overcome the cycle of abuse. Previewing is strongly recommended.
Time: 143 min. |
|
| No Turning Back: The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples | In
1990 the standoff between Mohawks and the Canadian troops at Oka, Quebec
developed into a dramatic conflict that brought Natives right issues into
sharp focus. After the barricades came down, the Royal Commission on
Aboriginal Peoples was created. It traveled to more than 100 communities and
heard from more than 1,000 representatives. For two-and-a-half-years, teams
of Native filmmakers followed the Commission on its journey-a historic trip
documented in No Turning Back. This film weaves the passionate and
articulate voices of Indian, Inuit and Metis with the history of the
relationship between First Nations peoples and the Canadian government. Time: 47 min. |
|
| Place of the Boss: Utshimassits | In the
mid-sixties, the Mushuau Innu, one of the last hunter-gatherer peoples of
North America, were forced to abandon their 6,000-year nomadic way-of-life
and settle in the village of Davis Inlet on the coast of Northern Labrador-a
place they named Utshimassits, or the Place of the Boss. Their relocation
resulted in a physical dislocation, cultural collapse and widespread
despair. Archival footage of the landscape is juxtaposed with the
present-day images of the dilapidated community, while testimony from
elders, band leaders and youths present the community's point of view. Time: 49 min. |
|
| Playing Fair: Walker | Walker
is a young Aboriginal foster child whose only playmate is his dog. Jamie is
a lonely young white boy who is afraid of dogs and has some strange ideas
about the Aboriginal people. Together, they find friendship and
understanding. Time: 14 min. |
|
| Power | When
Hydro-Quebec announces its intention to proceed with the enormous James Bay
II hydroelectric project, the 15,000 Cree who live in the region decide to
stand up to the giant utility. The stage is set for conflict. With
unprecedented access to key figures like Cree leader Matthew Coon Come and
the US environmental activist Robert Kennedy, Jr., Power is the
compelling story of the Cree's five-year battle to save the Great Whale
River and their traditional way of life. Time: 77 min. |
|
| Qatuwas-People Gathering Together | For
thousands of years, the great ocean-going canoe sustained the cultural
traditions of coastal First Nations. This century has seen the virtual
disappearance of these sacred vessels. Reclaiming their ancient marine
heritage, Native peoples of the Northwest coast carved majestic canoes from
centuries-old cedars and then set out, in 1993, on a historic gathering of
more than 3,000 people at Bella Bella, British Columbia. Time: 58 min. |
|
| Redskins, Tricksters and Puppy Stew | Take
complex issues like Native identity, politics and racism, then wrap them up
with oneliners, guffaws and comedic performances. The result: Redskins,
Tricksters and Puppy Stew, director Drew Hayden Taylor's laugh-a-minute road
trip through the world of Native humour. This film hilariously overturns the
conventional notion of the "stoic Indian" and shines a light on an
overlooked element of Native culture-humour and its healing powers. Time: 55 min. |
|
| Rocks at Whiskey Trench | In the
summer of 1990, one of the more shocking developments of the Oka stand-off
of Kahnawake was the day when approximately 60 vehicles from Kahnawake,
mainly women, children and elderly Natives, were stoned by angry Lasalle
residents as they attempted to leave the reserve. This film explores that
incident, intercutting current testimonials from both Natives and
Chateauguay residents, as well as news footage of the day.
Time: 105 min. |
|
| The Sculpture of Canada's Inuit | While
Inuit sculpture can be seen in museums and galleries, few people outside
Nunatsiaq-Canada's North know about the artists behind the work. This video
is your opportunity to visit their land, meet the artists and share some of
the experiences of Inuit carvers. Time: 23 min. |
|
| The Spirit Within | Made
by award-winning Native filmmakers, this video enters some of Canada's
harshest prisons where nearly half the population is Native. The "white"
prisons had no meaningful rehabilitation programs until recently, when
Natives won the right to learn about the spiritual values of their heritage.
Elders now visit the institutions to meet with inmates and organize
ceremonies and workshops, carrying the Native spirituality message to
prisoners across Canada. Time: 52 min. |
|
| Spudwrench-Kahnawake Man | Meet
Randy Horne, high-steel worker from the Mohawk community of Kahnawake, near
Montreal. He was known as "Spudwrench" during the 1990 Oka crisis when he
was behind the barricades at Kanehsatake. This video is a portrait of Horne
and of generations of daring Mohawk construction workers who have traveled
the continent, but never forgotten their roots. Time: 58 min. |
|
| The Strange Case of Bunny Weequod | Bunny
Weequod is puzzled by the number of fish dying in his lake. One night his
boat capsizes and he washes up the next morning a completely different man -
changed by the legendary little people of Ojibway lore. And now he must pay
his respects to them to restore harmony to the lakes. This drama in Ojibway
with subtitles, blends folklore and humor with a contemporary environmental
theme. Time: 24 min. |
|
| T'tina: The Rendering of Wealth | Namgis
filmmaker Barb Crammer travels with others from Kwakwaka'wakw Nation on an
annual journey to BC's remote Knight Inlet, where they render oil-T'tina-from
the tiny eulachon fish. Widely traded throughout the Pacific Northwest for
thousands of years, t'tina (pronounced gleetna) remains a food staple, trade
good and symbol of cultural wealth. This video captures a rarely seen way of
life as families join together to continue an ancestral tradition threatened
by logging and overfishing by shrimp draggers. Time: 50 min. |
|
| Yuxweluptun: Man of Masks | In
1868 the Canadian government passed the Indian Act to subdue Native peoples
by confining them to reservations, outlawing their languages, destroying
land rights and denying them a vote. This video opens at the Bisley Rifle
Range in England, where Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun is shooting the Indian
Act, a performance piece to protest the ongoing effects of the legislation
on Aboriginal people. Back in Canada, An Indian Shooting the Act
opens at Vancouver's Grunt Gallery, where framed copies riddled with bullet
holes are on display. Yuxweluptun is a modernist whose artistic influences
come from his home in Vancouver, British Columbia. This Salish artist has
exhibited in Paris, Zurich, Barcelona and Switzerland. Interviews with
Yuxweluptun, striking images of his paintings and a visit to his virtual
reality longhouse provide a glimpse into a contemporary First Nations art
making and the politics of the artist. Time: 22 min. |
|
| As Long As the River Flows Series | ||
| Time Immemorial | For
over a century, the Nisga's people of northwestern BC have fought for title
over their traditional lands. Archival material and interviews recount the
clash of cultures over four generations and retrace the steps that carried
the Nisga's case to the Supreme Court of Canada. Time: 59 min. |
|
| Tikinagan |
Following the closure of the region's privately-operated Children's Aid
Society in 1987, the Native people of northwestern Ontario formed Tikinagan
Child and Family Services, which today is responsible for providing
on-reserve counseling and planned foster care to 29 Native communities. This
video exposes the appalling social conditions prevalent in some remote First
Nations communities, while revealing major hurdles that remain in the
struggle for self-government. Time: 59 min. |
|
| Flooding Job's Garden | The
James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement of 1975 gave the Cree hunting and
fishing rights, control over health, education and local government, and
financial compensation. Yet the Quebec government's dream of northern power
became the environmental and cultural nightmare for the Cree of James Bay.
Time: 59 min. |
|
| Starting Fire With Gunpowder | In the
early 1970's, television came to remote Arctic communities, bringing
increased exposure to a language culture different from those of the Inuit.
The video chronicles how, through the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation, the
Inuit have ingeniously turned TV into an instrument for preserving their
languages, values and traditions. Time: 57 min. |
|
| The Learning Path | Meet
three Native educators who recount their harrowing experiences at
residential school, and who are leading young Natives along the path of
self-enlightenment. Time: 59 min. |
|
| Before Columbus Series | ||
| Invasion | This is
the real story of Columbus' "discovery" of the Americas. Native peoples have
been robbed of their lands and resources since the Europeans conquest. It's
an attack that continues to this day. Time: 51 min. |
|
| Conversion | The
American conquest of the Americas was also a battle for souls. Churches were
built on the ruins of temples, sacred relics were plundered, and Native
children were forced to attend residential schools. This video recounts a
tragic history but also shows how Native spirituality has survived. Time: 50 min. |
|
| Rebellion | From
Columbus' time to the present, Natives have resisted European dominance.
People as diverse as the Ika of Columbia, the Sioux of the Black Hills of
Dakota and the Mohawk of Quebec continue to fight for their land, their
rights, and their culture. Some violence; previewing is recommended. Time: 50 min. |
|
| First Nations, the Circle Unbroken Series | ||
| Videos 1-4 0040-0043 | This collection of 13 documentaries includes programs about cultural revival, residential schools, low-level bombers in Labrador, hydro dams on James Bay, alternative justice, environmental pollution from uranium mining, and Canadian missionaries in South America. | |
| Videos 5-7 0044-0046 | Ten documentaries focusing on cultural resurgence, including the revival of canoe-building, the tradition of salmon-fishing on the West Coast, the role of culture in the education of children, the use of oral history in court cases, and the drama of a young mother defending her child against racism. | |
| Red Run | In
1913, a railway blast sent hundreds of tons of rock cascading into the
Fraser River, blocking the path of thousands of returning salmon. The Fraser
Valley Aboriginal people rallied for days to save their fish, carrying them
one at a time over the fallen rock. Red Run recalls this dramatic tale and reveals its impact today. Shimmering salmon still battle the Fraser's currents every summer. And the "River People" balance on the treacherous cliffs, waiting to scoop them from the river with traditional dip and gill nets. Director Murray Jurak, from the region's Lower Nicola Band, follows members of three Siska families to the river's edge. To provide for her family, Alice follows the time-honoured fishing methods traditionally practised by men. Percy and Fred pass on their skills and respect for the turbulent river to their two young sons. Set in the BC Interior, Red Run captured an event as spectacular as it is dangerous. Time: 25 min. |
|
| Honour of the Crown |
Francois Paulette has devoted more than 25 years of his life to resolving a
battle that is over a century old. Senior negotiator for the Smith's Landing
First Nation, Paulette is determined to see the Canadian government honour
promises made to the Thebatthi (Chipewyan) people in an 1899 treaty. Shot in northern Alberta and Ottawa, Honour of the Crown is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the turbulent final years of this fight. Plunged into seemingly endless negotiations, Paulette and his brother, Chief Jerry Paulette, struggle to reclaim nine tracts of land and $33 million in compensation. Featuring interviews with tribal, provincial and federal government representatives, this documentary provides a rare glimpse into one community's success in settling a one-hundred-year-old treaty obligation of the Crown. Time: 46 min. 37 seconds |
|
| Patrick's Story |
Patrick Bird was "a casualty of colonialism", having walked a dark boyhood
journey of sexual abuse, neglect, foster homes, detention centres, loss,
abandonment, drugs, alcohol and self-mutilation. Through no fault of his
own, Patrick was disconnected from his family, his childhood and his Cree
culture and left with few resources to cope with the pain and powerlessness. Patrick's Story explores what brought a young man to attempt suicide and what turned his life around. With the help of friends and his loving adoptive mother. Patrick begins the search for his identity and spirituality as a Cree man, while discovering his talents in music and acting. This story offers us all a message of inspiration and hope. Time: 46 min. 37 seconds |
|
| Donna's Story | An
intimate portrait of a fiercely determined survivor, Donna's Story
profiles a Cree woman who left behind a bleak existence on the streets. She
has re-emerged as a powerful voice counselling Aboriginal adults and youth
about abuse and addiction. Donna Gamble was raised in foster homes, addicted to drugs and caught up in prostitution by the age of 13. The camera unravels her exhilarating and tumultuous journey: her motivation to turn to her life around, her work to keep others off the streets, and the renewal of personal relationships with her family and children. .With courage and candour, Donna also reveals an ongoing struggle with addiction, exposing the rage and pain of abuse that can haunt even the strongest person. Doug Cuthand's absorbing documentary also introduces Donna's mothers and daughters. With extraordinary purpose, these women hope to shatter the cycle of addiction and abuse that has affected generations of their family. Time: 55 min. |
|
| Voices From Oka - A Native Recounting of the Mohawk Siege of 1990 | This
is the first video that has been produced with the cooperation of the
Haudenosaunee Crisis Committee. BARRICADE PRODUCTIONS Inc, and the technical
services of TV1 Video. "Voices from Oka - A Native Recounting of the Mohawk Siege of 1990" - has been produced to present a Native People's view of the "Battle of the Pines". We have combined TV news footage with footage that was shot at a fundraising event in the Oneida community at Southwold, Ontario to provide the viewer with a recounting of the events by those who were part of this summer's long struggle. Time: 55 min. |
