The stories of three native women who are making control of education…
Starting Fire with Gunpowder
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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Part of AS LONG AS THE RIVERS FLOW series
Control of the media as a means of Native American self-determination is the topic explored in STARTING FIRE WITH GUNPOWDER.
The program chronicles the origins and achievements of the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), a model for aboriginal broadcasters the world over. Through documentary, drama, animation, and children's programs, the IBC helps keep Inuit culture and language alive. Its directors and producers make compelling television on ever shrinking budgets. Their story is told by Inuk filmmaker Ann Meekitjuk Hanson who "noticed that the first thing that happens in a revolution is the take-over of the radio and television stations." STARTING FIRE WITH GUNPOWDER examines how Inuit television will play a critical role in the creation of a modern Inuit nation.
"Combines a look at the successful, native run Inuit Broadcasting Corp. with a frank examination of topics - including alcoholism and wife abuse - that it has covered."- Maclean's
Citation
Main credits
Poisey, David (film director)
Hansen, William (film director)
Hansen, William (film producer)
Hanson, Ann Meekitjuk (narrator)
Other credits
Cinematography, Mosesie Kipanik, Zoe Dirse; editing, Hedy Dab.
Distributor subjects
Canadian Studies; Communications; Indigenous Peoples; Media Studies; Native PeopleKeywords
media; television; self; determination; native; peoples; control; Canada; documentary; film; video; "Starting Fire with Gunpowder"; Icarus Films
WEBVTT
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[upbeat tribal music]
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[upbeat tribal music continues]
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[drum beating]
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stories were the way of passing on information,
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whether they were legends of the past
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or stories of family history or current events.
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Storytelling, dancing, music is natural to any society.
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Now that methods of communication have changed,
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we\'re taking those tools into our communities
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and making them our own.
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[speaking in foreign language]
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I\'m Tantoo Cardinal.
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Welcome to As Long as the Rivers Flow,
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a documentary series about native self-government.
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Tonight\'s film, \"Starting Fire with Gunpowder\",
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is directed by Inuk filmmaker David Poisey
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and William Hansen.
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It\'s about the Inuit people\'s struggle
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to control television.
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Satellite dishes like this one in Toronto
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relay pictures from every part of the planet.
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Some of those pictures are now coming
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from the Canadian Arctic.
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The Inuit Broadcasting Corporation
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is an inspiration to us all.
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[speaks in foreign language]
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[Inuit chanting]
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[speaks in foreign language]
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[speaks in foreign language]
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[kids chattering]
[Inuit chanting]
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One of the main reasons is that
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they\'ve always been very communicating kind of people,
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but it has been very slow
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because they would take messages
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from one community to another,
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from one region to another, only by doc teams.
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And it was only through word of mouth
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that they were able to pass this message on.
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And being or not having any written history,
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this form of communication, radio and television,
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was as old as it was new.
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An oral form of communication.
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We are a communicative people.
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Our language is called Inuktitut.
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There are far more films and television shows
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made in Inuktitut than there are books
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written in our language.
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I am Ann Meekitjuk Hanson.
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I\'m a broadcaster, a journalist, and a storyteller.
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This is a story of Inuit Television.
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[suspenseful music]
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It was very seductive to many of us,
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but the exposure to that much English language
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could have wiped out our culture in a single generation.
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We had to find our own broadcasting voice.
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Inuit Television started as a backlash in Northern Quebec
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where the introduction of white man\'s TV
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was met by stiff resistance.
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[speaks in foreign language]
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[speaks in foreign language]
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they fought back with a tiny local TV operation.
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It was very inspiring and it worked.
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Three years later,
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Inuit Broadcasting Corporation opened in Iqaluit
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with regional production centers in Baker Lake,
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Rankin Inlet, Igloolik and Cambridge Bay.
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[static resonating]
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When Inuit Broadcasting Corporation started, I was there.
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because that was another way of communicating
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with our people.
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Because radio had been there for a number of years already,
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but television was a new way of communicating
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with a large number of people through images.
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[speaks in foreign language]
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Audio.
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Five, four, three, two, one.
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Go for it.
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my uncle used to listen to a radio from Greenland,
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which was in Inuktitut but it would fade away
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because it was short wave and we couldn\'t get it.
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But he used to have to get up
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very, very early in the morning just to hear it.
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That was the first experience I had
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with Inuktitut programming on the radio.
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We have always been fascinated by white man\'s technology.
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I remember the beginning of filmmaking
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when I was a young girl.
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It started with people coming up to make films about us.
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Either it was acting or documentary, so we got used to it.
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We took training in filmmaking
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and the young people were very, very interested
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and they were very good at it,
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and they learned very quickly.
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And it felt good, you know, taking picture of my own people.
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I remember doing landscapes most of the time
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because I wanted to get used to the camera
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panning back and forth.
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Our filmmaking group was called Nunatsiakmiut.
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Nunatsiakmiut means People From The Beautiful Land.
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We made many experimental films, training pieces.
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We made documentaries and educational films.
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And finally, the first Inuit TV drama,
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a soap opera running 15 minutes every week.
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That first drama was called Lodi.
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It was based on the real life of a local character
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with the same name.
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The acting was all improvisation.
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[speaks in foreign language]
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[speaks in foreign language]
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[speaks in foreign language]
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[speaks in foreign language]
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but IBC was also growing.
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Finally, the two organizations merged.
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This gave us the strength to produce
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five hours of Inuktitut programming each week.
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Everyone watched our shows.
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So the Inuit really pushed back the thousand hours per week
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of alien and violent TV from the South.
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[interviewer speaks in foreign language]
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[interviewer speaks in foreign language]
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I don\'t like them watching it
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or if it\'s a scary movie,
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I don\'t like watching scary movies
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so I don\'t let them watch it either.
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And I don\'t let them watch the Bingo, you know,
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the ones where they can win a lot of money
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because it gives people a false hope
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and I don\'t want them to watch that.
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do some campaigning before the election.
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at Albany.
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and all these other things
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and the advertisements that they have on TV,
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but I think it\'s healthy for them to learn
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about other cultures, about how other people live.
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But I would like to see more Inuit programming
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made by Inuit and for the Inuit.
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That would be really helpful.
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[Peter vocalizing]
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[gun firing]
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for such a very short period of time,
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they have been able to convert
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this modern technology of television.
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They have been able to convert
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the thing that threatens a lot of other cultures.
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The Inuit people have turned around
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and started recording programs in television.
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The language, the cultures,
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the different hunting techniques,
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the different sewing techniques.
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I can go on and on.
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Things that would have been lost are being recorded.
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[man vocalizing]
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[speaks in foreign language]
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[performers chanting]
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It is really hard for most young Inuit
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to model themselves exclusively
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on the traditions of our ancestors.
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Superheroes are nothing new in our rich tradition
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of shamans and spirits.
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[suspenseful music]
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Come in, Baker Lake.
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Yes, I seem to have spotted a man flying.
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[suspenseful music]
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It\'s a special effects generator.
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It was there before I went on to training.
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It\'s been here since.
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It\'s the only thing that I shoot Super Shamou with.
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It does a luminance key.
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What they do now in television is do a chroma key.
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But this one is so old.
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It\'s a luminance key.
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It can only key live footage from a camera
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and mix it with a videotape that\'s already shot.
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The aerial stuff.
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And then we just take them live
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and put it on the recorder here.
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[speaks in foreign language]
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[suspenseful music]
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[water splashing]
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[suspenseful music]
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[epic music]
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[kid speaks in foreign language]
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[speaks in foreign language]
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It\'s their own superhero.
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It\'s something that children can look up to
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and he speaks Inuktitut.
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And when you speak Inuktitut
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and do some modern day acting,
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that\'s a successful Inuk.
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but everyone watches it, young and old alike.
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But for the little children,
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the most popular show on IBC is, Takuginai.
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the Sesame Street of the North.
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[upbeat music]
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[Takuginai intro music plays]
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[Takuginai intro music continues]
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it was to fulfill part of the mandate,
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which was felt wasn\'t being filled at the time,
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which was if you\'re preserving language and culture,
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it seemed pretty obvious that
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the people that were missing out were the children.
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Initially, we would\'ve liked to have animated legends,
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but due to the lack of equipment
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and the high cost of animation,
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we found we could not feasibly do this.
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So the legends we created using what we called graphics,
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which were just pictures drawn
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and then we would shoot these pictures
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along with the narration.
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There were some people worried about portraying animals
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in a cute way,
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considering we have to live off these animals.
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And we were asked by many people not to portray polar bears
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or animals like this as cute and cuddly
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because in our culture they\'re not cute and cuddly.
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So the non-people characters we created
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were the lemming and the seagull and the raven,
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which don\'t tend to offend.
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it has to fit your hand.
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This is like a glove.
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I have to make them bigger,
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because there\'s guys with big hands.
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This is the very first puppet I made was back in \'86.
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It\'s just a dog with no name.
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[puppet speaks in foreign language]
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so the rod is on the left.
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[speaks in foreign language]
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[puppet speaks in foreign language]
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[puppet speaks in foreign language]
269
00:23:06.283 --> 00:23:08.730
270
00:23:08.730 --> 00:23:11.973
for Grandpa Isaaci.
271
00:23:13.470 --> 00:23:15.843
It looks so real that it was scary.
272
00:23:17.010 --> 00:23:18.240
273
00:23:19.644 --> 00:23:22.311
[playful music]
274
00:23:23.877 --> 00:23:26.460
[hums happily]
275
00:23:54.677 --> 00:23:57.260
[bright music]
276
00:23:58.486 --> 00:24:02.236
[speaks in foreign language]
277
00:24:05.194 --> 00:24:08.944
[speaks in foreign language]
278
00:24:12.009 --> 00:24:15.759
[speaks in foreign language]
279
00:24:31.590 --> 00:24:35.220
280
00:24:35.220 --> 00:24:36.053
and culture.
281
00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:38.280
Super Shamou and Takuginai
282
00:24:38.280 --> 00:24:41.010
are based on southern television shows.
283
00:24:41.010 --> 00:24:43.680
We know they are not of our culture,
284
00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:46.200
but they are very helpful to children
285
00:24:46.200 --> 00:24:49.140
because they are in our language.
286
00:24:49.140 --> 00:24:53.943
Most of IBC\'s work is about our culture, past and present.
287
00:24:58.200 --> 00:25:02.310
The Inuit world is very beautiful, but can be harsh,
288
00:25:02.310 --> 00:25:05.070
especially through the long night of winter.
289
00:25:05.070 --> 00:25:08.880
So our traditions reflect the tough realities of life
290
00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:09.873
in the Arctic.
291
00:25:12.060 --> 00:25:14.940
I remember as a child many frightening legends
292
00:25:14.940 --> 00:25:18.270
about unpleasant things, scary things.
293
00:25:18.270 --> 00:25:21.630
But they are told so we learn to be careful,
294
00:25:21.630 --> 00:25:23.403
to watch out for danger.
295
00:25:24.330 --> 00:25:26.940
Murder and obscenity have always been with us.
296
00:25:26.940 --> 00:25:29.100
Barney Pattunguyak from Baker Lake
297
00:25:29.100 --> 00:25:31.230
is recreating an old legend
298
00:25:31.230 --> 00:25:33.993
to help parents talk about these issues.
299
00:25:35.190 --> 00:25:37.773
300
00:25:38.850 --> 00:25:43.803
It\'s a story of the legend Asasa.
301
00:25:46.680 --> 00:25:50.970
Yesterday, we shot it while the atmosphere is just right,
302
00:25:50.970 --> 00:25:53.790
the color is just right for a video.
303
00:25:53.790 --> 00:25:55.023
More to the sunlight.
304
00:26:01.740 --> 00:26:04.950
Samson Quinarnarq is telling the story.
305
00:26:04.950 --> 00:26:08.820
He\'s heard it while he was a child in Back River
306
00:26:08.820 --> 00:26:12.093
about hundred miles north of Baker Lake.
307
00:26:15.235 --> 00:26:18.985
[speaks in foreign language]
308
00:26:35.002 --> 00:26:38.752
[speaks in foreign language]
309
00:26:45.742 --> 00:26:49.492
[speaks in foreign language]
310
00:26:57.497 --> 00:27:01.770
311
00:27:01.770 --> 00:27:06.482
This old man didn\'t have the right humor.
312
00:27:06.482 --> 00:27:09.030
He was indecent to him.
313
00:27:09.030 --> 00:27:12.540
The little boy naturally just got offended.
314
00:27:12.540 --> 00:27:15.060
315
00:27:15.060 --> 00:27:18.780
and Asasa grew up to vanquish our enemies
316
00:27:18.780 --> 00:27:20.523
and became a great leader.
317
00:27:21.900 --> 00:27:25.830
The legend teaches us that victims can fight back
318
00:27:25.830 --> 00:27:27.843
and overcome their misfortune.
319
00:27:32.100 --> 00:27:36.093
Legends are one facet of our oral history.
320
00:27:39.690 --> 00:27:43.410
Paul Apak is an ambassador of my people.
321
00:27:43.410 --> 00:27:46.830
He films expeditions that trace the journeys
322
00:27:46.830 --> 00:27:49.470
that spread the Inuit across the north,
323
00:27:49.470 --> 00:27:51.657
from Asia to Greenland.
324
00:27:53.153 --> 00:27:56.903
[speaks in foreign language]
325
00:28:28.858 --> 00:28:32.608
[speaks in foreign language]
326
00:28:56.537 --> 00:29:00.287
[speaks in foreign language]
327
00:29:30.359 --> 00:29:34.109
[speaks in foreign language]
328
00:29:46.050 --> 00:29:49.800
[speaks in foreign language]
329
00:30:05.407 --> 00:30:09.157
[speaks in foreign language]
330
00:30:22.200 --> 00:30:24.630
331
00:30:24.630 --> 00:30:27.210
men were always hunters, travelers,
332
00:30:27.210 --> 00:30:29.820
craftsmen and naturalists.
333
00:30:29.820 --> 00:30:33.333
And most Inuit men still do these things.
334
00:30:39.720 --> 00:30:42.780
Us women have always been homemakers,
335
00:30:42.780 --> 00:30:44.580
keepers of the fire,
336
00:30:44.580 --> 00:30:46.290
preparers of skins,
337
00:30:46.290 --> 00:30:48.150
seamstresses, cooks,
338
00:30:48.150 --> 00:30:50.433
mothers, and midwives.
339
00:30:55.710 --> 00:30:57.840
Much has changed.
340
00:30:57.840 --> 00:31:00.180
The welfare state now plays a big
341
00:31:00.180 --> 00:31:03.453
and not always welcome role in childbirth.
342
00:31:06.930 --> 00:31:08.790
For many years now,
343
00:31:08.790 --> 00:31:12.750
the women were always taken away from their homes,
344
00:31:12.750 --> 00:31:14.670
from their home communities
345
00:31:14.670 --> 00:31:17.760
to a larger center to have a baby.
346
00:31:17.760 --> 00:31:19.770
The women were away from home,
347
00:31:19.770 --> 00:31:22.980
away from their families for weeks,
348
00:31:22.980 --> 00:31:24.993
many weeks to have a baby.
349
00:31:26.130 --> 00:31:29.500
We\'re trying to tell the medical people
350
00:31:30.510 --> 00:31:34.173
that we want to have our babies in our communities.
351
00:31:35.400 --> 00:31:40.350
The film on Midwifery is very welcome to our people.
352
00:31:40.350 --> 00:31:43.410
I applaud greatly the women\'s groups
353
00:31:43.410 --> 00:31:46.740
for producing a midwifery program
354
00:31:46.740 --> 00:31:49.140
for our younger generation,
355
00:31:49.140 --> 00:31:51.630
because having a baby is not a disease.
356
00:31:51.630 --> 00:31:54.933
It\'s a natural way of being a human.
357
00:31:56.460 --> 00:31:58.260
They\'re very fortunate nowadays.
358
00:31:58.260 --> 00:32:02.880
They can learn both ways, Inuktitut and Kalunatitut.
359
00:32:02.880 --> 00:32:05.190
Inuktitut from the Inuk midwives
360
00:32:05.190 --> 00:32:10.190
and from a person who has medical training at the same time.
361
00:32:10.500 --> 00:32:13.920
So they\'re very fortunate that they are able to do this,
362
00:32:13.920 --> 00:32:17.403
able to deliver babies knowing both ways.
363
00:32:29.197 --> 00:32:30.559
364
00:32:30.559 --> 00:32:33.142
[mellow music]
365
00:32:46.800 --> 00:32:51.420
366
00:32:51.420 --> 00:32:54.693
More communities now have the option of home birthing.
367
00:32:55.800 --> 00:32:58.980
But controlling what goes into our children
368
00:32:58.980 --> 00:33:02.913
once they are born has become a huge concern to the Inuit.
369
00:33:06.000 --> 00:33:09.540
PCBs have polluted our Arctic food chains
370
00:33:09.540 --> 00:33:11.313
and Inuit mother\'s milk.
371
00:33:12.380 --> 00:33:16.130
[speaks in foreign language]
372
00:33:32.183 --> 00:33:35.933
[speaks in foreign language]
373
00:33:55.468 --> 00:33:59.517
[speaks in foreign language]
374
00:33:59.517 --> 00:34:03.267
[speaks in foreign language]
375
00:34:13.038 --> 00:34:16.788
[speaks in foreign language]
376
00:34:43.414 --> 00:34:47.164
[speaks in foreign language]
377
00:35:08.670 --> 00:35:11.610
378
00:35:11.610 --> 00:35:14.103
to the dislocation of our culture.
379
00:35:14.940 --> 00:35:19.353
Too often this dislocation leads to substance abuse.
380
00:35:20.910 --> 00:35:24.480
Aboriginal and other marginalized people around the world
381
00:35:24.480 --> 00:35:28.890
are prone to choose mind-numbing solvents over other drugs.
382
00:35:28.890 --> 00:35:30.513
Inuit are no exception.
383
00:35:31.530 --> 00:35:35.010
Solvents are killing our young people every year
384
00:35:35.010 --> 00:35:37.053
and damaging brains in others.
385
00:35:38.130 --> 00:35:41.610
TV gets to the heart of the matter so graphically
386
00:35:41.610 --> 00:35:45.033
that it makes parents and teachers aware of the symptoms.
387
00:35:45.919 --> 00:35:48.919
[suspenseful music]
388
00:36:00.276 --> 00:36:03.026
[woman coughing]
389
00:36:19.740 --> 00:36:22.770
One of the most critical issues in our society
390
00:36:22.770 --> 00:36:24.810
is gasoline sniffing.
391
00:36:24.810 --> 00:36:27.090
Martin Kreelak has confronted it
392
00:36:27.090 --> 00:36:29.610
with a devastatingly effective film.
393
00:36:33.452 --> 00:36:37.202
[speaks in foreign language]
394
00:37:03.311 --> 00:37:07.061
[speaks in foreign language]
395
00:37:11.518 --> 00:37:15.268
[speaks in foreign language]
396
00:37:18.311 --> 00:37:21.349
[Martin speaks in foreign language]
397
00:37:21.349 --> 00:37:22.607
398
00:37:22.607 --> 00:37:26.940
[Martin speaks in foreign language]
399
00:37:31.497 --> 00:37:35.247
[speaks in foreign language]
400
00:37:42.044 --> 00:37:46.377
[Martin speaks in foreign language]
401
00:37:52.601 --> 00:37:56.351
[speaks in foreign language]
402
00:38:12.320 --> 00:38:16.070
[speaks in foreign language]
403
00:38:38.350 --> 00:38:41.612
404
00:38:41.612 --> 00:38:45.362
[speaks in foreign language]
405
00:38:58.239 --> 00:39:01.989
[speaks in foreign language]
406
00:39:18.783 --> 00:39:22.533
[speaks in foreign language]
407
00:39:26.479 --> 00:39:30.229
[speaks in foreign language]
408
00:39:38.940 --> 00:39:42.600
409
00:39:42.600 --> 00:39:44.430
because in some documentaries
410
00:39:44.430 --> 00:39:46.860
there are subjects so sensitive
411
00:39:46.860 --> 00:39:49.260
you have to hide people\'s faces.
412
00:39:49.260 --> 00:39:52.710
It hides the problem more when you hide their faces.
413
00:39:52.710 --> 00:39:56.040
So drama can be the most effective way
414
00:39:56.040 --> 00:39:57.843
to get the message to the people.
415
00:40:03.540 --> 00:40:08.430
The film, Louisa, it\'s about violence.
416
00:40:08.430 --> 00:40:11.280
It\'s about spousal assault.
417
00:40:11.280 --> 00:40:12.573
When people see that,
418
00:40:13.410 --> 00:40:16.500
they think, oh, this is really happening.
419
00:40:16.500 --> 00:40:18.540
This is really happening for real.
420
00:40:29.733 --> 00:40:33.483
[speaks in foreign language]
421
00:40:44.128 --> 00:40:47.878
[speaks in foreign language]
422
00:41:17.722 --> 00:41:21.472
[speaks in foreign language]
423
00:41:30.742 --> 00:41:34.492
[speaks in foreign language]
424
00:41:43.236 --> 00:41:46.986
[speaks in foreign language]
425
00:41:55.290 --> 00:42:00.108
[son speaks in foreign language]
426
00:42:00.108 --> 00:42:03.108
[people chattering]
427
00:42:18.100 --> 00:42:21.850
[speaks in foreign language]
428
00:42:31.968 --> 00:42:35.718
[speaks in foreign language]
429
00:42:54.145 --> 00:42:57.895
[speaks in foreign language]
430
00:43:15.461 --> 00:43:19.211
[speaks in foreign language]
431
00:43:36.221 --> 00:43:39.971
[speaks in foreign language]
432
00:43:41.432 --> 00:43:45.182
[speaks in foreign language]
433
00:44:10.859 --> 00:44:14.609
[speaks in foreign language]
434
00:44:20.434 --> 00:44:24.184
[speaks in foreign language]
435
00:44:50.228 --> 00:44:53.978
[speaks in foreign language]
436
00:45:26.820 --> 00:45:28.200
437
00:45:28.200 --> 00:45:31.830
has been a very central point for so many years now.
438
00:45:31.830 --> 00:45:34.500
When things go wrong, when there\'s violence,
439
00:45:34.500 --> 00:45:36.510
when there\'s laws being broken,
440
00:45:36.510 --> 00:45:38.640
when there\'s people hitting each other,
441
00:45:38.640 --> 00:45:40.593
alcohol is quickly to blame.
442
00:45:42.240 --> 00:45:44.490
I have seen my people beaten to a point
443
00:45:44.490 --> 00:45:47.220
where you could hardly recognize their faces,
444
00:45:47.220 --> 00:45:48.720
but at the same time,
445
00:45:48.720 --> 00:45:51.390
people were so scared to do anything about it.
446
00:45:51.390 --> 00:45:52.980
There were no meetings.
447
00:45:52.980 --> 00:45:55.950
It was this very hush talk between women.
448
00:45:55.950 --> 00:45:58.500
So we left it alone for so many years
449
00:45:58.500 --> 00:46:00.273
until it could not be ignored.
450
00:46:01.350 --> 00:46:03.540
But people have taken action.
451
00:46:03.540 --> 00:46:05.970
People have formed groups in their communities.
452
00:46:05.970 --> 00:46:09.390
A shelter for women and children has been built in my town.
453
00:46:09.390 --> 00:46:11.313
So Louisa had a big impact.
454
00:46:12.270 --> 00:46:15.510
Shown on television, this film, Louisa,
455
00:46:15.510 --> 00:46:18.783
led directly to an improvement of a dire problem.
456
00:46:21.765 --> 00:46:25.932
[Jack speaks in foreign language]
457
00:46:30.799 --> 00:46:34.549
[speaks in foreign language]
458
00:46:38.597 --> 00:46:42.347
[speaks in foreign language]
459
00:46:43.577 --> 00:46:47.327
[speaks in foreign language]
460
00:46:52.110 --> 00:46:54.810
461
00:46:54.810 --> 00:46:57.330
Inuktitut TV has had a real impact
462
00:46:57.330 --> 00:46:59.103
on our political thinking.
463
00:47:02.520 --> 00:47:04.680
We have learned in recent years
464
00:47:04.680 --> 00:47:07.890
that when revolutions happen in other countries,
465
00:47:07.890 --> 00:47:11.520
the first thing they do is take over the TV stations.
466
00:47:11.520 --> 00:47:14.160
They do this so they can broadcast their message
467
00:47:14.160 --> 00:47:15.930
to the people.
468
00:47:15.930 --> 00:47:17.910
Through Inuktitut TV,
469
00:47:17.910 --> 00:47:21.960
we can see the state of our society every day.
470
00:47:21.960 --> 00:47:23.910
And knowing where we are,
471
00:47:23.910 --> 00:47:27.633
we can try to modify the forces shaping our culture.
472
00:47:35.670 --> 00:47:38.100
Saali Peter produces and presents
473
00:47:38.100 --> 00:47:41.130
a current affair show called, Qaggig,
474
00:47:41.130 --> 00:47:43.203
meaning a gathering place.
475
00:47:58.146 --> 00:48:01.896
[speaks in foreign language]
476
00:48:04.209 --> 00:48:06.210
477
00:48:06.210 --> 00:48:09.690
analyze the effects of Canada\'s military operations
478
00:48:09.690 --> 00:48:13.140
against native people in the summer of 1990.
479
00:48:13.140 --> 00:48:16.410
They also discussed the effects of Canada\'s failure
480
00:48:16.410 --> 00:48:19.800
to negotiate a new constitution with Quebec.
481
00:48:19.800 --> 00:48:23.220
Our leaders were concerned about the political future
482
00:48:23.220 --> 00:48:26.523
of our land claim in the face of these crisis.
483
00:48:27.711 --> 00:48:31.461
[speaks in foreign language]
484
00:48:58.938 --> 00:49:02.688
[speaks in foreign language]
485
00:49:31.499 --> 00:49:35.249
[speaks in foreign language]
486
00:49:59.706 --> 00:50:03.456
[speaks in foreign language]
487
00:50:06.450 --> 00:50:08.883
488
00:50:10.170 --> 00:50:13.530
The Inuit land claim issue revolves around sovereignty
489
00:50:13.530 --> 00:50:16.260
and title to the Canadian Arctic.
490
00:50:16.260 --> 00:50:18.420
We don\'t want a new country,
491
00:50:18.420 --> 00:50:20.580
we want a homeland with the same rights
492
00:50:20.580 --> 00:50:22.320
as the other provinces.
493
00:50:22.320 --> 00:50:24.480
We call this land Nunavut.
494
00:50:24.480 --> 00:50:26.673
It simply means our land.
495
00:50:28.530 --> 00:50:31.653
496
00:50:33.630 --> 00:50:38.630
But I think utopias are very good objectives to have
497
00:50:41.970 --> 00:50:44.270
because then it gives you meaningful existence
498
00:50:45.660 --> 00:50:47.223
and that makes it worthwhile.
499
00:50:48.690 --> 00:50:51.300
500
00:50:51.300 --> 00:50:53.550
the political agenda of native media
501
00:50:53.550 --> 00:50:58.080
had irritated the government to the extent that in 1990
502
00:50:58.080 --> 00:51:02.340
its last Federal funding of native communication groups
503
00:51:02.340 --> 00:51:06.510
out of all proportion to the normal deficit cutting measures
504
00:51:06.510 --> 00:51:08.880
of the national budget.
505
00:51:08.880 --> 00:51:10.260
506
00:51:10.260 --> 00:51:11.700
will lose up to 400,000
507
00:51:11.700 --> 00:51:14.490
from the Northern Native Broadcast Access Program.
508
00:51:14.490 --> 00:51:15.420
Under this program,
509
00:51:15.420 --> 00:51:19.200
the corporation produced such series as Takuginai,
510
00:51:19.200 --> 00:51:20.190
a children\'s program,
511
00:51:20.190 --> 00:51:23.640
and Takuyaksat, the award-winning series from Baker Lake.
512
00:51:23.640 --> 00:51:26.100
The elimination of the native communication program funding
513
00:51:26.100 --> 00:51:29.640
means a loss of about $215,000.
514
00:51:29.640 --> 00:51:32.880
These program monies are used to produce drama,
515
00:51:32.880 --> 00:51:36.390
including the popular Super Shamou series.
516
00:51:36.390 --> 00:51:39.180
The corporation will have to cut down on their air hours
517
00:51:39.180 --> 00:51:41.580
and close down part of its operation.
518
00:51:41.580 --> 00:51:43.410
Staff will have to be laid off in Ottawa
519
00:51:43.410 --> 00:51:45.150
and their northern production centers.
520
00:51:45.150 --> 00:51:47.670
521
00:51:47.670 --> 00:51:50.460
justifying cuts to native organizations, he states,
522
00:51:50.460 --> 00:51:52.350
all areas of government have been asked
523
00:51:52.350 --> 00:51:56.130
to decrease expenditures and my department is no exception.
524
00:51:56.130 --> 00:51:59.730
Can the minister explain why the $23 million of cuts
525
00:51:59.730 --> 00:52:01.140
in his department,
526
00:52:01.140 --> 00:52:05.490
19 million of that cut came from native programs?
527
00:52:05.490 --> 00:52:08.490
Why the concentration on native programs?
528
00:52:08.490 --> 00:52:10.140
While in comparison, for example,
529
00:52:10.140 --> 00:52:14.340
the budget for official languages went up by $8 million.
530
00:52:14.340 --> 00:52:18.240
531
00:52:18.240 --> 00:52:20.910
for Native Canadian media and associations
532
00:52:20.910 --> 00:52:23.310
and stop denying Native Canadians
533
00:52:23.310 --> 00:52:25.290
an important vehicle for justice
534
00:52:25.290 --> 00:52:28.020
and full participation in Canadian society?
535
00:52:28.020 --> 00:52:30.028
What\'s the answer today?
536
00:52:30.028 --> 00:52:32.010
[audience applauding]
537
00:52:32.010 --> 00:52:33.510
538
00:52:33.510 --> 00:52:36.900
Mr. Speaker, this government\'s record of support
539
00:52:36.900 --> 00:52:39.840
for our native and other aboriginal peoples
540
00:52:39.840 --> 00:52:42.840
is second to none in the world.
541
00:52:42.840 --> 00:52:44.859
And Mr. Speaker...
542
00:52:44.859 --> 00:52:48.609
[speaks in foreign language]
543
00:53:15.003 --> 00:53:18.753
[speaks in foreign language]
544
00:53:49.800 --> 00:53:51.360
545
00:53:51.360 --> 00:53:54.330
were closure of the regional production center
546
00:53:54.330 --> 00:53:55.710
at Cambridge Bay,
547
00:53:55.710 --> 00:53:58.110
a 14% loss of jobs,
548
00:53:58.110 --> 00:54:00.630
and reduction of total broadcasting time
549
00:54:00.630 --> 00:54:04.500
from five and a half hours to four hours per week.
550
00:54:04.500 --> 00:54:08.760
So it is crucial now that we use that four hours a week
551
00:54:08.760 --> 00:54:11.490
as effectively as possible.
552
00:54:11.490 --> 00:54:15.840
553
00:54:15.840 --> 00:54:18.690
within the next 12 months or so
554
00:54:18.690 --> 00:54:20.380
will be the land claim settlement
555
00:54:21.480 --> 00:54:26.190
that was recently reached between our negotiators
556
00:54:26.190 --> 00:54:27.540
and the federal government.
557
00:54:29.460 --> 00:54:31.920
558
00:54:31.920 --> 00:54:36.390
We take to TV so easily because it is an oral medium.
559
00:54:36.390 --> 00:54:38.850
If we are to be true to ourselves,
560
00:54:38.850 --> 00:54:40.650
we must preserve the traditions
561
00:54:40.650 --> 00:54:43.200
on which our culture is based.
562
00:54:43.200 --> 00:54:44.850
Our most important task
563
00:54:44.850 --> 00:54:48.337
is to record the words of the Elders while we can.
564
00:54:50.243 --> 00:54:53.993
[speaks in foreign language]
565
00:55:30.050 --> 00:55:33.800
[speaks in foreign language]
566
00:56:01.191 --> 00:56:05.220
[speaks in foreign language]
567
00:56:05.220 --> 00:56:08.520
568
00:56:08.520 --> 00:56:09.633
to blow things up.
569
00:56:10.510 --> 00:56:14.260
[speaks in foreign language]
570
00:56:15.780 --> 00:56:18.780
571
00:56:18.780 --> 00:56:21.480
to light their seal oil lamps.
572
00:56:21.480 --> 00:56:23.943
Of course, today we use matches.
573
00:56:25.050 --> 00:56:28.920
Like gunpowder, TV can be a great destroyer,
574
00:56:28.920 --> 00:56:31.713
but we have turned it to our advantage.
575
00:56:34.530 --> 00:56:38.040
Inuktitut television is saving our language
576
00:56:38.040 --> 00:56:39.723
and preserving our culture.
577
00:56:44.117 --> 00:56:47.867
[speaks in foreign language]
578
00:56:56.370 --> 00:56:59.130
579
00:56:59.130 --> 00:57:03.090
In the future, their faces and their voices on tape
580
00:57:03.090 --> 00:57:05.433
will be our only recorded history.
581
00:57:06.420 --> 00:57:08.370
It is by that recorded knowledge
582
00:57:08.370 --> 00:57:11.190
we will judge ourselves in the future,
583
00:57:11.190 --> 00:57:13.140
and it is the recorded wisdom
584
00:57:13.140 --> 00:57:15.580
that will be the heritage of Nunavut.
585
00:57:16.827 --> 00:57:19.577
[Inuit chanting]
586
00:57:45.797 --> 00:57:49.380
[Inuit chanting continues]
587
00:58:15.905 --> 00:58:19.488
[Inuit chanting continues]
