Cinema and Representation
This theme focuses on the ways in which Aboriginal peoples have been represented in NFB documentaries. Film excerpts illustrate how the representation of Aboriginal peoples has evolved over the last fifty years.
Excerpts
Caribou Hunters
1
César's Bark Canoe/César et son Canot d'écorce
1
Circle of the Sun
2
The Other Side of the Ledger: An Indian View of the Hudson's Bay Company
2
Totem: The Return of the G'psgolox Pole
1
César's Bark Canoe/César et son Canot d'écorce
1971, Director: Gosselin, Bernard
excerpt 1 1 min 14 s
Help
Internet connection
Each film on this site is available for viewing at low speed or high speed.
- Low speed: recommended if your Internet connection uses a dial-up modem (56 kbps or slower). Low-speed viewing results in lower quality image and sound.
- High speed: recommended if you have high-speed Internet (DSL, cable modem) or are connected to an institutional network. Viewing in high-speed mode may cause occasional jerky images and sound interruptions if the speed of your connection is not fast enough.
If you're not sure which speed to use for viewing the films, try high speed first. If the results are not satisfactory, switch to low speed.
Format
Films can be available for viewing in either Macromedia Flash or QuickTime. Image and sound quality are similar for all these formats.
- Flash: lets you view the film directly in the Web page without launching an external application. Requires the Flash plug-in (download for free at Macromedia Flash Player).
- QuickTime (alternative format): requires QuickTime, version 7 or more recent (download for free at QuickTime).
Closed captions (CC)
Translation of the audio portion of a film into subtitles, for example, dialogue, narration, sound effects, etc. These captions let hearing-impaired viewers read what they cannot hear. Closed captions are available for a few films. To access them, you must select QuickTime (under Format) and With closed captions (under Accessibility).
Described video (DV)
A narrated description of a film's key visual elements to enable the vision-impaired to form a mental picture of what is happening on screen. Described video is available for a few films. To access them, you must select QuickTime (under Format) and With described video (under Accessibility).
1. The transmission of knowledge and skills from one generation to the next is vital to the preservation of a people’s culture; what knowledge and skills are being preserved through the making of this film?
2. What images and motifs are used in the decoration of the canoe? What is the significance of these images and motifs?
 |
Short Description
The film captures César Newashish, a 67-year-old Atikamek from the Manowan Reserve. He is building a canoe the traditional way, using only materials from nature.