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
Description
In 1961, Pete Standing Alone, a Blood Indian of Alberta, narrated this film directed by Colin Low, a non-Aboriginal. Standing Alone warns of the extinction of the Sun Dances and the old way of life. This is a wake-up call to the young and old to preserve the ritual dances.
Questions
1. Describe the scene at the Grass Dance. Does the filming of ceremonies and rituals have an impact on the viewers’ perception of the people associated with the cultures portrayed?
2. What prediction is made by the narrator regarding the Sun Dance and other Aboriginal ceremonies? Can you identify the factors that have helped to prevent the prediction from coming to fruition?




