Indigenous Knowledge
The film excerpts under this theme consider the role of women, ways of thinking about hunting and fishing, forestry management, the technique of building an igloo, the importance of spirituality, and the preservation and transmission of ancestral values.
Excerpts
Bella Bella
1
Circle of the Sun
1
Eskimo Arts and Crafts
1
Our Nationhood
6
Tales of Sand and Snow
1
Eskimo Arts and Crafts
1943, Director: Boulton, Laura
excerpt 1 2 min 20 s
Description
In 1943, a Baffin Island Inuit woman is shown making mukluk boots using skins, an ulu knife, a bone needle, sinew thread and a thimble of thick sealskin. She uses her teeth to make the leather more pliable.
Questions
1. What traditional materials are used to make the waterproof mukluks?
2. In the film it is stated, “A man is the hunter his wife makes him.” What do you think this means? What does this say about the role women play in the hunt?
2. In the film it is stated, “A man is the hunter his wife makes him.” What do you think this means? What does this say about the role women play in the hunt?
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Short Description
The film presents Baffin Island Inuit engaged in a variety of arts and crafts. Building kayaks, decorating animal skin garments, making spears and carving ivory are an integral part of life, as are the legendary stories, drumming, singing and dancing.