Tag Archives: arts

Weblog 2

http://www.nsi-canada.ca/2012/03/im-not-the-indian-you-had-in-mind/

I’m Not the Indian You Had in Mind by Thomas King is a spoken word short featuring the author and two Indigenous actors. The actors are dressed as any North American does in the 21st century. This is contrasted with old “cowboy and Indian” western movie scenes playing in the background. Shots of the stereotypical Indigenous person riding horses or shooting bows and arrows emphasizes the disparity between real Indigenous people and their stereotyped big screen counterparts. The props used, like the cigar store Indian, add to that message, that the Indian you have in mind, is not a real person.

http://www.npr.org/2017/06/20/533653471/sherman-alexie-says-hes-been-indian-du-jour-for-a-very-long-day

Sherman Alexie Interview on NPR about his recent memoir of growing up on reserve. The interview also includes a reading of a chapter. Sherman Alexie is often seen as the voice of the Native American. His writing is funny, heartbreaking, honest and accessible for students. His book “The Absolutely True Diary of Part Time Indian” is a favourite among students, and has also landed on several banned book lists for its raw language and sexuality. I always recommend this book in spite of some people (mostly parents) who are uncomfortable with the topics included in the novel. It is a realistic portrayal of how 14 year old boys think and talk to each other. Because of the popularity of the novel Sherman Alexie is often go to voice of Native writers. He responded to this by saying

“I really hope that like 10 or 12 Native writers, fiction writers, non-fiction writers, really launch into the national consciousness …” he says. “So I don’t have to answer all the questions, so I don’t have to get invited to all the conferences. Share the burden of being a public figure Indian! Come on, people! Hurry up, finish your books!

The following links are to documentaries created by Indigenous women. These are excellent examples of Indigenous women using technology and art to express and consider cultural issues.

Headdress

http://www.cbc.ca/shortdocs/shorts/headdress

In “Headdress” a young woman, JJ Neepin, recreates a portrait of her grandfather. JJ Neepin and her photographer, Nadya Kwandibens, discuss the significance of the headdress. The cultural appropriation of headdresses has been debated lately has celebrities and concert goers have been spotted wearing them at outdoor festivals, the debate also surfaces as Halloween approaches. As she puts the headdress on Neepin says she can feel the weight-physically and metaphorically. This is a short doc (under 6 minutes) that would be a great way to start a conversation about cultural appropriation of the headdress.

Four Faces of the Moon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWe–sysNkk

“Four Faces of the Moon” is an animated short film by filmmaker Amanda Strong. The character travels through time to witness history and colonization of Indigenous people. The film centres around the decimation of the buffalo as a means to terminate the Indigenous people that depended on them for survival. I want to focus my research on Indigenous women and their involvement in STEAM. This film is a great example of a woman involved in the creative and technical side of filmmaking.

The Oak Legacy

http://www.cbc.ca/firsthand/episodes/the-oka-legacy

“The Oka Legacy” is a documentary about Oka crisis in the 90s and focuses on the role women played in the protests and the impact it had on young aboriginal girls, some of whom went on to be leaders in Idle No More. I was a child during the Oka Crisis and remember hearing bits about it, but did not ever really understand what is meant. Watching it now I was shocked. The tensions between the Mohawk and the town didn’t shock me, but the violence did. This would be an interesting film to watch with students now and compare and contrast what they see with current issues and protests in Canada and the United States.

Module Two – Storytelling Distribution Platforms

As part of my travelogue of research on indigenous storytelling, I ventured into a related direction. Our module’s discussion of self-representation in media inspired me to explore distribution. After all, why tell a story if it can’t be shared? For Indigenous storytellers looking to share stories with wider audiences in Canada and internationally, what are the options? Who are potential distribution partners? Are Indigenous players in the arena? Which distributors support film media? Publishing? New media? Who is helping to develop and share spoken, artistic and printed stories and artwork?

I realized that many oral and dance traditions might be captured with screen-based media and fall into the documentary realm. Although sites such as Native Dance contain over 100 videos of footage and hundreds of images, providing a wealth of information on dance traditions from coast to coast in Canada, they do not lead to any dedicated distribution channel. So far, most astounding to me is typing in “Aboriginal Dance” on YouTube, which reveals a plethora of resources, a never-ending sea of videos uploaded by multiple users – so I credit YouTube as a valuable exhibitor, but not a dedicated one.

Here is a look at some of my key discoveries in the area of distribution:

(1) Indigenous Feature Film Production in Canada: A National and International Perspective

This is a major report published in October 2013, commissioned by the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival (imagineNATIVE) whose mandate is “to foster and promote the Aboriginal film and media sector.” It was funded by the Ontario Media Development Corporation and Telefilm Canada. The report examines all aspects of Aboriginal feature film production in Canada, including funding and distribution, and makes recommendations for further development. The role of government-supported organizations in recognizing and including Indigenous cultures as part of Canada’s identity and cultural landscape appears to be essential to preservation and growth of this cultural industry sector.

(2) Indigenous Screen Office for Canada

(Almost) hot off the press! Announced on June 12, 2017 at Banff World Media Festival, Canada is about to get a new Indigenous Screen Office tasked with “supporting the development, production and marketing of Indigenous content.” This initiative is the result of a collaboration of key audiovisual industry organizations that include APTN, CBC Radio-Canada, the Canada Media Fund (Supporting and developing the Indigenous screen-based industry in Canada), the Canadian Media Producers Association, the National Film Board of Canada, Telefilm Canada, The Harold Greenberg Fund and VICE Studio Canada. What promising industry leadership!

(3) Isuma Distribution International Inc.

This was the only distributor I could locate so far of its kind. IsumaTV bills itself as “a collaborative multimedia platform for indigenous filmmakers and media organizations.” It is a project of Isuma Distribution International Inc., “Canada’s first media distribution company specializing in Inuit and Aboriginal films,” and works in coalition with a range of partners such as producers and non-profits.

Other major film distributors have been quoted as wishing to see more Indigenous stories, but I was unable to find many dedicated to Indigenous content. One that did stand out is the Winnipeg Film Group, with a dedicated Indigenous Filmmaker Catalogue. Other organizations such as the National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition support a range of development and funding activities, but within a network of partnerships.

(4) First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Publishers and Distributors

Turning to print-based media, the University of Toronto Libraries has published a guide of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis publishers and distributors across Canada. Its focus is on Indigenous-owned publishers, and academic and small presses that publish the work of Indigenous authors. According to the site, “particular effort is made to include publishers of Indigenous language materials. More detail is provided on publishers from Central Canada. While an effort has been made to select publishers working in a good way, this guide should not be understood as an endorsement of any publisher or publication.” Started in 2010 and last updated in 2016, contact information is provided to allow for more updates. The site also links to UBC’s Aboriginal Publishers, Distributors & News Media homepage.

(5) 11 Indigenous podcasts for your listening pleasure

Finally, new media outlets. New Journeys, a Canadian-based online Friendship Centre resource, published a list of podcasts in January 2017. Auditory and sometimes visual in nature (when in video format), podcasts provide new channels for content distribution across digital spaces. Cited on the list is Media Indigena, a weekly Indigenous current affairs podcast hosted by Rick Harp, who himself published An Index of Indigenous Podcasts in July 2016.

As with last time, I found many more relevant sites, but those fall slightly outside the scope of this discussion at this time. Now that I have taken an overview in Module One, and explored distribution in Module Two, my next step will be to narrow my focus to a more specific storytelling medium originating in Canada and research the development and implementation or distribution of such works within Canada and abroad.

2.2: ACI Manitoba’s Indigenous Programs

Website: ACI Manitoba’s Indigenous Programs

ACI Manitoba is a non-profit organization devoted to supporting arts and culture in Manitoba. ACI places a special emphasis on indigenous programming, and offers a variety of workshops, courses, and seminars related to indigenous art and storytelling. The website also includes valuable resources for young indigenous artists. One resource that I found particularly useful was a Grant Writing Toolkit . The site also includes links to a plethora of Manitoban and Canadian organizations that can provide support to indigenous artists.

Arts, Narrative, & Education by Christi Belcourt (Module 4-Post 3)

http://www.helpingourmotherearth.com/

This is how Christi Belcourt used her art for an education setting founded on a First Nation story: Sacred Fisher Story. This mural project is actually a tool guide for educators and students across Ontario based on First Nation teachings and knowledge. Lesson plans are provided, and much more.

Onaman Collective (Module 4-Post2)

http://christibelcourt.com/onamin-collective/

This collective work demonstrates the commitment to preserving language by creating an immersion art setting for participants. It is the elders, their knowledge, birds and plants, and language that are the driving force of this artistic purposed project that is used to revive one’s language. Initiated by Christi Belcourt and others.

“For thousands of years the Anishinabek have been using a Red Ochre paint called Onaman. It is made from red ochre, animal or fish fat, and other ingredients such as urine and duck or seagull eggs. These are cooked together on a low heat. The longer you cook the paint the redder it becomes. In the language the word “Onaman” refers to the action of thickening something. There are many types of Onaman, most of them use types of Fungi, and each of them thickening agents, particularly in the clotting of blood in wounds.” – Isaac Murdoch

Module 3, Post 2 – Youth Productions

I really enjoyed the videos that we watched in this module. I love the idea of youth being able to explore their culture and create something that can be shown to a wide audience. I wanted to see what organizations were out there to support these types of endeavours.

This website is based in the United States but their Resources Section contains links to a whole bunch of other organizations in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
http://filmcatalog.nmai.si.edu/organization/5/

I’ve just featured two of the organizations below, otherwise I would just be reproducing the page.
Going M.I.L.E.S. (motivate, inspire, lead, empower, succeed) promotes positive artistic environments for Aboriginal youth. They have a mentorship program with Aboriginal artists and they promote a variety of the arts, including traditional Aboriginal arts.
http://www.goingmiles.org/

This organization travels around Quebec with their film making equipment to engage youth and help develop media skills as well as positive life skills. Their mission is to help combat isolation and suicide while helping to develop artistic and technical skills while using the creations to help bring awareness to Aboriginal issues.
http://www.wapikoni.ca/home

Catherine