Niigaanibatowaad: FrontRunners
At a special ceremony during the opening of the 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, seven Indigenous men in their fifties entered the stadium in war canoes. One of them held the Games torch. In 1967 when Winnipeg first hosted the Pan American Games, ten outstanding athletic teenage boys were chosen to run 800 kilometers over an ancient message route with the Games torch. When the runners arrived at the stadium, they were not allowed to enter with the torch. Instead, a non-Indigenous runner was given the honour. Thirty-two-years later, the province of Manitoba issued an official apology. Nine …
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PowWow at Duck Lake1967 14 min
At a special ceremony during the opening of the 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, seven Indigenous men in their fifties entered the stadium in war canoes. One of them held the Games torch. In 1967 when Winnipeg first hosted the Pan American Games, ten outstanding athletic teenage boys were chosen to run 800 kilometers over an ancient message route with the Games torch. When the runners arrived at the stadium, they were not allowed to enter with the torch. Instead, a non-Indigenous runner was given the honour. Thirty-two-years later, the province of Manitoba issued an official apology.
Nine of the ten young men chosen for the 1967 Pan Am Games torch run were from residential schools. Niigaanibatowaad is about the segregation of the Indigenous athletes and the despair and abuse suffered in the school system. Niigaanibatowaad: FrontRunners is a story of survival, hope, reconciliation and a dream for a new beginning that transcends hatred and racism.
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directorLori Lewis
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director's mentorJohn Gurdebeke
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writerLaura Robinson
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executive producerPhyllis Laing
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producerLaura RobinsonLori LewisLiz Jarvis
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visual conceptJohn Gurdebeke
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director of photographyDon Lowe
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editorJohn Gurdebeke
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sound designerJohn Gurdebeke
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musicJames Creasey
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castRon DesmoulinsDerek, Jr. GeorgeLori LewisDarren M. FelbelMary BlackPatrick BruyèrePayton WhiteheadRyan McNallyCharles NelsonJeremiah Spence
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spiritual advisorCharles Nelson
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oshkabaywisViolet Caibaiosai
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business affairsDeborah Carlson
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production executiveJean Du Toit
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line productionShelly-Anne Hays
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1st assistant directorAnastasia Geras
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2nd assistant directorCaitlin Brown
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production coordinatorCaitlin Brown
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art directorJason Gibbs
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story editorLaura Phillips
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story consultantCharles NelsonFred HarperPatrick Bruyère
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consultantJohn Gurdebeke
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set decoratorRobert Kestler
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props masterChris Roznowsky
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casting directorJim Heber
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casting assistantJoey Ritchie
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original theatrical castingLaura Robinson
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1st assistant cameraAndrew Forbes
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stills photographerCharles Shilliday
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location soundRuss Dyck
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boom operatorSacha Rosen
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gafferJames Chrysler
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best boyWard Wotton
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key gripReil Munro
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gripRichard DoyleDennis HarperChris RoyJulian SaraySasha SpenceVince Syposh
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rigging gripKevin Glade
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continuityTanya Mazur
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key wardrobeAngela Wells
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key hair stylistEdiena Hawkes
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key makeupBrianne Lewin
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assistant location managerRena Sharfe
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production assistantFaith McDonald
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production accountantRoss Ikeda
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craft serviceBea LetkemanDarlene Sanderson
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craft service assistantJoyce Chene
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online editorTony Wytinck
Warnings: M (sexual abuse and violence mentioned). This film can be used to further discuss and research the social implications of segregation of Indigenous athletes and the despair and abuse inflicted by the residential school system. Why were the Indigenous runners excluded from carrying the torch into the stadium? What is a front runner in an Indigenous context? Discuss the injustice and disappointment the frontrunners would have faced at the end of their journey. Research long- and short-term effects of trauma on a developing child or youth. How could the trauma experienced by the front runners have an intergenerational effect on their families? How is this story reflective of the unjust and unethical treatment Indigenous people have faced throughout Canadian history? How can sports be a healing outlet for children and youth who may experience trauma in their everyday lives? Research whether the perpetrators of psychological and physical harm inflicted on innocent Indigenous children were brought to justice. What sort of consequences should those who inflicted harm be faced with? When it comes to crimes against humanity, is an apology enough?
