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Button Blanket
This short impressionist documentary looks at the creation of a Button Blanket by integrating the performance of a traditional dance with the art of the West Coast Heiltsuk Nation. <
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Vistas2009 13 filmsVistas - 13 short films on the theme of "nationhood". Produced by the National Film Board of Canada and APTN.
This short impressionist documentary looks at the creation of a Button Blanket by integrating the performance of a traditional dance with the art of the West Coast Heiltsuk Nation.
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writerZoe L. Hopkins
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directorZoe L. Hopkins
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cinematographerHelen Haig-Brown
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editorEliot Piltz
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digital compositorEliot Piltz
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creatorDora Hopkins
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location sound recordistDon Howell
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sound designGael MacLean
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sound supervisionGael MacLean
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music composerDavid Gladstone
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music performerGary NeaslossJohn HumchittDave Green
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dancerUrban Heiltsuk Dancers
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re-recording engineerDoug Paterson
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audio postRukkus House
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post-production servicesHand Cut FilmsFinale Editworks
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production coordinatorTeri Snelgrove
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technical coordinatorWes Machnikowski
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production supervisorKathryn LynchScott Collins
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program administratorBruce HagermanCyndi Forcand
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marketing managerLeslie StaffordKay Leung
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series producerVanessa LoewenJoe MacDonald
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series executive producerDerek MazurPeter Strutt
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producerSelwyn Jacob
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executive producerTracey Friesen
Ages 11 to 17
School subjects
Haida women made button blankets, ceremonial robes that were worn to signify power, hereditary rights, and duties. These blankets were decorated with appliqués of the family clan and crest designs and embellished with pearl buttons. Compare and contrast the significance of blanket buttons and totem poles. Discuss how these blankets maintain the history of the Haida and how the clan markings could be used to trace one’s family tree.
Button Blanket, Zoe L. Hopkins & Dora Hopkins, provided by the National Film Board of Canada