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Traditional Fishing (12)
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Beluga DaysPierre Perrault , Bernard Gosselin , … 1968 14 minFrom the lower St. Lawrence, a picture of whale hunting that looks more like a round-up, with a corral, whale-boys and all. In 1534, when he stopped at the island he named l'Île-aux-Coudres, Jacques Cartier saw how the Indigenous People captured the little white beluga whales by setting a fence of saplings into off-shore mud. In the film, the islanders show that the old method still works, thanks to the trusting "sea-pigs," the same old tide, and a little magic. -
June in Povungnituk - Quebec ArcticAlanis Obomsawin 1980 1 minOn a beautiful summer’s day in Nunavik, a family enjoys the pleasures of berry picking and fishing as the sound of two Elders throat-singing fills the environment. Directed by Alanis Obomsawin as part of the Canada Vignettes series.
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Fishing at the Stone Weir: Part 1Quentin Brown 1967 30 minFilmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.
In this episode, it is full summer. The skin tents are up, and it is time to fish.
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Fishing at the Stone Weir: Part 2Quentin Brown 1967 26 minFilmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.
In this episode, the fishing continues. The plentiful catch is stored in stone caches after the women have cleaned it. Some of the fish is cooked in a stone pot.
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Hand.Line.CodJustin Simms 2016 13 minSet in the coldest waters surrounding Newfoundland’s rugged Fogo Island, this short film follows a group of “people of the fish”—traditional fishers who catch cod live by hand, one at a time, by hook and line. Filmmaker Justin Simms takes viewers deep inside the world of these brave fishermen. Travel with them from the early morning hours, spend time on the ocean, and witness the intricacies of a 500-year-old tradition that’s making a comeback.
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Incident at RestigoucheAlanis Obomsawin 1984 45 minOn June 11 and 20, 1981, the Quebec Provincial Police (QPP) raided Restigouche Reserve, Quebec. At issue were the salmon-fishing rights of the Mi’kmaq. Because salmon has traditionally been a source of food and income for the Mi’kmaq, the Quebec government’s decision to restrict fishing aroused consternation and anger. Released in 1984, this groundbreaking and impassioned account of the police raids brought Alanis Obomsawin to international attention. The film features a remarkable on-camera exchange between Obomsawin herself and provincial Minister of Fisheries Lucien Lessard, the man who’d ordered the raid. Decades later, Jeff Barnaby, director of Rhymes for Young Ghouls, cited the film as an inspiration. “That documentary encapsulated the idea of films being a form of social protest for me... It started right there with that film.”
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Jigging for Lake TroutQuentin Brown 1967 31 minFilmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series was an attempt to recreate the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.
In this episode, the man and woman are ice fishing.
Please note that this is an archival film that makes use of the word “Eskimo,” an outdated and offensive term. While the origin of the word is a matter of some contention, it is no longer used in Canada. The term was formally rejected by the Inuit Circumpolar Council in 1980 and has subsequently not been in use at the NFB for decades. This film is therefore a time-capsule of a bygone era, presented in its original version. The NFB apologizes for the offence caused. -
The Land of Jacques CartierRené Bonnière & Pierre Perrault 1960 29 minDid Cartier dream of making a country from this land of a million birds? In his records of his exploration he certainly marvelled at seeing the great auks that have since disappeared from Isle aux Ouaiseaulx, the razor-bills and gannets that are gone from Blanc-Sablon, and the kittiwakes from Anticosti, all the winged creatures of all the islands which he described as being "as full of birds as a meadow is of grass". And that's not even counting the countless snow geese.
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The Lake ManRaymond Garceau 1963 27 min
Alexis Ladouceur's life has the tranquility of his surroundings and he belongs to the lake as much as the fish he lifts from the net or the flight of ducks arrowing over the reeds. By contrast, his brother, who farms nearby, seems of a different world. The film reflects the past story of the Métis, people of mixed French and First Nations' heritage, and the life of their communities.
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Stories Are in Our BonesJanine Windolph 2019 11 minIn this layered short film, filmmaker Janine Windolph takes her young sons fishing with their kokum (grandmother), a residential school survivor who retains a deep knowledge and memory of the land. The act of reconnecting with their homeland is a cultural and familial healing journey for the boys, who are growing up in the city. It’s also a powerful form of resistance for the women.
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Tuktu and the Ten Thousand FishesLaurence Hyde 1967 14 minThis short docu-fiction film tells the story of Tuktu, who is taken on a fishing trip to the ancient stone weir. There, he sees his father and other hunters spear fish in great numbers, and watches his father and his uncle make fire with an Inuit fire drill.
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White-Whale Hunters of Anse-Aux-BasquesRené Bonnière & Pierre Perrault 1960 29 minOn the North Shore of the St. Lawrence, the Otis family hunts for white whales and seals with rusty old rifles in hand-crafted boats. This is the traditional method of the Basque whalers who frequented the coast in the 16th century.
