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History (18)
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Amarok's Song - The Journey to NunavutMartin Kreelak & Ole Gjerstad 1998 1 h 15 minIn this feature-length documentary, three generations of the Caribou Inuit family come together to tell the story of their journey as Canada's last nomads. From the independent life of hunting on the Keewatin tundra to taking the reins of the new territory of Nunavut on April 1, 1999, we see it all.The film is the result of a close collaboration between Ole Gjerstad, a southern Canadian, and Martin Kreelak, an Inuk. It's Martin's family that we follow, as the story is told through his own voice, through those of the Elders, and through those of the teens and young adults who were born in the settlements and form the first generation of those growing up with satellite TV and a permanent home.
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Vignettes from Labrador NorthRoger Hart 1979 4 minThis short film from the Canada Vignettes series chronicles the history of Labrador's Inuit and the role of the Moravian missionaries.
Please note that this is an archival film that makes use of the word “Eskimo,” an outdated and offensive term.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. -
Ever DeadlyChelsea McMullan & Tanya Tagaq 2022 1 h 29 minThis film discusses topics of trauma and abuse. Viewer discretion is advised.
Ever Deadly weaves concert footage with stunning sequences filmed on location in Nunavut, seamlessly bridging landscapes, stories and songs with pain, anger and triumph—all through the expressions of Tanya Tagaq, one of the most innovative musical performers of our time. -
Inconvenient IndianMichelle Latimer 2020 1 h 28 minIn this time of radical change and essential re-examination, Inconvenient Indian brings to life Thomas King’s brilliant dismantling of North America’s colonial narrative, reframing this history with the powerful voices of those continuing the tradition of Indigenous resistance.
Please note: This film was temporarily withdrawn from active distribution after the director’s Indigenous identity was called into question in late 2020, when the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, an Algonquin First Nation, denied any connection to her during a CBC investigation. After 2022 series of meaningful consultations involving all the Indigenous participants whose stories the film presents, as well as the NFB’s Indigenous Advisory Committee, the NFB, 90th Parallel Productions and producer Jesse Wente arrived at an accountable path forward for the film, one that acknowledges the collective contribution of the on-screen Indigenous participants. Inconvenient Indian premiered on APTN on April 8, 2022, and it has been made available on APTN’s online viewing platform.
Inconvenient Indian is available for educational distribution and community screenings, along with supplementary resource material that has been created to encourage reflection and discussion. Please contact the NFB Client Relations and Support team to find out how to obtain the film as an educational resource (classroom use) and for community screenings. -
The Last Days of OkakAnne Budgell & Nigel Markham 1985 23 minThis short documentary tells the story the once-thriving town of Okak, an Inuit settlement on the northern Labrador coast. Moravian missionaries evangelized the coast and encouraged the growth of Inuit settlements, but it was also a Moravian ship that brought the deadly Spanish influenza during the world epidemic of 1919. The Inuit of the area were decimated, and Okak was abandoned. Through diaries, old photos and interviews with survivors, this film relates the story of the epidemic and examines the relations between natives and missionaries.
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Labrador NorthRoger Hart 1973 37 minThis short documentary looks at the government relocation of the Labrador Inuit and the effects on their culture and social structures.
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. -
Mon village au Nunavik (Version Inuktitut)1999 46 minBobby Kenuajuak a 23 ans. Il habite son village de Puvirnituq, situé sur les rives de la baie d'Hudson au Nord du Québec. Le temps de trois saisons, Bobby dirige sa caméra sur ce qui fonde l'âme de son peuple: son espace, son humour, son histoire. Il refuse d'abdiquer la culture des anciens mais apprécie les avantages des incursions des gens du Sud dans le Nord. De Puvirnituq à Akulivik en passant par Maniitouk et Qikisitarvik, les bernaches font se retourner les têtes, la mer est gorgée de poissons, la toundra s'étend à perte de vue. Ce film propose un regard sans nostalgie, tourné vers le monde, d'un jeune Inuk amoureux de son village au Nunavik.
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Martha of the North (Short Version)Marquise Lepage 2008 47 minMartha was only 5 when she and her parents were lured away from their Inuit village. Along with a handful of other families, they were moved to Canada’s most northerly island, Ellesmere, to ensure Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic. They were told that game would be plentiful and life would be easy. Instead, they discovered that the islands of the Arctic are among the least hospitable to human life in the world. For years, they endured hunger and extreme cold. Deprived of the right to an education and a childhood, Martha had to help her family survive. Yet she proved as resilient as the other people from her community who appear in the film. Martha of the North is the story of a journey and a childhood spent in a new and unwelcoming land.
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My Village in NunavikBobby Kenuajuak 1999 46 minShot during 3 seasons, this documentary tenderly portrays village life in Puvirnituq, on the shores of Hudson Bay in northern Quebec, as well as the elements that forge the character of its people: their history, the great open spaces, and their unflagging humour. This film was produced as part of an emerging filmmaker competition for Indigenous filmmakers. It was directed by Bobby Kenuajuak of Puvirnituq, age 23.
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Martha of the NorthMarquise Lepage 2008 1 h 23 minIn the mid-1950s, lured by false promises of a better life, Inuit families were displaced by the Canadian government and left to their own devices in the Far North. In this icy desert realm, Martha Flaherty and her family lived through one of Canadian history’s most sombre and little-known episodes.
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Northwest Frontier1942 29 minThis short documentary depicts the vast expanses of the great Northwest. It illustrates the old fur trade, new mining developments, the importance of church missions, the welfare of First Nations and Inuit peoples and the role of air transportation in drawing this huge territory into the mainstream of Canadian life.
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. -
Nalujuk NightJennie Williams 2021 13 minNalujuk Night is an up close look at an exhilarating, and sometimes terrifying, Labrador Inuit tradition. Every January 6th from the dark of the Nunatsiavut night, the Nalujuit appear on the sea ice. They walk on two legs, yet their faces are animalistic, skeletal, and otherworldly. Snow crunches underfoot as they approach their destination: the Inuit community of Nain.
Despite the frights, Nalujuk Night is a beloved annual event, showing that sometimes it can be fun to be scared. Rarely witnessed outside of Nunatsiavut, this annual event is an exciting chance for Inuit, young and old, to prove their courage and come together as a community to celebrate culture and tradition.
Inuk filmmaker Jennie Williams brings audiences directly into the action in this bone-chilling black and white short documentary about a winter night like no other. -
Nalujuk Unnunga (Inuktitut Version)Jennie Williams 2021 13 minNalujuk Unnunga takunnâvuk Kanittumik Kittainganattumik, ammalu ilangani itsinattotluni, Labrador Inuit piusituKagijanga. Januar 6-imi tamât pisimatlutik tâttumit Nunatsiavut unnungani, taikkua Nalujuit AlakkaKattavut sikummit. PisuKattajut maggonik niunnik atutlutik, kenangit sollu omajut, saunituinnait, ammalu sollu asianit silatsuamit pisimajut. Aputik tusattausok siKullujuk tutittaugami itigakkut tikivallialimmata: Inuit nunalimmit Nainimi.
KuatsâKattagaluappata, Nalujuk Unnunga piutsagijauvuk jâri tamât piniannigijauKattatluni, takutitsijuk ilangani KuvianattoKattavuk itsigiamut. TakutsausiaKattalungituk silatâni Nunatsiavummit, tamanna jâri tamât piniannik Kittainganattuk pivitsaKattisiKattajuk Inunnik, inosuttunik ammalu jârikKutujojunut, takutitsigiamut itsiKattangitonninginnik ammalu katiutigiamut nunalimmiungutlutik ullusiugiamut ilukkusigijaujumik ammalu piusituKagijaujumik.
Inuk taggajâliuttik Jennie Williams takutitsivuk piniannigijauKattajumik iluani tapvani kakillânattumik Kinnitautluni KaKuttautlunillu naittumik sanajausimajumut pitjutiKajumut ukiumi unnusautillugu asiKalugani.
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Pandemic - At the End of the WorldAllan Code 2020 13 minThe Covid pandemic strikes a tragically familiar chord for the Inuvialuit of the Mackenzie River Delta. In the early 19th century John Franklin and his crew infected their ancestors with deadly smallpox. Other devastating epidemics would follow. Historian Randal Pokiak returns to the ancient site of Kitigaaruk, a community abandoned after the great flu epidemic of 1918, to deliver a vivid cautionary tale.
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Through These EyesCharles Laird 2004 55 minAn American elementary school program from the 1970s, Man: A Course of Study (MACOS), looked to the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic to help students see their own society in a new way. At its core was The Netsilik Film Series, an acclaimed benchmark of visual anthropology from the National Film Board that captured a year in the life of an Inuit family, reconstructing an ancient culture on the cusp of contact with the outside world. But the graphic images of the Netsilik people created a clash of values that tore rifts in communities across the U.S. and revealed a fragile relationship between politics and education. A fiery national debate ensued between academic and conservative forces. Through These Eyes looks back at the high stakes of this controversial curriculum. Decades later, as American influence continues to affect cultures worldwide, the story of MACOS resonates strongly.
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KatinniqStephen A. Smith & Julia Szucs 2012 1 h 22 minᕿᒧᔅᓯᖅ ᐅᓯᔪᖅ ᐃᓄᒡᕼᐅᐃᑦ ᐃᓚᒌᓂᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᕗᑦ ᓯᕕᑐᔪᒃᑯᑦ ᓯᑯᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᑯᑭᑦᑐᓂᑦ. ᓯᑰᑉ ᐊᑖ ᐊᐅᑉᐸᓕᐊᑎᓪᓗᒍ --- ᕿᒻᒦᑦ ᒪᐅᕙᑉᐳᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓂᕐᒥᓂ, ᐃᒫᓚᐅᖅᐸᑦᑐᑎ. ᓇᕙᕋᓇ, ᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᒧᑎᒥᑦ ᐃᑭᒪᔪᖅ, ᐊᖏᕈᑎᖃᖅᑯᖅ ᓂᕆᐅᓇᓐᖏᑦᑐᓂᑦ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᐸᓪᓕᐊᔪᓂᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᑕᓕᒫᓄᑦ ᓴᖅᑭᐅᒪᔪᓂᑦ.
1860-ᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᓇᕙᕋᓇᐅᑉ ᓯᕗᕚᖓ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᒐᖃᓲᖅ --- ᐊᖓᒃᑯᖅ ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒻᒥᐅᑕᖅ, ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐊᑎᓕᒃ ᕿᓪᓚᖅᓱᐊᒥᑦ --- ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᐊᔾᔨᐅᖏᑦᑐᒃᑯᑦ ᑲᔾᔮᓇᖅᑐᒃᑯᑦ, ᓯᕗᒃᑲᑕᖅᑐᓂ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᐊᑯᑭᑦᑐᓕᐊᖅᑐᑎ. ᑖᔅᓱᒪ ᐊᖓᒃᑰᑉ ᐃᓚᒌᓕᖅᑐᑎ ᑭᖑᕚᖃᓕᖅᑐᓂ ᓇᕙᕋᓇᒃᑯᓐᓂᑦ ᑐᓴᖃᑦᑕᐅᑎᓕᕆᓂᒃᑯᓪᓗ ᐊᒻᒪᐃᓪᓗᓂ. ᐊᕐᕌᒍᐃᑦ 150 ᐅᖓᑖᓄᑦ, ᓇᕙᕋᓇ ᕿᓪᓚᖅᓱᐊᑉ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᕕᒥᓂᖓᓂᑦ ᑐᔾᔭᐃᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᐅᑎᒧᖔᖅ ᑲᓇᑕᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐳᓚᕋᓕᖅᑐᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᒥᐅᑕᓄᑦ ᐃᓪᓗᒃᑯᖏᓐᓄᑦ.
ᓇᕙᕋᓇ ᐃᓚᒥᓂ ᐃᓚᖃᖅᑐᓂ ᑕᒪᒃᑮᓂᑦ ᐊᑯᑭᑦᑐᕐᒥᐅᓂᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥᐅᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᖅᓯᐅᑎᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᐊᓯᕙᖃᑎᖃᖅᑯᖅ. ᑕᑯᔭᖃᖅᑯᕐᓗ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᓐᖏᓐᓂᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᐊᑦᑐᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ ᓯᓚᑎᒥᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕿᒪᐃᓐᓇᕋᔅᓴᐅᖏᑦᑐᓂᑦ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᖅᑐᓂᑦ ᐊᓯᕙᕐᓂᕆᕙᑦᑕᖏᑕ ᐱᔾᔪᓯᖏᓐᓄᑦ. ᐊᑐᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᑎᒍᑦ, ᓇᕙᕋᓇ ᓂᕆᐅᑉᐳᖅ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᔭᖅᓯᒪᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᓪᓗᐊᑕᓂᑦ ᓱᓕᔪᓂᑦ ᓴᖅᑮᔪᒫᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᓕᐅᕈᑎᑦᑎᐊᕙᐅᓗᓯ ᐊᓐᓇᐅᒪᓂᒃᑯᑦ.
ᖁᕕᐊᓲᑎᖃᖅᑯᖅ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᓄᓇᓖᒃ ᑲᓲᑎᕙᓐᓂᖏᓐᓄᒃ, ᓇᕙᕋᓇ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᓂᕐᒥᑦ ᓂᕆᐅᓐᓂᖃᕐᓂᒥᓪᓗ ᒪᑭᒪᔾᔪᑎᖃᖅᐸᑉᐳᖅ ᓯᕗᕚᖏᑕ ᐆᒻᒪᔾᔭᕆᓚᐅᕐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᓕᖅᑐᖅ ᓯᓚᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓇᒻᒥᓇᖅᑐᓂᑦ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᒥᒍᑦ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᕙᑎᓕᕆᓂᒃᑯᑦ.
Click here for the English version
Click here for the Greenlandic version, Katinngat -
Vanishing PointStephen A. Smith & Julia Szucs 2012 1 h 22 minThis feature documentary tells the story of 2 Inuit communities of the circumpolar north—one on Canada’s Baffin Island, the other in Northwest Greenland—that are linked by a migration led by an intrepid shaman. Navarana, an Inughuit elder and descendant of the shaman, draws inspiration and hope from the ties that still bind the 2 communities to face the consequences of rapid social and environmental change.
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Katinngat2012 1 h 22 minIlaqutariit Inughuit qimussimik ingerlaarput Kalaallit Nunaanni sikumi isorartoorsuarmi. Ingerlaarfissualli aakkiartorpoq, qimmillu siku aserortertoq nakkarfigisarpaat, nakkarfigisarlugu Issittumi imartaq nilleqisoq.
Angalaqatigiinni utoqqartap Navaranap, akueriartuaalerpaa Issittumi inuiaat tamarmik allanngoriartornermik siornatigut aqqusaarsimanngisaannakkaminnik aqqusaarneqalersut. 1860-ikkunni Navaranap siulersua takorluuillaqqissorsuaq – angakkorsuaq Canadami Baffin Island-imeersoq, Qitdlarssuarmik atilik – angalanermut tusaamaneqaqisumut ilaavoq, naggueqatigiit Inuit Kalaallit Nunaannut ingerlaarnerannik kinguneqartumik. Tassa taassuma angakkorsuup nunassaminik ujaasinerata aakkut naggueqatigiinnerit uummaarissut, sakkunillu atortunillu ineriartortitsinerit, Navaranap siulianut nunassarsiortunut katinngaserpai. Ukiut 150-it sinnerlugit qaangiummata Navarana siulersuarmi nunaanut angalavoq, attaveqarfiginiarlugit Canadamiittut ungasissukkut illooraqqiutini.
Navaranapangalaqatigaiilaqutariitnunanisumiiffinnimarlunniassigiinngitsuneersut, ukiumoortumik piniariarlutik angalaneranni. Isiginnaarpai qanoq taakkua aatsigut naggueqatigiit Inuit, allanngorarnernut avataaneersunit sunniutaasunut, piniarnermilu ileqqutoqqanut sunniuteqartunut qimarratigisinnaanngisaminnut, assigiinngunik periuseqarlutik imminnut tulluarsartarsimanerat. Misilittakkani aallaavigalugit neriuuteqarpoq inuiaqatimi ataannarnissaanut matuersaat toqqagassanut eqqortunut ammaassisinnaasoq nassaarisinnaassallugu.
Navarana eqqarsaatersortinneqarpoq neriuuteqalersinneqarlunilu inuiaqatigiit taakkua suli imminnut ataqatigiinneraniit, minnerunngitsumillu siulersuarmi ersigisaqaratik angalasarsimasunit kingornussassaanit, ukiuni issittumi inuusut inuiaat oqaluttuarisaanerminni inuiaqatigiittut avatangiisitigullu aatsaat taama unammillerneqarnerisa nalaanni.
