Eight teens at Innalik school in a remote town in northern Quebec document…
People of the Ice
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
For over 4,000 years, the Inuit have lived in harmony with their Arctic environment. In this frozen landscape, survival depends on a deep understanding of the natural world. Today, global warming threatens the very nature of their habitat. As the ice disappears, so does the Inuit culture it is intimately connected to. Ever-changing temperatures have even made predicting the Arctic climate difficult. Will this extraordinarily resilient people be able to adjust to such dramatic change? People of the Ice looks at climate change through the eyes of Inuit from several generations. Sheila Watts-Cloutier, president of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, also weighs in on the issue. In Cloutier's view, as the planet heats up, the Inuit must draw on their ancient traditions to survive. Arctic Mission is a collection of five documentary films that explore the impact of global warming on Canada's North.
Citation
Main credits
Ferrand, Carlos (film director)
Ferrand, Carlos (screenwriter)
Lemire, Jean (screenwriter)
Piantanida, Thierry (screenwriter)
Michel, Eric (film producer)
Suzuki, David T. (narrator)
Other credits
Director of photography, Carlos Ferrand; picture editing, Dominique Sicotte; original music, Ganesh Anandan.
Distributor subjects
Environment and Conservation - Aboriginal Concerns, Environment and Conservation - Arctic Plants and Wildlife, Environment and Conservation - Arctic Region, Environment and Conservation - Environmental Perspectives, Fishing and Hunting Industries - Arctic Fisheries, Fishing and Hunting Industries - Arctic Hunting, Fishing and Hunting Industries - Hunting, Fishing and Hunting Industries - Inuit, Geography and Geology - Arctic Region, Geography and Geology - Climate, Inuit - Environmental Issues, Inuit - Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon, Inuit - Traditional way of life, DocumentaryKeywords
WEBVTT
00:00:04.041 --> 00:00:06.291
(ice breaking)
00:00:36.917 --> 00:00:39.750
(Inuit throat singing)
00:01:06.542 --> 00:01:09.290
(narrator): The Arctic.
00:01:09.291 --> 00:01:11.998
The top of the world.
00:01:11.999 --> 00:01:14.124
Three months of warm weather,
00:01:14.125 --> 00:01:15.998
nine months of freezing cold.
00:01:15.999 --> 00:01:20.249
And that\'s just the way
the Inuit like it!
00:01:20.250 --> 00:01:23.332
When winter comes
and the sea turns to ice,
00:01:23.333 --> 00:01:27.332
their territory
becomes twice as large.
00:01:27.333 --> 00:01:30.792
The horizon seems limitless.
00:01:31.750 --> 00:01:34.083
(birds cawing)
00:01:36.999 --> 00:01:39.792
(dogs whimpering)
00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:51.165
The Inuit have been living
on this land
00:01:51.166 --> 00:01:52.833
for thousands of years.
00:01:52.834 --> 00:01:53.916
At the turn of the 20th century,
00:01:53.917 --> 00:01:58.457
barely 5,000 Inuit
lived in the Canadian Arctic.
00:01:58.458 --> 00:02:02.834
Today,
there are more than 45,000.
00:02:10.999 --> 00:02:16.666
Meeka Mike is one of only
a few female guides in Nunavut,
00:02:16.667 --> 00:02:19.582
the autonomous territory
of the Inuit.
00:02:19.583 --> 00:02:21.124
For the past week,
00:02:21.125 --> 00:02:22.165
the dogs have been sick.
00:02:22.166 --> 00:02:24.833
Meeka depends on them
to earn her living.
00:02:24.834 --> 00:02:27.998
Their strength
sapped by a virus,
00:02:27.999 --> 00:02:29.998
they are unable to run
or draw the sled.
00:02:29.999 --> 00:02:34.041
They need fresh meat
to get stronger again.
00:02:35.333 --> 00:02:37.374
Meeka must get 110 seals
00:02:37.375 --> 00:02:40.917
every year to feed them.
00:02:47.250 --> 00:02:50.707
Most people
living in the Great North
00:02:50.708 --> 00:02:51.998
practice subsistence hunting
and fishing.
00:02:51.999 --> 00:02:54.833
Meeka had no trouble
getting some friends together
00:02:54.834 --> 00:02:56.999
to go on the trip.
00:03:20.708 --> 00:03:24.749
Meeka hunts with a partner,
Joshua Kango.
00:03:24.750 --> 00:03:25.998
Like Joshua,
00:03:25.999 --> 00:03:28.666
Pauloosie was born in an igloo.
00:03:28.667 --> 00:03:30.040
He and Mishima
00:03:30.041 --> 00:03:33.708
round out the team.
00:03:35.834 --> 00:03:36.625
To them,
00:03:36.626 --> 00:03:40.332
hunting and fishing are as much
a source of pleasure
00:03:40.333 --> 00:03:42.999
as they are a necessity.
00:03:45.959 --> 00:03:48.750
- Look, a seal just came out!
00:03:59.542 --> 00:04:02.207
(narrator): Hunting, fishing...
00:04:02.208 --> 00:04:03.083
Waiting.
00:04:03.084 --> 00:04:06.082
Always waiting for the animal
that will feed them.
00:04:06.083 --> 00:04:12.125
Always in their minds,
the memory of famines of old.
00:04:15.625 --> 00:04:18.291
- Over there, a seal.
00:04:20.125 --> 00:04:23.165
(narrator): It has only been
a short time
00:04:23.166 --> 00:04:25.749
since the introduction
of Western values
00:04:25.750 --> 00:04:27.040
disrupted the flow of tradition.
00:04:27.041 --> 00:04:31.583
Recently, a new source
of turmoil has emerged.
00:04:32.500 --> 00:04:35.124
- Did you see any caribou
in the mountain?
00:04:35.125 --> 00:04:39.999
(narrator): The environment
has become less predictable.
00:04:47.041 --> 00:04:51.542
- As soon as it starts to
warm up, the ice melts quickly.
00:05:14.667 --> 00:05:19.208
I was afraid the ice would crack
and I would fall into the water.
00:05:25.250 --> 00:05:26.582
(narrator): As a child,
00:05:26.583 --> 00:05:29.998
Pauloosie lived in this region
with his family.
00:05:29.999 --> 00:05:34.707
He still wears the mittens his
father gave him 20 years ago,
00:05:34.708 --> 00:05:39.917
made from the skin
of a polar bear he hunted.
00:05:55.500 --> 00:05:58.040
- I see some snowmobiles
over there.
00:05:58.041 --> 00:05:59.749
- Far away?
00:05:59.750 --> 00:06:02.208
- Yes, quite far away.
00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:08.040
(narrator): Hunting
is so essential to survival
00:06:08.041 --> 00:06:09.374
that every good hunter
00:06:09.375 --> 00:06:12.833
is rewarded
with the respect and gratitude
00:06:12.834 --> 00:06:15.083
of the community.
00:06:16.542 --> 00:06:19.791
At the heart of the Inuit
people\'s ability to survive
00:06:19.792 --> 00:06:25.542
is an intimate knowledge of the
environment and its wildlife.
00:06:29.291 --> 00:06:32.083
- Is this where you grew up?
00:06:36.917 --> 00:06:38.457
- When I was a child,
00:06:38.458 --> 00:06:41.916
I lived over in that direction.
00:06:41.917 --> 00:06:44.333
That\'s where I lived.
00:06:49.917 --> 00:06:51.999
(gunshot)
00:06:55.208 --> 00:06:59.166
(narrator):
The first seal of the day.
00:07:17.083 --> 00:07:18.749
Mishima must get to the seal
00:07:18.750 --> 00:07:22.959
before it sinks
to the bottom of the water.
00:08:18.917 --> 00:08:22.332
The Inuit\'s language,
their culture, their art,
00:08:22.333 --> 00:08:24.165
their technology...
00:08:24.166 --> 00:08:25.749
All derive from sila.
00:08:25.750 --> 00:08:30.749
Sila is the Inuit word
for temperature or atmosphere;
00:08:30.750 --> 00:08:34.625
it also means
\"intelligence of the world.\"
00:08:36.375 --> 00:08:40.249
- Everything that happens
in the world, in the planet,
00:08:40.250 --> 00:08:42.749
happens here first.
00:08:42.750 --> 00:08:44.582
That\'s how it works.
00:08:44.583 --> 00:08:48.249
We are the health barometer
for the rest of the world,
00:08:48.250 --> 00:08:49.457
the health indicator.
00:08:49.458 --> 00:08:53.998
And because we\'re a people
who live off the ice and snow,
00:08:53.999 --> 00:08:59.541
we see the most minute
of changes, immediately.
00:08:59.542 --> 00:09:01.791
\'Cause we\'re on the land
every day,
00:09:01.792 --> 00:09:04.165
hunting, fishing, gathering.
00:09:04.166 --> 00:09:07.499
(narrator): Sheila Watt-Cloutier
is the grandmother of young Lee
00:09:07.500 --> 00:09:11.124
and President of the Inuit
Circumpolar Conference,
00:09:11.125 --> 00:09:13.998
which works to strengthen ties
00:09:13.999 --> 00:09:16.998
between the world\'s
150,000 Inuit.
00:09:16.999 --> 00:09:19.958
- He\'s named
after his grandfather,
00:09:19.959 --> 00:09:24.250
and then
his two great-grandfathers.
00:09:33.999 --> 00:09:38.998
If the snow and ice are melting
right before our eyes
00:09:38.999 --> 00:09:40.416
and right under our feet,
00:09:40.417 --> 00:09:44.541
and our hunters
are now falling through the ice,
00:09:44.542 --> 00:09:45.958
it\'s because it\'s unpredictable,
00:09:45.959 --> 00:09:49.124
where what you see on
the surface is not necessarily
00:09:49.125 --> 00:09:52.791
what the ice really looks like
through the depth of it.
00:09:52.792 --> 00:09:58.541
If it\'s melting from underneath,
then all the rules are changing.
00:09:58.542 --> 00:10:01.375
So how do we deal with that?
00:11:05.041 --> 00:11:06.916
(narrator): Joshua\'s campsite
00:11:06.917 --> 00:11:08.749
is accessible by land and water
00:11:08.750 --> 00:11:11.833
and often serves as a refuge
for lost hunters
00:11:11.834 --> 00:11:13.998
or those caught by a storm.
00:11:13.999 --> 00:11:15.998
It has neither key,
00:11:15.999 --> 00:11:18.125
nor lock.
00:11:36.041 --> 00:11:37.916
Far from the bustle of Iqaluit,
00:11:37.917 --> 00:11:43.125
the camp is a place
that inspires dreams of plenty.
00:11:50.708 --> 00:11:53.125
(throat singing)
00:12:04.999 --> 00:12:07.125
(ice breaking)
00:12:18.500 --> 00:12:21.333
- Here, you can breathe easy.
00:12:22.041 --> 00:12:23.749
Every time I come here,
00:12:23.750 --> 00:12:26.917
I feel a sense of well-being.
00:12:31.500 --> 00:12:35.165
(narrator): Meeka has found
a stream of fresh water.
00:12:35.166 --> 00:12:37.290
It\'s the best water
00:12:37.291 --> 00:12:39.666
for making tea,
pure like the water
00:12:39.667 --> 00:12:42.998
her father drank
before it was affected
00:12:42.999 --> 00:12:44.249
by pollutants.
00:12:44.250 --> 00:12:45.998
Meeka likes travelling,
00:12:45.999 --> 00:12:48.249
especially in Italy.
00:12:48.250 --> 00:12:49.582
But what she wants most
00:12:49.583 --> 00:12:52.998
is to follow in the footsteps
of her ancestors
00:12:52.999 --> 00:12:54.499
and lead an autonomous life,
00:12:54.500 --> 00:12:58.542
a life like before
the white man came.
00:13:09.999 --> 00:13:13.082
- Many of us
are starting to think deeply
00:13:13.083 --> 00:13:15.124
about these issues.
00:13:15.125 --> 00:13:16.416
Why have we come
00:13:16.417 --> 00:13:21.998
from such a highly independent
way of living to now,
00:13:21.999 --> 00:13:22.999
highly dependent,
00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:27.416
be it to substances,
institutions, processes...
00:13:27.417 --> 00:13:29.291
You know?
00:13:32.875 --> 00:13:37.998
We have the highest
suicide rates in North America.
00:13:37.999 --> 00:13:40.457
The answers lie,
00:13:40.458 --> 00:13:42.624
in my opinion,
00:13:42.625 --> 00:13:44.124
in our culture,
00:13:44.125 --> 00:13:45.998
our hunt, our food.
00:13:45.999 --> 00:13:49.040
All of those answers
lie in our tradition
00:13:49.041 --> 00:13:50.374
and our culture,
00:13:50.375 --> 00:13:51.999
because when our children
00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:54.874
are traditionally taught
on the land,
00:13:54.875 --> 00:13:56.998
they are taught not only
00:13:56.999 --> 00:13:58.749
the technical skills
00:13:58.750 --> 00:14:00.916
of surviving on the land,
00:14:00.917 --> 00:14:02.998
you are taught character,
00:14:02.999 --> 00:14:04.998
you are taught to be patient,
00:14:04.999 --> 00:14:06.833
to be bold under pressure,
00:14:06.834 --> 00:14:09.791
to be able to handle stress,
00:14:09.792 --> 00:14:11.416
to be courageous,
00:14:11.417 --> 00:14:12.958
to be creative.
00:14:12.959 --> 00:14:17.999
All things required
to survive life.
00:14:19.333 --> 00:14:21.541
(scratchy voices over radio)
00:14:21.542 --> 00:14:23.958
(narrator): The surface area
of the Arctic
00:14:23.959 --> 00:14:26.666
represents one-third
of the area of Canada.
00:14:26.667 --> 00:14:29.998
Two-million square kilometres,
00:14:29.999 --> 00:14:33.999
and 21 kilometres of asphalt.
00:14:36.999 --> 00:14:41.541
Pangnirtung, or Pang,
Meeka\'s native village,
00:14:41.542 --> 00:14:43.874
is located one hour by plane,
00:14:43.875 --> 00:14:46.124
or one week by dogsled,
00:14:46.125 --> 00:14:48.500
from Iqaluit.
00:14:54.999 --> 00:14:57.834
(dog barking, child screaming)
00:15:02.792 --> 00:15:04.958
This is where Meeka grew up.
00:15:04.959 --> 00:15:09.332
She knows everyone
in this village of 1,200 souls.
00:15:09.333 --> 00:15:12.583
She has come
to visit her father.
00:15:22.125 --> 00:15:25.624
Meeka and her father are
passionate about technology...
00:15:25.625 --> 00:15:29.165
The old kind and the new.
00:15:29.166 --> 00:15:32.333
These are the tools of survival.
00:16:04.500 --> 00:16:07.458
- I think they\'re finished.
00:16:15.750 --> 00:16:18.083
I can see very well.
00:16:24.999 --> 00:16:29.666
On the plains, long ago,
we used them like sunglasses.
00:16:29.667 --> 00:16:34.250
They prevented us
from going blind from the snow.
00:16:34.875 --> 00:16:37.958
- Were all glasses
made the same way?
00:16:37.959 --> 00:16:42.542
- I remember that glasses were
made out of caribou antlers.
00:16:53.583 --> 00:16:55.541
They\'re just fine!
00:16:55.542 --> 00:16:57.500
(laughter)
00:17:05.041 --> 00:17:09.959
- In the photo, we see my dad
and my younger brother.
00:17:10.999 --> 00:17:14.998
When we were young,
we would observe our father.
00:17:14.999 --> 00:17:17.542
That\'s how I learned.
00:17:19.500 --> 00:17:23.542
We camped all summer long
and we hunted caribou.
00:17:25.999 --> 00:17:29.500
Now, I ask him questions
when I need to.
00:17:32.792 --> 00:17:37.500
As a child, I learned from
my mother how to dry out hides.
00:17:39.750 --> 00:17:42.707
She showed me
how to help her make mittens
00:17:42.708 --> 00:17:45.041
and the linings of boots.
00:17:50.667 --> 00:17:53.542
She died when I was young.
00:17:55.792 --> 00:18:00.375
Today, I try to remember
hw she would have done things.
00:18:04.999 --> 00:18:07.333
- It doesn\'t fit very well.
00:18:08.250 --> 00:18:10.959
How does it work?
00:18:12.667 --> 00:18:14.959
Like this, maybe?
00:18:19.750 --> 00:18:21.332
Quite a can-opener!
00:18:21.333 --> 00:18:24.750
It doesn\'t want to co-operate.
00:18:25.458 --> 00:18:27.792
(can-opener whirring)
00:18:35.999 --> 00:18:38.666
(laughter)
(phone ringing)
00:18:38.667 --> 00:18:40.582
- We are a people
that are very resilient.
00:18:40.583 --> 00:18:43.332
We are a people
that are very adaptable.
00:18:43.333 --> 00:18:47.457
Because we have always adapted
to changes in weather,
00:18:47.458 --> 00:18:50.417
in all of the seasons and so on.
00:18:51.417 --> 00:18:52.582
I mean, to be able
00:18:52.583 --> 00:18:55.666
to build homes
out of snow warm enough
00:18:55.667 --> 00:18:58.207
for your babies
to sleep in naked,
00:18:58.208 --> 00:19:00.542
that\'s ingenuity!
00:19:08.834 --> 00:19:10.165
With everything that we have,
00:19:10.166 --> 00:19:13.082
we\'ve been able to survive
for a millennia.
00:19:13.083 --> 00:19:14.958
But you know,
00:19:14.959 --> 00:19:17.542
adaptation has its limits, too.
00:19:23.250 --> 00:19:25.374
- It\'s not the best piece
of wood.
00:19:25.375 --> 00:19:27.959
It\'s a little long.
00:19:28.999 --> 00:19:32.582
(narrator): Inuit knowledge
is passed on by example.
00:19:32.583 --> 00:19:33.624
Meeka likes to say
00:19:33.625 --> 00:19:37.082
that her father
is her favourite book.
00:19:37.083 --> 00:19:39.333
(saw running)
00:19:51.291 --> 00:19:55.375
- Hey, thanks!
Thanks, neighbour.
00:19:57.000 --> 00:20:00.416
(narrator): After spending
his entire life in Pangnirtung,
00:20:00.417 --> 00:20:06.249
Jamesee Mike has forged
tight links with the community.
00:20:06.250 --> 00:20:07.041
Without being asked,
00:20:07.042 --> 00:20:10.332
a neighbour brings over
a little something for supper:
00:20:10.333 --> 00:20:13.083
some delicious Arctic char.
00:20:24.250 --> 00:20:27.417
(voice over radio)
00:20:36.999 --> 00:20:38.666
Alienation,
00:20:38.667 --> 00:20:40.499
loss of cultural identity:
00:20:40.500 --> 00:20:42.541
for the people
of the Great North,
00:20:42.542 --> 00:20:44.998
these are severe threats.
00:20:44.999 --> 00:20:46.998
Pangnirtung is a dry village:
00:20:46.999 --> 00:20:49.958
alcohol and drugs
are prohibited.
00:20:49.959 --> 00:20:54.125
Despite the ban,
the menace is ever-present.
00:20:55.750 --> 00:20:58.124
Lack of work
is a constant problem,
00:20:58.125 --> 00:21:00.374
and suicide claims new victims
00:21:00.375 --> 00:21:02.582
with depressing regularity.
00:21:02.583 --> 00:21:06.499
Meeka has lost too many
friends and family members
00:21:06.500 --> 00:21:10.041
to not feel concerned.
00:21:22.166 --> 00:21:27.125
- This is where I grew up.
00:21:27.917 --> 00:21:32.290
Since my childhood, we\'ve
been through a lot of upheaval.
00:21:32.291 --> 00:21:34.416
We would go to school
like Whites,
00:21:34.417 --> 00:21:36.249
but whenever we went home,
00:21:36.250 --> 00:21:39.333
we were completely Inuit.
00:21:39.959 --> 00:21:43.998
I know that I felt
very confused.
00:21:43.999 --> 00:21:46.749
We didn\'t know which was best.
00:21:46.750 --> 00:21:51.998
Now, I realize that the Inuit
way of life is very good.
00:21:51.999 --> 00:21:54.917
Everyone helps each other out.
00:21:58.083 --> 00:22:01.332
I don\'t want us to forget
who we are
00:22:01.333 --> 00:22:02.998
and how we survived.
00:22:02.999 --> 00:22:03.999
But sadly, today,
00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:08.500
we are neglecting our traditions
a little too much.
00:22:46.999 --> 00:22:48.749
(narrator): For 4,000 years,
00:22:48.750 --> 00:22:50.749
Inuit civilization has thrived
00:22:50.750 --> 00:22:52.040
around Cape Dorset.
00:22:52.041 --> 00:22:57.000
Its open waters make it possible
to fish here all year round.
00:23:01.834 --> 00:23:04.998
Charged with energy,
this volcanic land
00:23:04.999 --> 00:23:06.998
has witnessed the birth
00:23:06.999 --> 00:23:09.541
of many shamans and artists.
00:23:09.542 --> 00:23:15.625
Today, Cape Dorset art is
the most valued in the Arctic.
00:23:28.083 --> 00:23:28.999
Mr. Namoonai Ashoona
00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:32.499
is one of the most revered
elders in the region.
00:23:32.500 --> 00:23:33.624
People call upon him
00:23:33.625 --> 00:23:38.667
when they want to decipher
the codes of ancestral life.
00:23:40.999 --> 00:23:44.916
He comes from a long line
of hunter-artists.
00:23:44.917 --> 00:23:46.165
His unfailing memory
00:23:46.166 --> 00:23:51.125
makes him a valued guide
for the entire community.
00:23:57.458 --> 00:23:58.458
- There!
00:23:58.459 --> 00:24:02.874
At the top, that\'s the flame
of the oil lamp...
00:24:02.875 --> 00:24:07.125
which we call ikummariastsiaq.
00:24:23.458 --> 00:24:24.958
We, the Inuit,
00:24:24.959 --> 00:24:27.749
were part of one big family...
00:24:27.750 --> 00:24:29.874
with our grandparents...
00:24:29.875 --> 00:24:32.542
There were a lot of us.
00:24:38.708 --> 00:24:40.874
We took good care of the dogs.
00:24:40.875 --> 00:24:45.250
We trained the dog-teams.
00:24:50.333 --> 00:24:51.998
Our only tools were our teeth.
00:24:51.999 --> 00:24:56.083
That\'s how we helped
our father out, as men.
00:25:02.083 --> 00:25:05.916
We would play with the bones.
00:25:05.917 --> 00:25:07.416
That\'s all we had to play with.
00:25:07.417 --> 00:25:12.750
Bones from seals,
walruses and caribou.
00:25:22.583 --> 00:25:25.958
The toys were a way
to put into practice
00:25:25.959 --> 00:25:28.082
what we learned
from our fathers,
00:25:28.083 --> 00:25:30.999
and girls from their mothers.
00:25:34.250 --> 00:25:35.998
It wasn\'t perfect...
00:25:35.999 --> 00:25:40.917
but I find it was more efficient
and healthier.
00:25:43.458 --> 00:25:45.916
When food and fat
was available...
00:25:45.917 --> 00:25:48.958
we kept warm
with the fat in winter...
00:25:48.959 --> 00:25:51.750
and the sun in summer.
00:25:53.458 --> 00:25:57.125
That\'s how it was,
and life was good.
00:26:12.083 --> 00:26:15.040
(narrator): Kuv, one of the best
hunters in the region,
00:26:15.041 --> 00:26:18.332
has invited Namoonai Ashoona
to go hunting with him.
00:26:18.333 --> 00:26:20.374
Kuv\'s own father died young,
00:26:20.375 --> 00:26:23.874
and he likes having an elder
at his side on his trips.
00:26:23.875 --> 00:26:26.207
But it\'s expensive
to leave the village.
00:26:26.208 --> 00:26:27.749
In the Arctic,
00:26:27.750 --> 00:26:29.791
gas, the boat and supplies
00:26:29.792 --> 00:26:33.582
cost twice as much
as in the South.
00:26:33.583 --> 00:26:35.165
For some, going on a hunt
00:26:35.166 --> 00:26:38.666
has become an activity
they can no longer afford.
00:26:38.667 --> 00:26:39.291
Mr. Ashoona
00:26:39.292 --> 00:26:44.166
has not been able to leave
the village in five years.
00:26:48.792 --> 00:26:52.998
Also going on the hunt
is Kuv\'s son, Toby.
00:26:52.999 --> 00:26:54.749
The young generation of Inuit
00:26:54.750 --> 00:27:00.041
needs elders who will pass on
the ancestral knowledge.
00:27:01.999 --> 00:27:04.458
- I\'m thrilled!
00:27:08.667 --> 00:27:09.998
Because of my health,
00:27:09.999 --> 00:27:14.083
I haven\'t been able to come
in a long time.
00:27:14.999 --> 00:27:17.999
I\'m happy to be here again.
00:27:23.583 --> 00:27:27.874
We\'re heading for the place
where I grew up.
00:27:27.875 --> 00:27:29.959
(gunshot)
00:27:31.999 --> 00:27:33.624
(narrator): A seal.
00:27:33.625 --> 00:27:36.999
The group will eat well tonight.
00:28:11.041 --> 00:28:12.582
- This lake...
00:28:12.583 --> 00:28:13.999
was full of water.
00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:16.499
The level was much higher.
00:28:16.500 --> 00:28:17.998
Now it\'s almost dry.
00:28:17.999 --> 00:28:22.166
I don\'t know why the water level
has dropped.
00:28:35.750 --> 00:28:38.500
I just don\'t understand it.
00:28:52.208 --> 00:28:54.833
(narrator): \"This is where
Kuv raised his family
00:28:54.834 --> 00:28:57.290
before going to live in town.
For many Inuit,
00:28:57.291 --> 00:29:01.207
living in a house
has become a necessary evil.
00:29:01.208 --> 00:29:06.208
But the camps
are where real life happens.
00:29:11.834 --> 00:29:14.916
The canvas of this tent is new.
00:29:14.917 --> 00:29:15.998
Kuv had to replace it
00:29:15.999 --> 00:29:18.998
when a polar bear tore it
a few weeks ago.
00:29:18.999 --> 00:29:22.040
It was the third time
in two years.
00:29:22.041 --> 00:29:26.125
Only the old door
survived the attacks.
00:29:38.999 --> 00:29:40.707
After a 30-year absence,
00:29:40.708 --> 00:29:44.750
Mr. Ashoona
is back on his old land.
00:29:52.750 --> 00:29:55.166
(throat singing)
00:30:31.834 --> 00:30:34.166
(radio static)
00:30:40.792 --> 00:30:43.416
In the isolated communities
of the Great North,
00:30:43.417 --> 00:30:47.207
radio acts as a web
to join them together.
00:30:47.208 --> 00:30:52.917
The danger of getting lost
weighs constantly on the hunter.
00:30:53.417 --> 00:30:58.040
Kuv is known as someone who
never refuses a distress call.
00:30:58.041 --> 00:31:02.207
He holds the record for
the most rescues in the region.
00:31:02.208 --> 00:31:06.916
The unpredictable climate of
recent years has kept him busy.
00:31:06.917 --> 00:31:10.208
(tinny music on radio)
00:31:12.250 --> 00:31:16.791
- Nature and the climate
are changing;
00:31:16.792 --> 00:31:20.333
even the wind
has changed directions.
00:31:24.750 --> 00:31:25.874
Before,
00:31:25.875 --> 00:31:29.750
we would observe
everything around us.
00:31:34.959 --> 00:31:37.707
Today, we still try to do that.
00:31:37.708 --> 00:31:41.082
But because the weather
is changing,
00:31:41.083 --> 00:31:43.998
we are concerned...
00:31:43.999 --> 00:31:46.542
for our environment.
00:31:50.125 --> 00:31:54.959
Things have become
unpredictable.
00:31:57.708 --> 00:32:00.999
We don\'t really understand...
00:32:05.250 --> 00:32:06.791
I don\'t know
00:32:06.792 --> 00:32:08.833
what\'s happening...
00:32:08.834 --> 00:32:10.874
to our world,
00:32:10.875 --> 00:32:13.125
our universe.
00:32:37.375 --> 00:32:40.333
(child imitating bird cawing)
00:33:08.542 --> 00:33:11.542
Here\'s a beautiful old knife.
00:33:17.041 --> 00:33:22.291
Very useful for the large,
hard part of the walrus.
00:33:28.708 --> 00:33:32.998
It\'s also very good
for cutting sealskin...
00:33:32.999 --> 00:33:35.875
and caribou.
00:33:36.999 --> 00:33:40.708
I\'m never without this knife.
00:33:56.792 --> 00:33:59.500
I\'ve had it for a long time.
00:34:00.999 --> 00:34:04.000
Since around 1930.
00:34:06.875 --> 00:34:07.916
Before I die,
00:34:07.917 --> 00:34:10.749
I\'m not going to say to someone,
00:34:10.750 --> 00:34:13.332
\"Here, it\'s for you.\"
00:34:13.333 --> 00:34:16.083
Some one will choose it.
00:34:17.999 --> 00:34:19.874
One of my sons,
00:34:19.875 --> 00:34:22.959
or one of my grandsons.
00:34:28.999 --> 00:34:32.582
- I hope we\'ll get there
before low tide.
00:34:32.583 --> 00:34:35.332
(narrator): Four-hundred
kilometres from Cape Dorset,
00:34:35.333 --> 00:34:38.207
Joshua and Meeka
are searching for food
00:34:38.208 --> 00:34:41.249
as the Inuit have always done.
00:34:41.250 --> 00:34:44.959
- You haven\'t seen any seals?
00:34:50.375 --> 00:34:51.791
- No!
00:34:51.792 --> 00:34:54.040
Not even any bearded seals.
00:34:54.041 --> 00:34:57.333
- The weather\'s not too good.
00:35:08.792 --> 00:35:13.082
(narrator): They are looking
for caribou to feed the dogs,
00:35:13.083 --> 00:35:15.207
who have not eaten in two days.
00:35:15.208 --> 00:35:17.998
But they won\'t kill
an old caribou,
00:35:17.999 --> 00:35:20.040
because it has very little fat.
00:35:20.041 --> 00:35:23.959
Gestating females
are also spared.
00:35:29.542 --> 00:35:30.998
- It\'s a great spot.
00:35:30.999 --> 00:35:32.749
Surely there are caribou
around here.
00:35:32.750 --> 00:35:36.791
Because there\'s plenty
of food for caribou over there.
00:35:36.792 --> 00:35:40.417
(Joshua singing)
00:35:57.834 --> 00:36:00.958
(narrator): Like many other
Inuit of her generation,
00:36:00.959 --> 00:36:04.332
Meeka has left Baffin Island
several times
00:36:04.333 --> 00:36:07.499
to try to make a life elsewhere.
00:36:07.500 --> 00:36:08.333
But like a compass,
00:36:08.334 --> 00:36:11.666
her heart keeps
pointing her back to the North.
00:36:11.667 --> 00:36:16.999
Now she has made up her mind:
she will never leave again.
00:36:29.917 --> 00:36:36.000
(whale song)
00:36:40.625 --> 00:36:43.916
The group must make it to camp
before night falls.
00:36:43.917 --> 00:36:46.999
Joshua does not like
the rough seas.
00:36:47.000 --> 00:36:48.416
Five years ago,
00:36:48.417 --> 00:36:52.207
four members of his clan drowned
00:36:52.208 --> 00:36:56.166
when a storm blew up
without warning.
00:37:02.959 --> 00:37:05.500
(voice over radio)
00:37:13.500 --> 00:37:16.125
(speaking Inuktitut)
00:37:19.000 --> 00:37:21.333
(voice over radio)
00:37:24.999 --> 00:37:27.290
- Okay, good. They\'re not lost.
00:37:27.291 --> 00:37:29.542
I understand.
00:37:32.208 --> 00:37:36.416
Because all the traditional
knowledge, the Inuit wisdom,
00:37:36.417 --> 00:37:39.332
to live
with this harsh environment,
00:37:39.333 --> 00:37:40.916
if all the rules are changing,
00:37:40.917 --> 00:37:44.040
and weather and conditions
are becoming unpredictable,
00:37:44.041 --> 00:37:47.374
we have a major challenge
on our hands.
00:37:47.375 --> 00:37:47.999
Major.
00:37:48.000 --> 00:37:51.791
And so we are learning
to use our traditional knowledge
00:37:51.792 --> 00:37:57.500
and partner with Western science
to deal with this issue.
00:37:58.750 --> 00:38:00.249
(narrator): In recent years,
00:38:00.250 --> 00:38:03.707
the scientific community
has begun to realize
00:38:03.708 --> 00:38:06.582
that the empirical data
of traditional knowledge
00:38:06.583 --> 00:38:08.834
has much to offer.
00:38:15.999 --> 00:38:17.999
- You wrote a lot
about the temperature,
00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:21.417
the climate, the changes
you observed in Pang.
00:38:30.208 --> 00:38:31.749
- That\'s true,
00:38:31.750 --> 00:38:34.166
I would write often.
00:38:38.999 --> 00:38:43.624
It used to be colder
when there was a lot of ice.
00:38:43.625 --> 00:38:47.374
The ice would form
earlier in the fall,
00:38:47.375 --> 00:38:51.165
not far from here, in Pang.
00:38:51.166 --> 00:38:53.998
But now the ice...
00:38:53.999 --> 00:38:56.290
A sort of floating ice,
00:38:56.291 --> 00:38:58.374
that we call killiminiq...
00:38:58.375 --> 00:39:01.542
Now it disappears sooner.
00:39:03.999 --> 00:39:06.332
(narrator):
Mr. Jamesee Mike\'s notebooks
00:39:06.333 --> 00:39:11.542
contain more than 40 years\'
worth of notes on temperature.
00:39:12.999 --> 00:39:15.749
They tell us,
among other things,
00:39:15.750 --> 00:39:17.499
that the amount of snowfall
00:39:17.500 --> 00:39:21.917
has changed significantly
since his childhood.
00:39:28.959 --> 00:39:30.457
As well, for some time now,
00:39:30.458 --> 00:39:33.541
the snow that is best suited
to building igloos
00:39:33.542 --> 00:39:36.999
has been found
to have soft inner layers.
00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:39.916
Some years,
it hardly snows at all,
00:39:39.917 --> 00:39:40.998
or it starts snowing too early.
00:39:40.999 --> 00:39:46.833
The formation of ice on the sea
and the traditional routes
00:39:46.834 --> 00:39:48.874
have become unpredictable.
00:39:48.875 --> 00:39:50.207
Several hunters
00:39:50.208 --> 00:39:52.917
have lost their lives.
00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:02.624
New visitors
are making their appearance.
00:40:02.625 --> 00:40:04.998
In various places
on Baffin Island,
00:40:04.999 --> 00:40:06.998
people have sighted robins,
00:40:06.999 --> 00:40:11.083
a species normally found
much farther south.
00:40:29.417 --> 00:40:30.457
In the Arctic,
00:40:30.458 --> 00:40:33.916
the balance between life
and death is precarious.
00:40:33.917 --> 00:40:35.998
A limited number of species
is present,
00:40:35.999 --> 00:40:38.332
so the slightest change
00:40:38.333 --> 00:40:40.998
disrupts the harmony.
00:40:40.999 --> 00:40:44.165
If temperatures rise
even a little,
00:40:44.166 --> 00:40:46.165
plants flower
earlier in the year...
00:40:46.166 --> 00:40:48.874
Out of sync
with caribou migration.
00:40:48.875 --> 00:40:51.082
The herds grow weaker,
00:40:51.083 --> 00:40:54.083
and the number of births
decreases.
00:41:00.542 --> 00:41:01.998
The hunter and the polar bear
00:41:01.999 --> 00:41:03.707
have a shorter
and shorter period
00:41:03.708 --> 00:41:04.998
in which to find their prey.
00:41:04.999 --> 00:41:09.542
The cycle of life
is thrown out of balance.
00:41:16.166 --> 00:41:18.959
(throat singing)
00:41:45.458 --> 00:41:47.875
(radio static)
00:41:57.959 --> 00:41:59.999
(voice over radio)
00:42:01.208 --> 00:42:02.998
A few hours from Cape Dorset,
00:42:02.999 --> 00:42:04.666
Kuv inquires
about the temperature
00:42:04.667 --> 00:42:07.541
before going out on the ice
to fish.
00:42:07.542 --> 00:42:10.082
Jimmy Manning\'s camp
00:42:10.083 --> 00:42:11.958
serves as the operations centre.
00:42:11.959 --> 00:42:15.624
Namoonai Ashoona
has fallen ill and is unable
00:42:15.625 --> 00:42:16.749
to go on the expedition.
00:42:16.750 --> 00:42:22.792
In his place, the artist Ojotak
has agreed to join the group.
00:42:32.999 --> 00:42:36.499
- Now we are faced
with monumental changes
00:42:36.500 --> 00:42:37.208
of environmental issues.
00:42:37.209 --> 00:42:42.707
Like the contaminants from afar
that come into our country food,
00:42:42.708 --> 00:42:44.582
and as a result,
affect our way of life
00:42:44.583 --> 00:42:47.332
and our health
and our well-being,
00:42:47.333 --> 00:42:50.833
and puts into question
our cultural way of life
00:42:50.834 --> 00:42:51.998
for the future.
00:42:51.999 --> 00:42:55.166
And now climate change
on top of that.
00:42:56.999 --> 00:42:58.457
Imagine for us,
00:42:58.458 --> 00:43:01.998
now facing detrimental issues,
00:43:01.999 --> 00:43:05.541
such as contaminants
in country food
00:43:05.542 --> 00:43:07.791
and our climate changing
00:43:07.792 --> 00:43:10.125
in very rapid ways.
00:43:15.250 --> 00:43:18.749
But because we are far
and few in the Arctic,
00:43:18.750 --> 00:43:20.374
it doesn\'t become as alarming
00:43:20.375 --> 00:43:23.874
for the average Canadian,
00:43:23.875 --> 00:43:28.124
or the average person,
who\'s not eating country food.
00:43:28.125 --> 00:43:30.499
For us, it\'s a matter of health,
00:43:30.500 --> 00:43:34.999
and it\'s a matter
of cultural survival, as well.
00:43:38.291 --> 00:43:41.874
- Here are
some polar-bear tracks.
00:43:41.875 --> 00:43:46.792
These may be the tracks
of a cub...
00:43:51.583 --> 00:43:55.959
because these ones
were made by a female.
00:43:58.208 --> 00:44:04.542
Usually, the tracks beside hers
are those of a bear cub.
00:44:10.291 --> 00:44:13.125
(Inuit singing)
00:44:39.333 --> 00:44:41.708
(speaking Inuktitut)
00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:45.291
(voice over radio)
00:44:48.999 --> 00:44:52.000
(singing)
00:45:51.166 --> 00:45:54.541
(narrator): Inuit tradition
speaks of an iceberg
00:45:54.542 --> 00:45:55.998
as a living thing.
00:45:55.999 --> 00:45:56.999
\"Don\'t get too close...
00:45:57.000 --> 00:46:00.374
It\'ll grab you with its icy
hands and devour you!\"
00:46:00.375 --> 00:46:03.959
Even today, the taboo persists.
00:46:04.625 --> 00:46:07.416
In the midst of a frozen sea,
00:46:07.417 --> 00:46:10.290
the unstable structure
of an iceberg
00:46:10.291 --> 00:46:11.833
can collapse at any moment.
00:46:11.834 --> 00:46:13.998
But the iceberg
guards a treasure:
00:46:13.999 --> 00:46:16.416
the purest water in the world,
00:46:16.417 --> 00:46:19.999
hidden in its depths
for centuries.
00:46:26.208 --> 00:46:32.166
- When we get there,
we\'ll make some tea.
00:46:32.999 --> 00:46:37.500
It\'ll be good
to have a nice cup of tea.
00:46:42.500 --> 00:46:46.208
Look how beautiful it is!
00:46:49.999 --> 00:46:52.998
- You don\'t want to be here
00:46:52.999 --> 00:46:56.542
when the ice breaks
and collapses.
00:47:10.083 --> 00:47:12.666
(narrator):
The youngest in the group
00:47:12.667 --> 00:47:14.416
dare to break the taboo.
00:47:14.417 --> 00:47:15.624
Ojotak and Kuv,
00:47:15.625 --> 00:47:18.290
still attached
to the old beliefs,
00:47:18.291 --> 00:47:21.500
keep their distance
from the iceberg.
00:47:28.417 --> 00:47:30.917
(humming)
00:47:32.083 --> 00:47:34.998
- Hope it doesn\'t fall over!
00:47:34.999 --> 00:47:38.583
You\'re going to make me
a nice cup of tea.
00:47:48.417 --> 00:47:51.999
(dog barking)
00:48:05.708 --> 00:48:08.332
(narrator): Before
the pollutants of \"progress\"
00:48:08.333 --> 00:48:09.958
came to the Arctic,
00:48:09.959 --> 00:48:12.998
pure water was easy to find.
00:48:12.999 --> 00:48:15.499
Today, the Inuit\'s environment
00:48:15.500 --> 00:48:17.749
is in a state of siege.
00:48:17.750 --> 00:48:20.749
A cup of tea
made with pure water
00:48:20.750 --> 00:48:23.875
is roundly appreciated.
00:48:43.417 --> 00:48:46.625
(dogs barking)
00:48:47.875 --> 00:48:50.998
- The planet may look big
and seem big,
00:48:50.999 --> 00:48:53.875
but in reality, it\'s very small.
00:48:55.999 --> 00:48:59.290
We have to remain
very consciously aware
00:48:59.291 --> 00:49:02.250
that the connections are great.
00:49:07.375 --> 00:49:10.290
Do your part in helping us Inuit
00:49:10.291 --> 00:49:12.040
to stay on the land.
00:49:12.041 --> 00:49:15.874
Because we are
the natural guardians
00:49:15.875 --> 00:49:17.624
and we will guard the planet...
00:49:17.625 --> 00:49:20.040
Not just for ourselves,
but for you.
00:49:20.041 --> 00:49:24.457
Keep us on the land,
hunting and fishing,
00:49:24.458 --> 00:49:25.499
and we will guard it...
00:49:25.500 --> 00:49:29.542
Not only for us,
but for the rest of the world.
00:49:33.999 --> 00:49:35.749
(narrator): In the North,
00:49:35.750 --> 00:49:37.998
the length of a dog\'s tongue
00:49:37.999 --> 00:49:39.499
indicates
his degree of tiredness.
00:49:39.500 --> 00:49:42.998
If he\'s not too tired,
it\'s \"the little tongue\";
00:49:42.999 --> 00:49:44.541
if he\'s exhausted,
00:49:44.542 --> 00:49:47.916
he is said to have
\"the long tongue.\"
00:49:47.917 --> 00:49:50.332
Today, the Inuit
observe their environment
00:49:50.333 --> 00:49:52.707
and wonder if it\'s not doomed.
00:49:52.708 --> 00:49:56.999
Will it be able to resist
the upheaval of climate change?
00:49:57.000 --> 00:49:58.207
Will their culture succeed
00:49:58.208 --> 00:50:02.999
in adapting to the pressures
of Western progress?
00:50:05.708 --> 00:50:11.541
Once, night travellers knew
that under a clear sky,
00:50:11.542 --> 00:50:12.998
they would not get lost.
00:50:12.999 --> 00:50:17.040
All they needed to do
was follow the North Star.
00:50:17.041 --> 00:50:20.998
Can Polaris still guide
the People of the Ice
00:50:20.999 --> 00:50:23.999
in their coming journey?
00:50:37.000 --> 00:50:40.083
(singing)
00:50:51.333 --> 00:50:55.208
Captioning by CNST, Montreal
Distributor: National Film Board of Canada
Length: 52 minutes
Date: 2004
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Closed Captioning: Available
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