I can't find my Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 93 Calls to Action.
I will find them when I do some deep cleaning.
For now, I know them well enough to remember that there is one where the Government of Canada calls all churches to teach the history of the Indigenous people of Canada. Our Bow Valley Ward hasn’t started doing that yet. I am going to do it here for anyone who wants to attend such a class until one starts in my ward or in their own ward.
I will find them when I do some deep cleaning.
For now, I know them well enough to remember that there is one where the Government of Canada calls all churches to teach the history of the Indigenous people of Canada. Our Bow Valley Ward hasn’t started doing that yet. I am going to do it here for anyone who wants to attend such a class until one starts in my ward or in their own ward.
Here is the assignment for this week: watch the NFB's Angry Inuk
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| Seal skin purse, a gift to me. Purchased by Rebecca Johnson while visiting in Inuvik I use this for make up or to hold loose change. |
I watched it last night in preparation for this post.
I have been intending to watch it and in fact did see about 18 minutes of it a few weeks ago until I was interrupted and just didn't get back to it during the evening.
I thought film was lovely. I use film as my chance to travel as well as learn about Indigenous history. Here are moments that stood out to me.
1. the picture of the little children who had
just eaten raw seal and some of the blood was on their mouthes. I admit, that image was so spectacular that I
had Bonnie come and look at only that piece of the film. I was remembering when I took a food class
where I learned that all people eat the foot that is around them. In this case, seal is the meal of the day.
2. sledding down a hill on sealskin – so right to
see that scene after being told how to prepare a seal skin for sale or private
use and then seeing them use a toboggan
run as a chance to scrape fibres off of the seal skin.
3. foot dancing during a protest in
Toronto. I wish there had been more of
that. I could feel myself wanting to
stand up and try a few steps of that.
4. I loved the shot just going through the
village and past all of the house. As
well, the image as a plane went overhead filming the community for us. I loved being a Canadian at those two points.
5. I stopped the film during the screen credits and
read them slowly, both during the ones for the music credits and then again I stopped
the screen when there was thanks going out. So sweet and what a good use of the screen. And a double bonus for me that I can stop the
images at home, when I can’t do that at the theatre. I miss the huge screen though.
6. I studied the Indigenous tattoos on the women. I have seen single portraits of these tattoos
before. What felt new to me is that I
wasn’t observing these tattoos now in single portraits, but as adornment on women who were
living their real lives – at their computers, in their kitchens, making
clothing, attending meetings at the European Union, etc.
7. I liked the thread of protest that runs
through the film: protest about their chance for commercial success being taken
away with an argument that can’t be sustained intellectually.
That is it for this week.
Watch the film if you haven't yet. We will discuss it more next week as well.
Watch the film if you haven't yet. We will discuss it more next week as well.
Arta
I loved that film too, Arta. When I remember it, I get a visceral-level ache at the injustice the Angry Inuk is articulating - injustices that impact families at a food and security level. Do we call such injustices genocidal legislation, genocidal, colonial constructs? I think so.
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