Native American Films

Unikaatuatiit: Qaggiq had humorous elements in the story of a celebration that the people were planning. They relied on their domesticated dogs quite a bit to get them around on the snow and ice-covered ground. They set their dogs free to roam when the arrived at their destination, out of respect for the strong spirit of this valuable animal. There was nothing done in a hurry, and this is very different from mainstream society, where time is of the essence. Children played games, like sliding through the snow and kickball, making the best use of the environment they lived in. Adult men practiced subsistence activities, such as hunting with bows. When the gathering place for the celebration was built, there was great care in putting the large igloo together well, with a firm foundation. Their eating habits of eating raw frozen meat may have been disgusting to some viewers, but it made complete since for them to eat this way. It takes a long time to cook frozen meat, and if you’re hungry you would have to take the time to cook outside, in the freezing cold, for doing it inside would cause your home to come crashing down in a melted slush.

Hitting Sticks, Healing Hearts showed the hunting and subsistence practices, musical story elements, and the community togetherness of the Athabaskan people. This family had to prepare for a potlatch to mark the end of mourning for their son who had died two years prior. They started saving food for months in advance in anticipation of all of the people who would gather in their village to show support to them in their time of need. The fishing wheel was an intricate mechanical device that caught many more fish than any one fisherman could fathom. They did not hesitate to take on technology that would make their lives easier. The hunt for the moose, the main potlatch meat, showed how respectful they were to the animal’s spirit. Before gutting and cutting the meat from the body, the moose’s head is cut off and put on a nearby ridge, facing away from its fleshly body. Another impressive thing shown in this documentary was how they valued words, and the power they possessed. This was evident in the potlatch ceremony when the mourning father sings a song for his departed son, and the rest of the people rallied around him for support. The symbolic gesture of throwing him up in the air had to do with his spirit being lifted up, marking the end of mourning. The sticks used to keep rhythm in the songs were a symbol of renewal. One man said that with each beat of the sticks, his burdens were being further and further carried away.

Woodcarvers of the Pacific Northwest showed the beautiful and elaborate artwork the Native Americans of the Northwest, but also explained why and how the carvings were created. Art is never just the physical representation of an animal. There is always a story to be told about why it exists. Transformation and clan hierarchy within tribes are prominent elements to think about when viewing totem poles and animal masks. The double-headed sea serpent, for example, is seen as very dangerous to behold and is revered because it can go between worlds, water and Earth. There is a strong sense of family and where one belongs in the tribal hierarchy also. Totems are erected to present the animal spirit of a certain family’s heritage, usually either the raven or the eagle, which prevents intermarriage with family groups. The people of this region are very generous and have reproduced artwork for the mainstream society to view. They are also generous among themselves, paying one another to attend potlatches, knowing that the same will be turned back around to them when a loved one needs them at a potlatch. Masks are the one type of art, however, that are preserved for family keepsakes and not given away. The artist who creates the carving or mask is said to see the object inside the cedar log, and to just carve the extra wood away.