It starts with an orgasm…

All life starts with an orgasm, it’s a fact of life. Doesn’t matter if it’s a living breathing entity or a conceptual artistic ideal manifested through modern day media, it all starts with a joyous release. Tension builds until something comes forth. As an artist, this is the feeling one gets when they finally put down their artistic medium of choice with a sigh that the work is complete. This sense of completion happens when the ideal has been achieved. Within media, this moment varies greatly, but the outcomes of greatness are universal. As an Aboriginal artist, I’ve been raised in a family that seamlessly blends life and art

Aboriginal people are traditionally storytellers. Oral teachings are the foundation of our cultures and storytelling is in our blood. Whereas, western culture has held true to the painted image on a canvas or the written word on a page of paper, we have passed our history to generations through story. Western culture has a history of controlling knowledge and taking authoritarian liberties to who can access education. Even in modern times many are marginalized through making higher education so expensive and ultimately elitist. Aboriginal cultures share a common value of helping one another, and stories are a timeless way to connect the generations and ensure everyone benefits for the wisdom of ancestral knowledge. Women are the bearers of life and as such, share stories through uniquely softened lens. Male filmmaking counterparts are highly recognized in the media arts and this reflects how the historical impacts of the western worlds value for male dominance has over shadowed the contributions and voices of Aboriginal women. Yet, Aboriginal cultures have a shared awareness and respect the fact women are the bearers of life. Stories told from a women’s perspective are inherently spoken with a softer touch. They gently weave intricate ideas into a wonderful story. Even the most difficult story to tell, will be shared in a delicate nature that engulfs the viewer in mesmerizing story.

Aboriginal women have faced unique challenges in having our voices heard. Traditionally most of our cultures were matriarchal societies, with women guiding the community. The introduction of the Indian Act by the Canadian Government was designed to control every aspect of Aboriginal communities to shape and mold our peoples to give up our savage ways. Aboriginal men were given preference for leadership positions and this totally disregarded traditional matriarchal governance and created great imbalance in the relationships between Aboriginal men and woman. The male dominance that was role-modeled in Indian Residential Schools was also a way to groom a generation of Aboriginal men to learn patriarchal and misogynist values to create even more hardships for our women.

The Indian Act became a legislated way to silence Aboriginal women. Western cultures control over Indian identity through the Indian Act membership codes changed the family dynamics and relationships in our communities. A non-Aboriginal woman who married and bore a child with an Aboriginal man was considered to be lowering herself and given Indian status demoted her and her child. While Aboriginal women who married a non-Aboriginal man were stripped of her Indian status and promoted to be a Canadian Citizen. Not until 1985 when parliament was lobbied and pressured into amending the Indian Acts Bill C-31 membership codes were Aboriginal women who lost their status re-instated and Aboriginal women started on a level playing field again.

I have chosen to review videos produced by Aboriginal women media makers to further explore the power of story and how Aboriginal women’s contributions to media have strengthened the visual cultural landscape. Each piece of media art is uniquely different and offers deep insights into the many important ways Aboriginal women impact not only community life, but also the diverse ways telling story to empower communities to be reminded of the tenacity and resiliency of Aboriginal women to overcome adversity and still celebrate through culture.

Marie-Helene Cousineau, of Arnait Video Productions eloquently explains how filmmaking reinforces the customary role of Aboriginal women as storyteller and keepers of knowledge:

At present, participants use video to express their traditional identity in the community and their role as women. This does not mean that the use of technology maintains them in a powerless situation. On the contrary, women participating in video productions reaffirm their values, knowledge and experience in ways, which are empowering to them. Their video communication is about keeping in touch with a women’s power and sharing it with their community, because sharing itself is actually part of their role [1].

This type of reflection is what inspired me to write this article and ensure Aboriginal women filmmakers and storytellers are not disregarded and their works validated with roots in customary traditions intended to respect the oral teachings we seek to preserve.

I had the honour of being invited into the Aboriginal media world prior to the launch of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), arguably the beginning of Aboriginal media, as we know it. Pre-APTN and post APTN, is how media has come to recognize stories told by First Peoples about First Peoples. Prior to the launch, there were numerous media makers laying the foundation for the next wave to come. The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) chronicles some the pioneering Aboriginal filmmakers in the country prior to APTN’s inception. Filmmaking became a way for Aboriginal activists to tell their stories.

In 1994, several legendary media artists attended a gathering in Banff, Alberta in what was to become a historical moment in Aboriginal media here in Canada. The gathering was called Drumbeats to Drumbytes. This gathering at the Banff Centre for the Arts brought together 16 pioneers in Aboriginal media to dream about the future. To envision what could become of Aboriginal media. From this gathering came an open dialogue into the training and needs of Aboriginal media makers, most importantly, a reassurance that every voice was meant to be heard.

From this gathering came a need to house Aboriginally produced media in a user friendly distribution centre, known as V Tape. I joined as the Aboriginal outreach coordinator and managed media created by legendary Aboriginal artist’s with a great sense of responsibility to make certain our stories could find a voice and be reproduced to not only preserve our cultures but to be a bridge to creating more understanding with mainstream audiences. Filmmaking for Aboriginal people’s becomes a medium to present an accurate telling of how we experienced the history of conquer and divide thrust upon us with Western settlement.

To begin my first media art’s review, I chose Arnait Video Productions Qulliq (Oil Lamp), 1992 is summed up with “making water out of ice…” Qulliq is a voyeuristic look into the everyday lives of historical Inuit people. I say historic as this is not a reflection of the current way of living, as hinted to the lovely string of pearls worn by one of the ladies. The lighting of the seal oil lamp transfer knowledge through the modern day medium of video. This innocent lamp dries the clothes, heats the igloo, lights the igloo, boils water from ice, so much to ask for from a little flame only about 1 foot long and 1 inch high.

This film illustrates it was the women who worked to give light and heat to the igloo. We are drawn in by the way the women spread the blubber over the lamp then are pulled in when she inserts the arctic cotton as a wick into the blubber. Much attention is given to how the blubber is spread evenly into a meticulous line, too avoid putting too much oil on the wick, otherwise the lamp won’t light. The squishing sound engulfs the viewer with a feeling of being an intricate part of the process. The process draws you in.

One scene I particularly love is the interaction when deciding where to insert the sticks into the side of the igloo, which are used to hang the kettle. The viewer spends time with the women, lulled by their calm voices and hypnotic song, it doesn’t matter that you don’t understand the language. You just wish you would be there when the ice melts in the kettle to make the perfect cup of tea. These images share the innocence of discovery. Clearly this film demonstrates how introducing a medium such as filmmaking into a community is a contemporary and vital way to save and preserve traditions for years to come.

The next video I review is Dana Claxton’s I Want To Know Why, 1994 set to a modern day soundtrack intermixed with black and white images. Dana’s aggressive repetition of “I want to know why” challenges the viewer to answer questions based in social commentary. Many Aboriginal people have heard “you need to speak up.” Culturally, many Aboriginal peoples were more subdued (not to be confused as passive) and observant before expressing our impressions of a situation. However, this video pulls the viewer into a rebellious theme of asking uncomfortable questions through a very aggressive voice over and over.

Through her choice of inter-spliced black and white images, Dana emulates a visual release of tension building for hundreds of years. The looped soundtrack is in search of retribution for atrocious things that happened to women close to her. We can see how filmmaking can be a provocative way to engage both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal audiences alike to share conflict of unanswered questions of how superiority of western culture is justified not just in a historical context, but also in modern times.

Darlene Naponse’s Black Water Creek, 1998 is the third video I chose to review. Naponse creates her video based on two women exploring the rez. Following the dialogue regarding the stereotypical ‘White man’s Indian’ ideal. Life on the rez is full of quiet, restful reflection…and a sense of unrest, where long term planning consists of what you’ll do in two hours time. While life seems to have no meaning in their own lives, they do not hesitate to help a stranger commit suicide. This is a reminder of how even though things seem bad, they could be worse.

This realization of how complicated life can be for some reminds women in the film of the importance of not taking beauty for granted. Darlene tells a story from an insider’s perspective. Those who experience life on the reserve grow to appreciate the familiarity of a slower pace that urban natives do not have. This film also gives the non-Aboriginal a glimpse of a story about rez life that is genuine and filled with compassion and life despite all appearances.

This piece was groundbreaking for it’s time as it was around the beginning of a major movement to create drama based video works. This video was made during the year Aboriginal Peoples Television Network was forming. APTN launched on September 1, 1999 and began a steady stream of new works created by Aboriginal peoples. This also assisted in the recongintion of work created by Aboriginal peoples from the First people’s point of view. Although the creation of APTN carved an official mainstream venue for Aboriginal media, all the pioneer filmmakers prior to APTN were the ones who smoothed rough edges and made a path to create a new unique genre for Aboriginal people’s to tell their stories.

The final piece in my review is by Skawennati Tricia Fragnito – Imagining Indian’s on the 25th Century, 2000. Skawennati’s website is a wonderful opportunity to explore Indigenous lifestyles of dress and culture through historic to futuristic times in a whimsical nature. While calmly inviting you to clothe a figure, the user is challenged to learn about the culture while questioning if this is based on the ideal or actual ways. The information provided is based in both fact and fiction. Skawennati makes no apologies for expressing personal views.

Skawennati’s commentary creates a comforting familiarity. The user is challenged to learn about Aboriginal culture while questioning what we’ve been conditioned to consider the norm. The viewer is brought into a learning environment that is both fun and caring. I particularly like her commentary on Pocahontas. She invites the viewer in to a political conversation regarding Aboriginal peoples and identity, stating it’s the person within not the color of their skin which makes and Aboriginal person Aboriginal.

This last film exemplifies how Aboriginal filmmakers can explore in a safe playful approach how our understanding of Aboriginal people’s has been distorted by centuries of historical propaganda. Moreover, Skawennati succeeds in overcoming tensions by engaging subjects in the film to challenge their conditioning and makes it safe for those in the film and audience members alike to take a moral look at how damaging stereotypes still are and yet can also be resolved with some heartfelt reflection.

There are numerous ways to tell a story. The above reviews of four Aboriginal women media makers are a diverse examination of how a story can be packaged and presented. As a trained photographer, I was always taught the importance of the composition of a picture. A picture is worth a thousand words implies technology is the guiding factor in artistic creation. When it in fact is the Creator who molds the vision, using technology as a tool. What if you add motion to this picture, including the spoken word and a sequential chain of events, what is that worth? Media making is a passion of mine, a modern way to guarantee our stories as Aboriginal people would not be overlooked or forgotten.

Written By: Cynthia Lickers-Sage
Reviewed and Edited by: J’net Cavanagh