Film: Arctic Wisdom (Canada)

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00:00:00: SOUND UP
00:00:02: Explore – The mission of explore is to champion the selfless acts of others.
00:00:14: Explore travelled to the Arctic on a philanthropic fact-finding mission to uncover the traditions of the Inuit people.
00:00:24: Arctic Wisdom
00:00:29: CHARLIE: Hi, my name is Charlie. Welcome to Explore. We’re in the Arctic.
00:00:32: LICENSE PLATE – Explore Canada’s Arctic – 15762N Nunavut – Oct 07
00:00:35: CHARLIE: I have a great job. I travel to different places trying to find positive people doing good things on the planet. Then, we help fund some of them. Now, we’re doing something on the Arctic.
00:00:44: DISCOVERY LODGE HOTEL
00:00:46: CHARLIE: Here’s a photograph of the Mayor.
00:00:51: ELISAPEE: My name is Elisapee Sheutiapik. I’m the Mayor of the City of Iqaluit. Iqaluit is capitol of new territory called Nunavut, which became its own territory in ’99.
00:01:09: CHARLIE: As Mayor, what are some of the changes you’d like to implement?
00:01:12: ELISAPEE: Right now, I’m going through a long-term planning and visioning. I understand our elders have always been really good in planning. They’ve gone through and seen so much change in a very short time. Their words are very important to us. Even at the government level, they have a Committee of Elders. There’s an Elder Society where they meet every day and this is also another opportunity for us to go and seek advice.
00:01:42: CHARLIE: So the phrase, “Respect your elders,” is very alive and well in Iqaluit?
00:01:47: ELISAPEE: Oh, very much.
00:01:51: CHARLIE: When we went to the Iqaluit Elder Center, it struck me that we were visiting with the first settled generation. The parents of these men and women lived as nomadic hunters. Also, up until this generation, all of the Inuit traditions in history were passed down orally. Nothing had been written down, making their knowledge of the past invaluable.
00:02:18: CHARLIE: Oh, this is great! Great stuff. Great photography.
00:02:25: CHARLIE: Has the role of the elder changed from when you were growing up?
00:02:28: JONAH KELLY, Iqaluit Elder: Yes, I think so. It has changed. Elders will always play advisors to generation through generation. Advisors meaning that no one person makes a decision to survive. Everybody makes a decision to survive. And one will be expert on the weather. One will be expert on the environment. One will be expert on different kind of animal. So, in our society today, in our generation today, it’s hard to imagine how they were.
00:03:06: ELISAPEE: I believe as Inuits, we are happy with the very basics and it’s about life experience that’s brought us to where we are today.
00:03:20: ELISAPEE: The one thing my mother always said was, “Never forget who you are.” She went from living on the land to settling into a community. She saw a lot of changes in a short time, but she reminded me that we will probably forever be changing. Seeing change, but not to forget who we are.
00:03:42: CHARLIE: Another reason this group of elders is so special is the disproportionate age groups of the Iqaluit. Factors such as lower infant mortality and improved health care have allowed the population to grow, but means more young people and fewer elders. All the more reason to now obtain their advice and unique perspective.
00:04:05: CHARLIE: What is the key to living a happy life?
00:04:09: WOMAN ELDER: Respect yourself and those around you. It is important to have high self-esteem and encourage yourself and others to be positive.
00:04:29: CHARLIE: How has life changed today versus when you grew up?
00:04:36: WOMAN ELDER: It’s a challenge to pass on words of wisdom to the youth because of the communication barrier. Some of them may understand the Inuktitut language, but not enough for me to converse with them.
00:04:55: ELISAPEE: We have such a young population that the average age in Iqaluit, for example, is twenty-three years old. We had a culture where it was all verbal and the youth acknowledged that they have to hear these stories and I think it only helps them understand where their ancestors came from.
00:05:24: [MUSIC – INUIT SONG]
00:05:30: CHARLIE: Tradition, culture, history. The future can only be improved by knowing the past. Only 2% of the entire population of Iqaluit is age 65 or older. The responsibility now lies with today’s generation to record and pass on the wisdom of the ages.
00:06:03: Explore – Never stop learning…
00:06:13: With the support of the Annenberg Foundation, Explore has made funding possible to: The City of Iqaluit, The Elders Society of Iqaluit
00:06:19: To learn more: www.city.iqaluit.nu.ca
00:06:25: Director & Host – Charles Annenberg Weingarten
00:06:31: Explore Producers Tom Pollak Roger Jackson Liz Marks Story Written & Produced by Katy Garretson Edited by Katie Flint Director of Photography Girjashanker Vohra Composer John McCarthy Sound Recordist Lucretia Miller Photography Rob Stimpson
00:06:54: Special thanks to: University of Saskatchewan Photo Archives Mona Smith and www.alliesmediaart.com Georgia Wettlin-Larsen
00:07:04: Explore.org Made possible by the Annenberg Foundation, 2008 explore Annenberg, LLC
00:07:13: END OF FILM

Now Viewing: Arctic Wisdom

In traditional Inuit culture, tribes relied upon the knowledge of the elders for survival. But the nomadic Arctic culture has undergone significant changes in a very short span of time. Now, the first non-nomadic generation of elders faces difficult language and cultural barriers with the younger members of the community. How can their wisdom survive?