Film Library: Arctic

FIRE AND ICE ZEN DEN

MARCH 2009

Arctic waves crash into drifting Icebergs. Molten lava oozes from craters into the Pacific. Feel the Earth breathe in this Fire and Ice Zen Den.

THROAT SINGING

SEPTEMBER 2007

Inuit throat singing is a unique and enchanting form of musical expression. A mixture of husky chanting and low growling, throat singing is actually a competition where the first person to laugh, stop, or run out of breath loses. Watch as two Inuit girls battle to the finish.

ARCTIC WISDOM

SEPTEMBER 2007

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?

COLD CUTS

SEPTEMBER 2007

In the mood for raw seal meat? Arctic food may seem foreign to most people, but the region's culinary culture is deeply rooted in the Inuit history and tradition of hunting for caribou, seal, walrus, and whale. Modern Inuit people still prepare and eat these delectable dishes, along with harvested berries and greenhouse-grown vegetables.

INUIT SONG

SEPTEMBER 2007

On the shores of Canada's Arctic Bay, two teenage Inuit girls sing a traditional melody. Their friend keeps the beat with a qilaut, a drum made of stretched caribou skin that was originally used to summon animist gods during ritual services. The qilaut is also called a "wind drum."

A PLACE TO RUN TO

SEPTEMBER 2007

When we think of the Arctic, we often think of global warming. But a deeper, darker issue plagues the region. In the northern Canadian town of Iqaluit, women are eight times more likely to be victims of domestic violence. See how brave Arctic women are supporting each other at Qimaavaik (Inuktitut for "A Place to Run To") — a safe haven for abused women and children. Through peer support and counseling, they are building self-esteem and healing wounded spirits.

SLED DOGS

SEPTEMBER 2007

Sled dogs, generally of the Siberian Husky or Alaskan Malamute breed, worked side by the side with people for centuries to pull runnered or toboggan-style sleds over long distances of snow or ice. But as global warming causes a dramatic shift in Arctic climates and wintry conditions become less severe, these furry workers may soon be out of a job.

POWER OF THE SEA

SEPTEMBER 2007

During the summers of 2007 and 2008, year-round Arctic sea ice shrank to its lowest level since satellite records began 30 years ago. Some scientists now predict an ice-free Arctic summer by 2012. As snow and ice levels decline, sea-levels and weather patterns are affected which in turn impact plant, animal, and human life.

CHANGE AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD

SEPTEMBER 2007

The defining question of this century will be: how do we preserve the environment and also shareholder wealth? Is wealth nature itself or is it the treasures underneath that must be mined out? The Arctic symbolizes this conflict.