11 - Nation and Society

By: Zach, Mee-So and Mary Anne

Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance

              The film Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance by Alanis Obomsawin a native documentary filmmaker who also represents the native people. This film was made in Quebec in the year 1993 about an issue regarding the Mohawks in the year 1990 also known as the Oka crisis. The documentary film lasts about two hours and gives us a good point of view of both sides of the situation.

1990: Canadian soldier, Mohawk warrior face off at Oka

              The famous Oka crisis happened when the mayor accepted the idea to expend the golf courses and the residential area destroying a native burial site and pineland, which was in the Mohawks’ possession for generations. The issue was not only about the territorial issue but also the respect towards the native people, as they were not consulted before. The First Nation people decided to create a barricade to prevent the government from entering their sacred land. The Mohawk people were to not start any act of violence unless it is an act of defense. However, after the first gunfire, which nobody knows which camp started, everything went for the worst. The military was stationed at the barricade to prevent anyone from entering the Mohawk reserve isolating them completely. The First Nation people were not the only ones affected by the barricades but the citizens of the Oka community and others were not able to reach their houses and even their work as the Mercier Bridge and three other main roads were blocked completely. This could have been avoided if the government accepted the demands of the First Nation people, which, was to respect their identity. Other nations throughout the country came and supported the Mohawk community; however on August 29 the Mercier Bridge was reopened due to the end of negotiations. After about a month of tension between the Mohawks and the military, the Mohawk warriors came out of their camp after burning all their firearms and got arrested by the SQ.

              The trigger of the problem, which was mostly the expansion of the golf course, was cancelled but the mayor Ouellette was re-elected with the acclamation.

The People of the Kattawapiskak River

              For almost 40 years, a well-known native film director Alanis Obomsawin has created more than 30 documentaries about aboriginals in Canada. She recently filmed a documentary called The People of the Kattawapiskak River released in 2012. It is about 50 minutes long and filmed in the territory of the Cree in Attawapiskat (Kattawapiskak), Northern Ontario. Kattawapiskak, “the parting of the rocks” in Cree, is a village consisting about 1,700 habitants where very few outside the province have known until fall 2011.

              Their Band chief, Theresa Spence, declared a state of emergency and asked the Canadian Red Cross for help to solve their sever housing issue in the subarctic region. They were discovered in the headlines during the Idle No More protests caused by the abuse of the treaty rights by the federal government. Throughout the film, it reveals the housing crisis happening to the Cree community; a lot of the residents live in sheds or in tents without electricity or running water, and some live in overcrowded places with relatives (20 people in one home) while living in cold and arctic temperatures (-40 degrees Celsius).

              Also, Obomsawin goes through their history and she gives us the point of view of the Cree people and residents outside of the reserve (both supportive and negative). The aboriginals from the reserve do their best to keep their people, especially the youth, to keep living on despite the bad housing conditions. They look forward to the next generation of Cree becoming strong and great individuals. They want to keep their language, culture, and spirituality alive for the years to come.

Le Peuple Invisible

              Le Peuple Invisible by Richard Desjardin and Robert Monderie is a very powerful documentary film that explains the struggle the Algonquin’s have been face with through the past five centuries over their territory and rights. Le Peuple Invisible begins with Richard Desjardin giving his point of view on the struggle that the Algonquin’s have had with the governments since the 15th century. Since the exploration of Canada the Algonquin’s have had their land taken away by the “White People” being forced to move on and find a new home, until all their land was taken and they were forced to live in reserves with horrible living conditions. After their land was taken the government forced the Algonquin children to go to residential school and learn French by force where they were abused sexually and physically. The Canadian government has been taking the land from the Algonquin’s for centuries by creating treaties that offered the Algonquin’s very minimal compensation such as 4 dollars per year. Today the living conditions in the Algonquin reserves are horrible where they are confined to such a little area with insufficient resources such as food for such a large population. The homes they are forced to live in are inhabitable and do not satisfy basic human needs such as running water or heat. The Algonquin’s are unable to construct new homes due to the poor economy in the reserves and no primary source of income. Le Peuple Invisible truly shows how the government has destroyed the Algonquin’s way of life, which has lead to a loss of traditions, and a great number of suicides majority of which are children. 

              In Le Peuple Invisible the main discussion of the documentary is how the government for many years has been taking land away from the First Nations without respecting their rights. This documentary can relate to some of the recent documentary that we have watched in class such as Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance by Alanis Obomsawin. Which explains the Oka Crisis that occur in Montreal in 1990, when the government wanted to destroy a sacred Native burial ground and pines in order to make room for the expansion of the golf course without caring for the Native rights. The People of the Kattawapiskak River by Alanis Obomsawin is another documentary, which is related to our film. It explains the struggle of the people of the First Nations being place into reserves by the government without being given proper living conditions. The First Nations were forced to live in reserves where the homes have no running water not heating and majority of the natives are forced to give up their children because of the extreme cold. These two documentary films are related to Le Peuple Invisible because in each film the government has ignored all of the rights of the First Nation people as well as taken away majority of their land without offering substantial compensation. These 3 films both discuss the matter of the First Nation people not being given their rights and being treated as if they were invisible which is linked to the title of the documentary Le Peuple Invisible.

Reflection 

              In these documentary films we learn a lot about the ideologies of the first Europeans that were passed down to today's generations allowing us to see how not only were we greedy then but also still are today. In Le Peuple Invisible, the filmmaker shows the land that the “White People” took from the Algonquin’s as well as, in 1990 when the Mayor of Oka tried to take the land away from the Mohawks. Not only the government approves of this but also the good part of the population. We also see the disrespect towards the natives even though today we live in a multicultural community. In the Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, we see a police man ignoring an English speaking native saying: “I do not understand native and I do speak English.” How can a policeman whose job is to maintain peace and should be neutral and respectful to every residence of its land discriminate? 

              These films aren’t only about the native people’s rights but also about everyone else that is not treated with respect, allowing us to learn about the historical facts and the injustice towards the First Nations. This means, the broken promises, abuse of the treaties and the use of their lack of knowledge about the European laws before they were able to get educated. The goals of these films are to show us the truth and the point of views of the native people. The expression “Canada is a free country” doesn’t seems to apply to the native people. Throughout the film, we feel as if we have to do something, instead of just ignoring the fact that people are not receiving the rights and freedom that they deserved in a country where it is supposed to be a free and pacifist country. We can see how immigrants are aloud to keep their culture when coming here, yet oddly enough the First Nation people are forced to forget their culture. 

              While watching, we can feel some sort of nostalgia. In the past, the natives were really connected to nature and depend a lot on spirituality. Until, the Europeans came and stripped them from their culture and their religion like we’ve mention earlier. Some still hold on to the old ways, but they’re not as engage in their culture as they were before the government took their rights. These documentaries are the voice of the First Nations and the little light to protect their culture.

              What we realized is that the situation not only applies to the natives, in fact to all of us here. As said earlier, we live in a multicultural country and in an era of multiculturalism. With so many cultures mixed in together, we have created a new kind of culture and raised our children differently from our original countries. However, these mixes of cultures somehow discriminate and forget the aboriginal ones. To create the real country of freedom, we must support every one and every group but we mustn’t forget our original roots and have the duty just like the aboriginal people to protect it by not suppressing others.

10 - Myths and Utopia

By Noah, Stephanie and Ryan

Introduction

       This week in class, we were shown No Impact Man, directed by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein and released in 2009.  It focuses on Colin Beavan (the titular “No Impact Man”), his wife Michelle and their daughter Isabella as they attempt to reduce their impact on the environment to zero.  The steps they take to lessen their carbon footprint can be unorthodox and shocking to us as viewers, but through their actions we realize what we really need – and what we can live without.  In addition, we were introduced to the concept of utopia, an idea of a perfect society which was notably explored by Thomas More in his 1516 novel Utopia.  We were also assigned to watch the 2012 film Surviving Progress, directed by Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks.  This film deals with the idea that all of the “progress” that humanity has achieved in the past might have led us in the opposite direction.

No Impact Man

       As previously mentioned, the film revolves around Colin Beavan.  He and his family dedicated themselves to minimizing their carbon footprint to make it as low as it could be – for an entire year.  Now this may not sound so bad, but that’s only until you learn the extent of just how far Colin and his family went to make their experiment work.  Necessities (or rather, luxuries) that we live with in everyday life – gone.  They deprive themselves of toilet paper, as it creates a tremendous amount of waste.  They eliminate disposable diapers from their home, replacing them with washable wool diapers.  Colin notes at one point that these types of diapers have been around for a very, very long time and that plastic diapers are the “third-largest source of trash in the landfills.”  Not only that, but trees must be cut down in order to produce these diapers.  They even get rid of their TV and, six months into their project, the electricity in their apartment altogether.

The film makes use of the observational style, in that the filmmakers are never seen nor heard from.  Elements of the expository style can also be noticed, as Colin is attempting to shed light on the issue of pollution.  The interactive style is also present, as Colin and his family are interviewed, as well as several outsiders.  Also included are several clips of talk shows (such as The Colbert Report, Good Morning America, etc.) and other forms of media in which Colin discusses (and defends) his experiment.  The film itself, although mainly focusing on Colin and his project, does shed a light on his private life.  One moment that truly engages the viewer in Colin's personal business is a scene in which Colin and Michelle discuss the possibility of having a second child.  Colin is not entirely on board with the idea, but Michelle is determined to make it happen.  It is a highly personal scene which allows the audience to see a side of Colin that makes us realize that he is a human with problems like anyone else.

       It is interesting to see how Colin’s wife, Michelle, reacts to the project.  Michelle is a writer who runs on caffeine to get her going.  She is initially reluctant to participate in the project – partially because of the fact that she will no longer be able to drink coffee.  However, at the project’s end, we see that she has come around and even decides to retain some elements of the project in the family’s home after it has concluded (e.g. biking as the primary mode of transportation, shopping at the farmer’s market, etc.).  Another interesting aspect of the film is the way in which it shows the reception of Colin’s project, which ranges from supportive to highly negative.  Some go as far as to say the project is nothing more than a publicity stunt, which can be connected to the idea of the shunning of the mythological hero by society.

        

       In class, we discussed the ideas of myths and utopia – both of which can be connected to No Impact Man.  Myth can be used as a way to change things, as a way to shape things around one.  In this sense, a man is not really complete by himself – he is complete with a society around him.  This can be related to Colin’s quest: he seeks to make the world a better place by making people realize just what they are doing to the environment.  Colin is a good example of a hero of modern mythology, as he must look past society’s faults and strike out on his own to make a change.  Through his project, he attempts to envision the perfect society in which we are not totally dependent on electricity or technology to get us through the day.  This relates to the idea of utopia, in that this could be considered an ideal society.  This isn’t to say that everyone should turn off the electricity in their homes, just to say that by cutting down a little, we can help a lot.

Surviving Progress 
(Mathieu Roy/Harold Crooks, 2012, Canada)

Mathieu Roy has a degree in political science and he has directed many different documentaries, such as Ecclestone's Formula and Mort à Venise, a musical journey. The mission of Mathieu Roy with the 86 minute Surviving Progress, which he made in 2012 in Canada, was to show the evolution of mankind from people living in caves to the new electronic era. The film was inspired by author Ronald Wright’s novel, “A Short History of Progress,” which shows the fact that if humans destroy the earth because of over consumption, there will be no other world to move to.  There are many different interviews throughout this film, including theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and geneticist David Suzuki. These interviews explore the ideas from Wright’s novel about the fact that the technology that human beings are using nowadays is destroying the planet. Out of the interviews, there are some that stand out more than others. Hawking was speaking about the human population moving to other planets due to the fact that we are probably going to pollute our atmosphere to the point where human life would be impossible to sustain. Primatologist Jane Goodall believes that human beings will realize what they are doing to the environment, and that they will think of a way to reduce their pollution into the atmosphere. Craig Venter, a biologist, drew out synthetic organisms that will produce food and fuel without using up all of the world’s resources. This is shown as another progress trap, due to the fact that it isn’t helping reduce their carbon footprint, it is just giving them an excuse to use more. Colin Beavan, the No Impact Man, is also interviewed, and he says that he made his movie in order to influence other people into following his lead, and to show that having no carbon footprint is possible.

            Surviving Progress is clearly a documentary, due to the fact that it is many different people being interviewed, and they are stating their views on over consumption and climate change. This documentary fits into the Actantial Model for documentary films, due to the fact that all of the roles have been filled. The Actantial Model has a subject, object, sender, receiver, opponent and helper. The subjects in this film are Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks, due to the fact that they are the ones interviewing all of the celebrities throughout the movie. Their objective for this film was to make aware to everybody the fact that overconsumption and climate change are very dangerous to the planet. If human beings don’t change their ways soon, it will only be a short period of time before the world becomes uninhabitable. The main senders are the two directors, Roy and Crooks, who sent themselves on this mission to save the planet. The other sender would be the planet, which needs our help if it wants to survive. The people who contribute from this journey is the entire human population who have their lives at risk, while the people who are too lazy to give up their precious electronics are the main opponents to the filmmakers. The helpers of this movie are all of the people who were interviewed, due to the fact that they are increasing the awareness of the problem around the world. It also deals with the subject of Utopia, due to the fact that it is believed that having no carbon footprint is impossible for most people, and that they don’t want to give up technology and mass amounts of foreign goods. This movie doesn’t think of the benefits for one single person, but for the entire population as a whole. The people must all participate in order for there to be a change in our society on the sustainability of the planet. This movie can be related to myths due to the fact that the director seeks to make the world a better place by informing them of the problems around the world. Most of the people interviewed in this movie can be considered heroes because they are trying to figure out different ways to save the planet. They all try making the perfect society, which is a utopia, which relates to the topic of utopia discussed in class.

                                          

Reflection

       The films taught us a lot about ourselves and the way we treat our planet.  If we don’t change the way we live, we might not have a planet to live in anymore and this film really showed us that. The films also taught us that the things we do don’t only impact us but billions of people worldwide. Most people live in their own personal bubbles and don’t realize that we share this world with billions of other people and the choices we make today can impact people from across the world. In the movie No Impact Man, Colin states that if he were to give up one thing for change in our lives it’s to volunteer with your local community because once you feel part of a community you realize that the choices you make impacts other people and it makes you re-think your actions. The movies also teaches us a lot about our world. It teaches us how careless people are. The environment is being destroyed because of everyone around the world and we don’t even care enough to change it. It also taught us that our world is changing, not only the people living in it but physically changing. It’s not the same as it was 50 years ago. The ozone layer is depleting and the lakes are becoming polluted causing temperatures to switch. We've realized that the world we live in is very delicate. We have to treat it properly or else it will break. This is exactly what these people like Colin and his family are trying to teach us.

            In the films No Impact Man and Surviving Progress, the filmmakers are trying to transform our vision of the world. They want us to look at the world differently. In No Impact Man Colin states that many people think they cannot make a difference because they are just one person but that’s false. If one person changes their habits then other people will follow. He was one person and he changed the mind of many people and that was one of the main messages he was trying to get through. Even though you are small the things you do can greatly impact the world.  We think we can all relate to the message of the films to our lives. We live in a world where the environment is a giant issue in today’s society and it is hard to simply ignore it. These movies teach us that we must change the way we live our lives. We have to save the planet before it’s too late. The movie that had the biggest impact on us was No Impact Man. It shows us that by the Beavan family having no impact on the environment it actually impacted their lives in a good way. The message the movie projected wasn’t only about saving the environment but also about saving themselves. The project had a big impact on Michelle; she stated that she felt like they weren’t living their lives to the fullest until they tried this experiment. She started feeling more connected with her community and with her food. The days began to feel longer because they were going outside and enjoying the outdoors instead of being stuck inside watching T.V. The experiment changed the Beavan family’s lives not only because it reversed Michelle’s diabetes or helped Collin lose 20 pounds, but because it made them appreciate life more and connect with strangers again. Everyone can make changes in their lives to help save the planet. Get started by changing these ten simple things in your life.

http://www.esb.ie/main/sustainability/easy-steps.jsp 
         

Conclusion

       No Impact Man and Surviving Progress really enabled us to take a look at the world around us and think twice about everyday life.  We can take influence from Colin Beavan's project, or from what Surviving Progress has to tell us.  By making each other realize just what we are doing to our world and working together, we might one day be able to achieve a utopian society.