Culture and Law

"British Columbia Haida artist Bill Reid, jeweller and wood carver, works on a totem pole in the Haida tradition. The film shows the gradual transformation of a bare cedar trunk into a richly carved pole, a gift from the artist to the people of Skidegate, Queen Charlotte Islands. Particularly moving is the raising of the pole by the villagers, as Bill Reid stands by." -- Back cover

"Nunavut: Rethinking Political Culture explores the complex processes at work in the generation of political cultures. Drawing upon extensive fieldwork and quantitative analysis, it provides the first systematic, empirical study of political life in Nunavut, offering comprehensive analysis of the evolving nature of aboriginal self-government in the Arctic and shedding crucial light on Inuit–non-Inuit relations.

"First Stories: Volume II features Power of a Horse, Life Givers: Honouring Our Elders and Children, O Mother, Where Art Thou? and ati-wîhcasin (It's Getting Easier), four new short films from four emerging Saskatchewan filmmakers, Tessa Desnomie, Cory Generoux, Jainine Windolph and Paul John Swiderski." -- From container

Power of a Horse: "...is the moving account of filmmaker Cory Generoux dealing with the scars that racism left on his life - both as its recipient and perpetrator. This potent, short film reveals a simple and beautiful lesson that changed his life."

"In First Stories: Volume I, four Aboriginal filmmakers explore the realities of their lives in 21st century Canada. With humour and compassion, their films deal with a range of topics including Native culture/identity, Native traditions, Native art and street gangs. The release includes four five-minute documentaries: Patrick Ross, Nganawendaanan Nde'ing (I Keep Them in My Heart), My Indian Name and Apples & Indians." -- From container.

"Essential Song: Three Decades of Northern Cree Music, a study of subarctic Cree hunting songs, is the first detailed ethnomusicology of the nothern Cree of Quebec and Manitoba. The result of more than two decades spent in the Northern learning from the Cree, Lynn Whidden's account discusses the tradition of the hunting songs, their meanings and origins, and their importance tot he hunt. She examines women's songs, and traces the impact of social change - including the introduction of the hymns, gospel tunes, and country music - on the song traditions of these communities.

"From the Canadian Indian Act to Freud's Totem and Taboo to films such as Nanook of the North, all manner of cultural artefacts were used to create a distinction between savagery and civilization. In Defamiliarizing the Aboriginal , Julia V. Emberley examines the historical production of aboriginality in colonial cultural practices and its effects in shaping the everyday lives of indigenous women, youth, and children.

"The importance of storytelling to Cree culture, and how such stories are vital to understanding the history of the Cree and their rejuvenated future, are central to the themes examined in this visionary book. Neal McLeod examines the history of the nêhiyawak (the Cree people) of western Canada from the massive upheavals of the 1870's and the reserve period to the vibrant cultural and political rebirth of contemporary times.

"During the winter since times predating agriculture, the Cree of Mistassini have gone to the bush of the James and Ungava Bay area to hunt. Three hunting families agreed to meet an NFB crew, who filmed the building of the winter camp, the hunting, the relationship to the land, and the rhythms of Cree family life. This sensitive film expresses Cree beliefs and the ecological principles that are the foundation of their lives." -- Back cover

"At the 1961 gathering of the Blood Indians [Káínaa] of Alberta, the exciting spectacle of the sun dance was captured on film for the first time. The film examines Blood Indian culture and spirituality, showing how the theme of the circle reflects their connection to wildlife, and addresses the predicament of the young generation - those who have relinquished their ties with their own culture but have not yet found a firm place in a changing world."-- From container

"In this book, anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, linguists, and Aboriginal leaders describe the Coast Salish, Aboriginal peoples living in western British Columbia and Washington State. They focus on how Coast Salish lives and identities have been influences by the two colonizing nations and on by shifting Aboriginal circumstances. The volume builds on new scholarship to move beyond existing academic views of the Coast Salish, which largely derive from ecological anthropology, in creating a new view of the Coast Salish world.