Aboriginal Peoples

An in-depth look at important issues in Aboriginal communities.
  • film

    Vistas: Carrying Fire

    Passing down tradition
    Animation and live action come together to show how the fire of our spirit is passed from one camp and one generation to the next.
  • film

    The Northern Lights

    The phenomenon of the aurora borealis
    Experience a visual panorama of animated legends and international space launches as indigenous people and scientists offer their perceptions of the wondrous northern lights.
  • film

    Circle of the Sun

    Keeping traditions alive
    How do you hold on to your roots while simultaneously finding your place in the world? Watch this short documentary and discover how the Blood Indians use the theme of the circle to address this predicament and connect to the ...

Films

Available for download
Incident at Restigouche  

Incident at Restigouche

  • In Incident at Restigouche, filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin delves into the history behind ...
  • by Alanis Obomsawin,
  • 1984,
  • 45 min 57 s
You Are on Indian Land  

You Are on Indian Land

  • The film shows the confrontation between police and a 1969 demonstration by ...
  • by Mort Ransen,
  • 1969,
  • 36 min 48 s
Available for download
Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child  

Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child

  • This short documentary is a moving tribute to Richard Cardinal, a Métis ...
  • by Alanis Obomsawin,
  • 1986,
  • 29 min 10 s
Available for download
Kanehsatake 270 Years of Resistance  
Available with closed captioning Available with described video

Kanehsatake 270 Years of Resistance

  • On a July day in 1990, a confrontation propelled Native issues in ...
  • by Alanis Obomsawin,
  • 1993,
  • 119 min 15 s
The Northern Lights  
Available with closed captioning

The Northern Lights

  • This short documentary examines the phenomenon of the northern lights, aka the ...
  • by Alan Booth,
  • 1992,
  • 47 min 40 s
Vistas: InukShop  

Vistas: InukShop

  • Filmmaker Jobie Weetaluktuk mixes archival and new footage to make a statement ...
  • by Jobie Weetaluktuk,
  • 2009,
  • 2 min 16 s
Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak  

Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak

  • This documentary shows how an Inuit artist's drawings are transferred to ...
  • by John Feeney,
  • 1963,
  • 19 min 49 s
Through These Eyes  

Through These Eyes

  • An American elementary school program from the 1970s, Man: A Course of ...
  • by Charles Laird,
  • 2004,
  • 55 min
Available for download
The Living Stone  

The Living Stone

  • This documentary shows the inspiration behind Inuit sculpture. The Inuit approach to ...
  • by John Feeney,
  • 1958,
  • 32 min 35 s
Vistas: Little Thunder  

Vistas: Little Thunder

Vistas: Dancers of the Grass  

Vistas: Dancers of the Grass

  • A stunning display of a stop-motion animation, Dancers of the Grass vividly ...
  • by Melanie Jackson,
  • 2009,
  • 2 min 14 s
Vistas: Carrying Fire  

Vistas: Carrying Fire

  • Carrying Fire weaves together animation and live action to show how the ...
  • by Marie Burke,
  • 2009,
  • 3 min 44 s
Vistas: Button Blanket  

Vistas: Button Blanket

  • This short impressionist documentary looks at the creation of a Button Blanket ...
  • by Zoe L. Hopkins,
  • 2009,
  • 3 min 39 s
As I Am  

As I Am

  • This short experimental documentary challenges stereotypes about Aboriginal people in the workplace ...
  • by Nadia Myre,
  • 2010,
  • 4 min 3 s
Available for download
High Steel  

High Steel

  • This short documentary offers a dizzying view of the Mohawk Indians of ...
  • by Don Owen,
  • 1965,
  • 13 min 47 s
Available for download
Uranium  

Uranium

  • This documentary looks at the hazards of uranium mining in Canada. Toxic ...
  • by Magnus Isacsson,
  • 1990,
  • 47 min 59 s
Dancing Around the Table, Part Two  

Dancing Around the Table, Part Two

  • The sequel to Dancing Around the Table, Part One, this film deals ...
  • by Maurice Bulbulian,
  • 1987,
  • 50 min 8 s
Available for download
Dancing Around the Table, Part One  

Dancing Around the Table, Part One

  • A documentary about the Conferences on the Constitutional Rights of the Aboriginal ...
  • by Maurice Bulbulian,
  • 1987,
  • 57 min 18 s
Dream Magic  

Dream Magic

  • This revealing portrait of NFB filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin was shown at a ...
  • by Katerina Cizek,
  • 2008,
  • 4 min 41 s
Bill Reid  

Bill Reid

  • This documentary follows Haida artist Bill Reid, from British Columbia. A jeweller ...
  • by Jack Long,
  • 1979,
  • 27 min 54 s
The Ballad of Crowfoot  

The Ballad of Crowfoot

  • This short film examines the situation of Aboriginal people in North America ...
  • by Willie Dunn,
  • 1968,
  • 10 min 18 s
Available for download
Totem: The Return of the G'psgolox Pole  

Totem: The Return of the G'psgolox Pole

  • This feature-length documentary traces the journey of the Haisla people to reclaim ...
  • by Gil Cardinal,
  • 2003,
  • 70 min
Available for download
Totem: Return and Renewal  
Available with closed captioning
The Other Side of the Ledger: An Indian View of the Hudson's Bay Company  

The Other Side of the Ledger: An Indian View of the Hudson's Bay Company

For Angela  
Available with closed captioning

For Angela

Available for download
Long Lance  

Long Lance

  • Was he a black man, a white man, or an Indian chief ...
  • by Bernie Dichek,
  • 1986,
  • 55 min
Available for download
Cree Hunters of Mistassini  

Cree Hunters of Mistassini

Available for download
César's Bark Canoe  

César's Bark Canoe

  • This documentary shows how a canoe is built the old way. César ...
  • by Bernard Gosselin,
  • 1971,
  • 57 min 55 s