This feature-length documentary pays tribute to CBQM, the radio station that operates out of Fort McPherson, a small town about 150 km north of the Arctic Circle in the Canadian Northwest Territories. Through storytelling and old-time country music, filmmaker and long-time listener Dennis Allen crafts a nuanced portrait of the "Moccasin Telegraph," the radio station that is a pillar of local identity and pride in this lively northern Teetl'it Gwich'in community of 800 souls.
This feature-length documentary pays tribute to CBQM, the radio station that operates out of Fort McPherson, a small town about 150 km north of the Arctic Circle in the Canadian Northwest Territories. Through storytelling and old-time country music, filmmaker and long-time listener Dennis Allen crafts a nuanced portrait of the "Moccasin Telegraph," the radio station that is a pillar of local identity and pride in this lively northern Teetl'it Gwich'in community of 800 souls.
Ages 16 to 17
Indigenous Studies - Identity/Society
Indigenous Studies - Issues and Contemporary Challenges
Media Education - Documentary Film
Technology Education - Society and Technology
Ask students to examine and assess media images of Indigenous peoples. Have them research the role of communications technology in forging Canadian identity. They may discuss: how social media might extend the "connecting" role of radio in this community's future; how radio sustains the Indigenous oral culture; and the effectiveness of the "fly on the wall" technique. Have students develop a radio programme/podcast, evaluating its effect on their school community.