This feature documentary introduces us to the Copper Inuit of the Coronation Gulf region of Canada's Northwest Territories, one of the last aboriginal groups to be contacted by people from outside. When Doctor R.D. Martin arrived in Coppermine in 1929, he had to deal with one of the consequences of that contact: a full-blown tuberculosis epidemic.
Ages 14 to 17
Ethics and Religious Culture - Religious Diversity/Heritage
Geography - The Arctic
Indigenous Studies - History/Politics
Indigenous Studies - Issues and Contemporary Challenges
Is the story presented in the film considered a tragedy? Opinions should be supported by facts from the film. Research the career of Dr. Russell Martin, focussing on his time spent at Coppermine, NWT. Comment on Martin’s request for a sun lamp as symbolic of the Canadian government’s disregard for the Inuit. Develop an essay on the “Caucasian steamroller” that alters other cultures detrimentally. Comment on the missionaries’ battle for the souls of the Inuit.