The Journey Begins | First Contact S1 | Episode 1 | TVO Docs

00:45:00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abkg4kUeMkA

الملخص

TLDRThe video presents a transformative journey for six individuals, who hold strong, often negative perceptions of Indigenous Canadians. Over the course of 28 days, they are taken to various Indigenous communities, including Winnipeg and Kimmirut, where they confront their biases and gain insight into the realities of Indigenous life. Key issues such as the historical trauma of residential schools, poverty, and addiction come to light, challenging participants' views as they interact with Indigenous families and learn about their cultures. By the end of the journey, many participants show growth in empathy and understanding, acknowledging the resilience of Indigenous peoples and the complexities of their challenges.

الوجبات الجاهزة

  • 🗣️ Participants confront their stereotypes about Indigenous Canadians.
  • 🏠 The journey exposes travelers to diverse Indigenous living conditions.
  • 📜 Historical context of residential schools is a focal point.
  • 💔 Participants struggle to understand the complexities of Indigenous issues.
  • 🌊 Drag the Red initiative highlights the crisis of missing Indigenous women.
  • 🌨️ Kimmirut demonstrates the harsh realities faced by Inuit communities.
  • 🦭 Seal hunting reflects traditional Inuit practices and challenges views on wildlife.
  • 🤝 Building relationships fosters empathy and shared understanding.
  • ⚖️ The journey emphasizes the importance of acknowledging historical injustices.
  • ❤️ Growth in understanding and appreciation for Indigenous resilience.

الجدول الزمني

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The video opens with stereotypes and misconceptions about indigenous Canadians, displayed through the opinions of a group of Canadians who have never interacted with indigenous communities. They express negative views on social issues like addiction and welfare, leading to questions about government support.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    The narrator introduces the six participants, all of whom are open-minded but carry prejudicial views. They are invited to Winnipeg's north end, a community with a significant indigenous population, where they will confront their assumptions about indigenous people.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    Michael Champagne, from Shamattawa Cree First Nation, welcomes the group and explains their journey aims to challenge their perceptions. Participants share their beliefs, revealing ignorance on various topics like residential schools and the struggles indigenous communities face.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    Ross, a public servant, expresses strong opinions about indigenous people and their living conditions. He reflects on the past and believes that residential schools were well-intentioned. Michael assures him that their views will be challenged during the following weeks in the community.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:25:00

    The group embarks on their journey, preparing to stay with an indigenous family. Their initial assumptions about indigenous lifestyles start to shift as they realize the reality of living conditions in the community differs from their expectations.

  • 00:25:00 - 00:30:00

    After moving in with the families, the group witnesses the indigenous family's love and hard work. Jennifer, the host, shares her struggles with cultural identity due to assimilation policies, highlighting the lasting impact of residential schools.

  • 00:30:00 - 00:35:00

    The second half of the video contrasts different communities, focusing on perceptions of poverty and addiction. Participants struggle to understand the cycles of trauma and the systemic issues faced by indigenous people in their journey through various neighborhoods.

  • 00:35:00 - 00:45:00

    The expedition leads the participants to Kimmirut, an isolated Inuit community, where they face harsher living conditions. They partake in traditional practices and hunting, leading to growth in understanding and appreciation for the resilience and cultural practices of the Inuit people.

اعرض المزيد

الخريطة الذهنية

فيديو أسئلة وأجوبة

  • What is the purpose of the journey undertaken by the six participants?

    The journey aims to challenge the participants' perceptions of Indigenous Canadians and help them understand the realities of Indigenous life.

  • What are some of the stereotypes the participants initially hold about Indigenous peoples?

    The participants initially hold stereotypes including alcoholism, drug abuse, and living off government assistance.

  • What significant historical context is addressed during the journey?

    The journey addresses the historical context of residential schools and their devastating effects on Indigenous communities.

  • How do the participants' views change throughout the video?

    As the participants engage with Indigenous families and communities, many begin to realize the complexity of their situations and the resilience of Indigenous peoples.

  • What is the significance of the Drag the Red initiative?

    Drag the Red is a grassroots initiative that searches for evidence of missing and murdered Indigenous people, aimed at healing the community and raising awareness.

  • What challenges do the travelers face in Kimmirut?

    The travelers face the harsh realities of life in an isolated Inuit community, including the difficulty of hunting and the high cost of living.

  • How does the seal hunt reflect Indigenous culture?

    The seal hunt highlights the traditional ways of life of the Inuit, emphasizing the survival skills and deep connection to the land.

  • What are some of the emotional impacts experienced by the participants?

    Participants express feelings of empathy and understanding towards Indigenous struggles, while also grappling with their own preconceived notions.

  • How do Natives in the communities differ from the travelers' expectations?

    The travelers discover that many Indigenous families are hardworking and live in nice homes, contrary to stereotypes.

  • What is the overarching theme of the video?

    The overarching theme is the importance of understanding and connecting with Indigenous communities, challenging stereotypes, and recognizing shared humanity.

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التمرير التلقائي:
  • 00:00:00
    ♪[music]
  • 00:00:06
    Narrator: What do people really think
  • 00:00:08
    about indigenous Canadians?
  • 00:00:12
    I think of alcoholism.
  • 00:00:14
    I think of drug abuse.
  • 00:00:16
    A whole bunch of partying and flophouses.
  • 00:00:18
    They just always get money and, and handouts.
  • 00:00:22
    How are they the worst off when they're given so much?
  • 00:00:25
    We are being made to pay for something we didn't do.
  • 00:00:29
    Well, where is my money going?
  • 00:00:30
    They don't paint their houses.
  • 00:00:32
    They don't fix windows.
  • 00:00:35
    Welfare's not a career.
  • 00:00:36
    They're angry at white people.
  • 00:00:38
    I mean they want you to feel sorry for them.
  • 00:00:40
    Get off your a--- if you're unhappy
  • 00:00:41
    and go do something about it.
  • 00:00:44
    It feels like it's just a lost cause at this point.
  • 00:00:47
    Narrator: Most Canadians have never taken the time
  • 00:00:49
    to get to know indigenous people,
  • 00:00:51
    or visit their communities.
  • 00:00:53
    This group represents those Canadians.
  • 00:00:56
    All with strong opinions,
  • 00:00:58
    they've been invited to leave their everyday lives behind
  • 00:01:01
    and embark on a unique journey deep into indigenous Canada.
  • 00:01:05
    Welcome, all of you right here, to Winnipeg's north end.
  • 00:01:08
    Narrator: Ross, a public servant and family man.
  • 00:01:11
    The past is the past.
  • 00:01:12
    If you're gonna worry about the past,
  • 00:01:13
    the future's not gonna do you no favours.
  • 00:01:15
    Narrator: Avonlea, married mother of two.
  • 00:01:18
    I didn't create a residential school and force anyone into it.
  • 00:01:22
    Narrator: Don, truck driver.
  • 00:01:23
    When somebody says that this was their land
  • 00:01:25
    and it always has been,
  • 00:01:26
    oh, actually it used to belong to dinosaurs.
  • 00:01:29
    Narrator: Gym owner, Ashley.
  • 00:01:31
    I changed my life around, why can you do it for yourself?
  • 00:01:34
    Narrator: Animal lover, Jamie Sue.
  • 00:01:35
    It's such a big problem
  • 00:01:37
    that I feel like I couldn't make a difference at all.
  • 00:01:39
    Dallas, lobster fisherman and welder.
  • 00:01:42
    If we're gonna continue to support Aboriginal people
  • 00:01:45
    and not see any results, then when is it gonna end?
  • 00:01:50
    Narrator: These six participants
  • 00:01:52
    have no idea what's about to happen to them.
  • 00:01:54
    This could be not so bad, it could be good, or it could be,
  • 00:01:57
    like, holy [...], what did I just sign up for?
  • 00:01:59
    Narrator: It will be a journey of surprise
  • 00:02:01
    that will turn their lives upside down.
  • 00:02:03
    [gunshot] Ross: There, you got him!
  • 00:02:05
    Go, go, go, go!
  • 00:02:06
    Narrator: Challenging their perceptions
  • 00:02:08
    and confronting their opinions.
  • 00:02:10
    Sixty years of residential schools,
  • 00:02:11
    when, when did they figure it out it didn't work?
  • 00:02:14
    Narrator: For 28 days,
  • 00:02:15
    the six will face their fears
  • 00:02:17
    in a world that they never imagined they'd see...
  • 00:02:19
    Man: Throw those gloves on, we need your help.
  • 00:02:21
    Narrator: ...on a journey
  • 00:02:22
    that can change their lives forever.
  • 00:02:26
    Dallas: This is camping for them.
  • 00:02:28
    For me, it's like hell on earth.
  • 00:02:29
    We've been on boiled water advisory - 2003.
  • 00:02:33
    Really it gets down to we're saving lives.
  • 00:02:36
    Jamie Sue: I got something.
  • 00:02:37
    It really puts a dark stain
  • 00:02:38
    on the Canada that I thought I knew.
  • 00:02:40
    You don't know!
  • 00:02:42
    It doesn't matter, man, they need money to [...] live.
  • 00:02:44
    I'm just having a very hard time understanding.
  • 00:02:45
    That's not an excuse. You are a prime example of society.
  • 00:02:49
    ♪[music]
  • 00:02:53
    ♪[music]
  • 00:02:58
    Narrator: These six travellers have been invited
  • 00:03:01
    to experience indigenous Canada for the next 4 weeks.
  • 00:03:06
    Other than that, they know nothing
  • 00:03:08
    about the journey that lies ahead.
  • 00:03:12
    They've travelled from different parts of the country
  • 00:03:15
    to meet in Winnipeg's north end.
  • 00:03:18
    A notoriously dangerous community,
  • 00:03:20
    where one in four residents are indigenous.
  • 00:03:23
    [meow]
  • 00:03:25
    Here they will meet Michael Champagne
  • 00:03:27
    of Shamattawa Cree First Nation,
  • 00:03:29
    who will shed some light on what they are about to undertake.
  • 00:03:34
    I would take this opportunity to welcome all of you here
  • 00:03:38
    to Winnipeg's north end, Treaty 1 territory,
  • 00:03:41
    homeland of the Metis nation, and my home.
  • 00:03:45
    Winnipeg's north end is a community
  • 00:03:48
    that is very well known,
  • 00:03:49
    sometimes for all the wrong reasons.
  • 00:03:52
    But what I'm excited about today
  • 00:03:54
    is to welcome all of you to my community
  • 00:03:56
    so that you can see with your own eyes,
  • 00:03:58
    experience with your own bodies and feel with your own hearts,
  • 00:04:01
    what this community is really about.
  • 00:04:04
    You can see a certain representation
  • 00:04:05
    of the medicine wheel where we're standing,
  • 00:04:07
    and it talks about the four different nations
  • 00:04:10
    of our world coming together,
  • 00:04:12
    talks about the four elements coming together.
  • 00:04:14
    When we have opportunities like this to build a relationship,
  • 00:04:18
    we have a chance to improve our life and perspective as well.
  • 00:04:22
    That's the reason why you're all here today,
  • 00:04:25
    so that we can figure out some of the experiences
  • 00:04:27
    of indigenous people in Canada
  • 00:04:29
    and understand a little bit of the historical context
  • 00:04:32
    of how things got to be this way.
  • 00:04:33
    So, I'm curious to know,
  • 00:04:35
    what experiences have you folks had
  • 00:04:36
    with indigenous people in Canada?
  • 00:04:38
    Oftentimes you see them inebriated,
  • 00:04:41
    or you see them passed out on the street.
  • 00:04:43
    I feel like people are kind of wondering
  • 00:04:44
    why they're given all this money, you know,
  • 00:04:46
    free housing, or education,
  • 00:04:48
    or programs like that,
  • 00:04:49
    and they're not doing anything with it.
  • 00:04:51
    And don't come to me bragging about
  • 00:04:52
    what you can get free from the government when I can't get it.
  • 00:04:56
    Do you guys feel like any of the perspectives
  • 00:04:58
    that you carry about indigenous people
  • 00:05:00
    are one sided or potentially ignorant?
  • 00:05:01
    Oh, absolutely I do, for sure.
  • 00:05:03
    All I know are stories that people from the white community
  • 00:05:06
    have told me that they've heard.
  • 00:05:07
    That's reality, that ain't freakin' ignorance.
  • 00:05:09
    Driving through a reserve,
  • 00:05:10
    a house burns down and it stays burned down for years,
  • 00:05:15
    nobody goes and tidies it up or cleans it up.
  • 00:05:17
    You know, to me, first impressions are the key.
  • 00:05:20
    ♪[music]
  • 00:05:21
    Narrator: Ross is a married father of three in Edmonton.
  • 00:05:25
    He takes great pride in his home.
  • 00:05:28
    I got nominated for enhancing
  • 00:05:31
    our vibrant community for Edmonton.
  • 00:05:34
    Narrator: But his views on First Nations people aren't pretty.
  • 00:05:38
    Do you ever have the nicest looking Indian reserve in Canada?
  • 00:05:41
    If they ever had a contest, oh, my God, they'd be,
  • 00:05:43
    they'd be fighting for last place.
  • 00:05:45
    They don't fix windows.
  • 00:05:46
    If they have a car and it breaks down, it stays in the yard.
  • 00:05:49
    Take 5 minutes of your life
  • 00:05:50
    and get out of bed before noon, and tidy up your spot.
  • 00:05:55
    Narrator: Ross's family is well aware of his outspoken opinions.
  • 00:05:58
    I'm a little worried because, yeah, he doesn't have a filter.
  • 00:06:02
    No thinking involved.
  • 00:06:05
    Narrator: And his views are deeply entrenched.
  • 00:06:07
    Ross: Have a big residential school score,
  • 00:06:09
    everyone's playing that card.
  • 00:06:11
    We were trying to help them,
  • 00:06:12
    and that was what we were trying to
  • 00:06:14
    indoctrinate them into our society.
  • 00:06:16
    You know, if we had done nothing,
  • 00:06:18
    it probably wouldn't have been any different.
  • 00:06:20
    Michael : The perspectives and experiences
  • 00:06:23
    that you have shared with me today
  • 00:06:25
    will be challenged in the next few weeks
  • 00:06:27
    as you experience what indigenous people
  • 00:06:29
    in Canada experience,
  • 00:06:31
    and I have a lot of hope and faith
  • 00:06:33
    that minds will be changed.
  • 00:06:36
    Narrator: The six participants aren't going far
  • 00:06:38
    for the first leg of their journey.
  • 00:06:40
    At over 90,000 strong,
  • 00:06:42
    Winnipeg has the largest indigenous population in Canada.
  • 00:06:47
    Dallas: I'm kind of curious to where the next adventure
  • 00:06:50
    is gonna lead us to here.
  • 00:06:50
    Yeah, yeah, yeah.
  • 00:06:51
    Narrator: Dallas, Ashley and Ross
  • 00:06:53
    don't know where they're going next.
  • 00:06:55
    It makes Dallas nervous.
  • 00:06:58
    This could be not so bad, it could be good,
  • 00:07:00
    or it could be, like, holy [...],
  • 00:07:01
    what did I just sign up for?
  • 00:07:03
    [laughs]
  • 00:07:04
    ♪[music]
  • 00:07:05
    Narrator: Dallas is a carefree 26-year-old from New Brunswick.
  • 00:07:09
    Dallas: Off to have a great day on the tubes today.
  • 00:07:12
    Sun's out, gun's out.
  • 00:07:14
    Narrator: But his opinions on indigenous people
  • 00:07:16
    are less sunny.
  • 00:07:17
    Do I think that there's advantages to being, you know,
  • 00:07:20
    Aboriginal or native?
  • 00:07:21
    Yes, I do.
  • 00:07:22
    Do I think that they don't take full advantage
  • 00:07:23
    of those advantages?
  • 00:07:25
    No, I don't.
  • 00:07:26
    [air pumping]
  • 00:07:27
    Narrator: When it comes to First Nations reserves,
  • 00:07:30
    Dallas wonders why they even exist.
  • 00:07:33
    You don't see any Caucasian reserves,
  • 00:07:34
    or you don't see any, you know, African-Canadian reserves,
  • 00:07:37
    or anything like that.
  • 00:07:39
    The things you see in the newspapers
  • 00:07:40
    and these areas that they live in,
  • 00:07:42
    you feel bad for them for a second,
  • 00:07:44
    and then you, you wonder why you do.
  • 00:07:47
    Narrator: Over in the other group,
  • 00:07:49
    Avonlea, Jamie Sue and Don
  • 00:07:51
    are heading to the suburb of Stonewall,
  • 00:07:54
    but Avonlea assumes they're going somewhere else.
  • 00:07:57
    Indigenous people live on the reserves in BC,
  • 00:07:59
    so I would be expecting to go onto a reserve.
  • 00:08:03
    I have not been to a reservation, I don't think, ever.
  • 00:08:08
    Don: If I was to go onto reserve in a state of one of those homes,
  • 00:08:11
    I would want to find a place to go
  • 00:08:12
    and take a shower first thing in the morning.
  • 00:08:15
    [chuckle]
  • 00:08:16
    I probably would be described as someone who is very opinionated
  • 00:08:20
    and not afraid to speak up about how I feel about things.
  • 00:08:23
    Narrator: Don is a trucker from Ardrossan, Alberta.
  • 00:08:27
    He makes no bones about his feelings towards indigenous people.
  • 00:08:30
    Let's call it my unity shirt, [chuckle]
  • 00:08:34
    The, the letters mean assimilate or leave -
  • 00:08:37
    fit in or [...] off.
  • 00:08:39
    [chuckles]
  • 00:08:40
    A native person by definition
  • 00:08:41
    is a person who was born here, so I'm a native Canadian.
  • 00:08:45
    So, it upsets me when somebody says that they are,
  • 00:08:47
    have better rights because this is their land.
  • 00:08:50
    Narrator: He believes that stories of abuse
  • 00:08:52
    at residential schools are exaggerated.
  • 00:08:55
    What we're hearing about the residential schools
  • 00:08:57
    is what their lawyers want you to hear,
  • 00:08:59
    so they can get more money from the government.
  • 00:09:02
    I can't take away your background,
  • 00:09:03
    your culture, your language.
  • 00:09:06
    Why should I as a taxpaying Canadian
  • 00:09:08
    have to pay you for it?
  • 00:09:09
    So, I still don't know where the suffering is.
  • 00:09:12
    ♪[music]
  • 00:09:14
    Oh wow.
  • 00:09:16
    Narrator: In spite of their assumptions,
  • 00:09:17
    the travellers find themselves not on a reserve,
  • 00:09:21
    but in an upper class suburban neighbourhood.
  • 00:09:23
    Don: They're pretty nice places.
  • 00:09:25
    Narrator: The group's preconceived notion
  • 00:09:27
    of what an indigenous home should look like is challenged.
  • 00:09:31
    Avonlea: My house doesn't look like this.
  • 00:09:33
    Mine doesn't either.
  • 00:09:35
    Don: Well, they all look bigger than my house.
  • 00:09:37
    Narrator: But this is more than just a drive by.
  • 00:09:39
    Don, Avonlea and Jamie Sue
  • 00:09:42
    are about to move in with an indigenous family
  • 00:09:45
    for the next 24 hours.
  • 00:09:47
    ♪[music]
  • 00:09:54
    [ding-dong]
  • 00:09:55
    This is their first contact.
  • 00:09:58
    Come on in. I'm Don. Don, nice to meet you.
  • 00:09:59
    Hi, I'm Jennifer.
  • 00:09:59
    Nice to meet you.
  • 00:10:01
    My name is Mina.
  • 00:10:02
    This is Mina. Hi Mina.
  • 00:10:04
    Narrator: This beautiful home is a far cry
  • 00:10:07
    from Don's bleak expectations.
  • 00:10:09
    What I'm used to for reserve homes,
  • 00:10:11
    I don't see this as being a reserve home,
  • 00:10:13
    so I'm, I'm okay with this, this is fine.
  • 00:10:16
    Narrator: Hosts Kevin Lamoureux,
  • 00:10:17
    his wife Jennifer and daughter Mina,
  • 00:10:20
    are a hardworking, loving family.
  • 00:10:22
    Please, dig in.
  • 00:10:24
    Narrator: Contrary to Don's beliefs,
  • 00:10:26
    Jennifer's culture and language was taken from her.
  • 00:10:29
    She's taking steps now to reclaim it.
  • 00:10:32
    I just recently got my Indian status.
  • 00:10:36
    Um, I'm 38.
  • 00:10:38
    I guess the effects of assimilation on my family
  • 00:10:41
    were just that we, we kind of lost our culture,
  • 00:10:43
    our connection to our culture,
  • 00:10:45
    to our language and things like that,
  • 00:10:46
    um, so it was kind of, like, you know, who am I and,
  • 00:10:49
    like, you know, I'm indigenous,
  • 00:10:50
    what does that actually mean to me?
  • 00:10:51
    What does it mean to you for Mina?
  • 00:10:54
    Well, I think that I didn't need my status to reconnect,
  • 00:10:57
    but it took a little while to understand
  • 00:10:59
    why was I growing up in a non-indigenous community
  • 00:11:02
    and not having my culture and my language,
  • 00:11:04
    and why do I not have that connection, you know?
  • 00:11:07
    My family went through this for generations of, you know,
  • 00:11:11
    assimilation and colonization, and it has impacted my family.
  • 00:11:14
    And so, it's kind of just an acknowledgement
  • 00:11:16
    of you are First Nations, and we recognize that,
  • 00:11:19
    and I finally have come to just feel connected to my,
  • 00:11:23
    my background and feel okay with my story.
  • 00:11:27
    Narrator: The second group of travellers
  • 00:11:29
    is heading toward the Maples,
  • 00:11:31
    a neighbourhood not typically associated
  • 00:11:33
    with indigenous people.
  • 00:11:34
    ♪[music]
  • 00:11:36
    Wherever we do go, I just hope that, you know,
  • 00:11:38
    they're just like a, like a welcoming vibe.
  • 00:11:41
    Narrator: Ashley is mostly concerned
  • 00:11:43
    about encountering drunks.
  • 00:11:45
    Like, my experiences with, I guess, indigenous people,
  • 00:11:49
    it's wanting to find out why do you drink so much?
  • 00:11:52
    If you're miserable, why do you not choose to move?
  • 00:11:55
    ♪[music]
  • 00:11:58
    We all pay our tax as Canadians,
  • 00:12:00
    and then we see a lot of the community
  • 00:12:02
    who are struggling with addictions,
  • 00:12:04
    and it's, like, well, where's my money going?
  • 00:12:06
    Narrator: Gym owner, Ashley,
  • 00:12:07
    can't understand why indigenous people
  • 00:12:09
    can't resolve their issues like she has.
  • 00:12:13
    I changed my life around, why can't you do it for yourself?
  • 00:12:16
    If I kept harping on the fact
  • 00:12:18
    that I was emotionally and physically abused
  • 00:12:21
    by my own family member as a kid
  • 00:12:23
    to the point where I wanted to runaway
  • 00:12:24
    and it can do stupid things to myself,
  • 00:12:28
    but I've come to realize that no one owes me s---
  • 00:12:30
    except for myself.
  • 00:12:32
    They have a lot of issues.
  • 00:12:34
    It is on them to fix it.
  • 00:12:35
    Get off your ass if you're unhappy
  • 00:12:37
    and go do something about it.
  • 00:12:40
    Narrator: Upon arrival at their indigenous host's home,
  • 00:12:43
    the groups fears are alleviated.
  • 00:12:45
    I feel a lot more comfortable knowing that,
  • 00:12:46
    like, it's a nice area, you know what I mean?
  • 00:12:49
    Hello.
  • 00:12:50
    Ashley: Hello.
  • 00:12:50
    Hi, how are ya?
  • 00:12:51
    I'm Ross. Hi, Derek.
  • 00:12:53
    Ross: You don't mind having total strangers coming in?
  • 00:12:54
    [laughing]
  • 00:12:56
    Narrator: Derek Hart and his wife Candace
  • 00:12:58
    live here with their two teenage kids.
  • 00:13:01
    Achieving this lifestyle wasn't easy.
  • 00:13:04
    Derek put himself through university working three jobs.
  • 00:13:08
    As a couple, we always knew down the road
  • 00:13:10
    we were gonna get a house.
  • 00:13:11
    We wanted to travel,
  • 00:13:13
    and that meant one thing for us
  • 00:13:15
    is that we made sure that we never had
  • 00:13:18
    any alcohol in the residence, in our house.
  • 00:13:20
    Dallas: Yeah. Never.
  • 00:13:21
    Narrator: An indigenous home without alcohol
  • 00:13:23
    is hard for Ashley to fathom.
  • 00:13:25
    Whenever someone says alcohol and indigenous,
  • 00:13:28
    you ask an average Canadian,
  • 00:13:30
    the first few things that pop in their head are,
  • 00:13:32
    like, alcoholism and drug abuse and abuse.
  • 00:13:36
    So before you guys kind of got together,
  • 00:13:38
    did, did you guys have any issues
  • 00:13:40
    with your own alcohol or drug abuse?
  • 00:13:42
    My mother is a single mother.
  • 00:13:44
    She never allowed alcohol in the house,
  • 00:13:47
    so I think maybe that's where I got it from.
  • 00:13:48
    From a young age, I was introduced to,
  • 00:13:51
    you know, our, our culture and everything else,
  • 00:13:53
    and so we, I was just used to
  • 00:13:54
    not having any alcohol in our residence, our house.
  • 00:13:56
    Are there a lot of your friends
  • 00:13:59
    that don't have alcohol in the home?
  • 00:14:01
    Candace: We know a lot of people.
  • 00:14:02
    Family: Yeah.
  • 00:14:02
    Yeah, there's a lot of ceremonial people that are...
  • 00:14:06
    Are traditional people.
  • 00:14:06
    ...traditionally don't.
  • 00:14:07
    Dallas: Yeah.
  • 00:14:09
    Narrator: But Ross doesn't believe
  • 00:14:10
    they represent the majority.
  • 00:14:12
    they're out in the public, right.
  • 00:14:13
    You probably wouldn't have to go too many blocks
  • 00:14:15
    before you'd see some, you know, homeless guy or some, right?
  • 00:14:18
    But I think that's the thing, too,
  • 00:14:19
    is that we just wanted our, our family,
  • 00:14:21
    our children being used in that
  • 00:14:23
    where there's no alcohol in the home.
  • 00:14:25
    It doesn't matter what family you belong to,
  • 00:14:26
    you have Christmas, some guys come over half in the bag, it doesn't matter.
  • 00:14:29
    Derek: Nope!
  • 00:14:29
    No? No.
  • 00:14:30
    We keep the alcohol and the drugs away from him.
  • 00:14:34
    ♪[music]
  • 00:14:36
    Do you want to do a dance before you get ready for bed?
  • 00:14:38
    Narrator: Over in Stonewall, Don, Avonlea and Jamie Sue
  • 00:14:42
    are about to see the positive effects
  • 00:14:44
    of indigenous culture on 4-year-old Mina.
  • 00:14:47
    Can you get some water?
  • 00:14:49
    Jennifer: Mina knows that the drum needs water.
  • 00:14:51
    Mina : It makes the skin go not dry anymore.
  • 00:14:54
    And this style is the butterfly dance.
  • 00:14:58
    Oh.
  • 00:14:59
    [drumming]
  • 00:15:07
    Avonlea: Yay. Jamie Sue: That was wonderful.
  • 00:15:09
    Thanks Mina.
  • 00:15:10
    We made this together as a family
  • 00:15:11
    at one of the school events.
  • 00:15:13
    Jennifer: It was demonstrated how to do it,
  • 00:15:15
    and it was a lot of work. [laughs]
  • 00:15:16
    Yeah, as a family, we stretched the hide
  • 00:15:18
    and we made the drum stick.
  • 00:15:19
    Avonlea: That is very cool.
  • 00:15:20
    Yeah, just to even have the opportunity now
  • 00:15:22
    in my adulthood and to be a part of that
  • 00:15:24
    with Mina is just, it's amazing.
  • 00:15:27
    Avonlea: Good night, Mina.
  • 00:15:28
    Good night, Mina.
  • 00:15:29
    Narrator: It's bedtime for Mina,
  • 00:15:31
    giving the guests a chance to learn
  • 00:15:33
    that Kevin's life wasn't always like this.
  • 00:15:36
    Poverty was common when I was growing up,
  • 00:15:38
    and then everything that comes with poverty,
  • 00:15:40
    looking for work, looking for reasonable housing,
  • 00:15:42
    escaping bad situations.
  • 00:15:44
    I, um, got sober when I was 18 years old.
  • 00:15:47
    You know, looking back,
  • 00:15:48
    I was probably drinking alcoholically when I was 12.
  • 00:15:51
    I was in a desperate situation by the time I was 13,
  • 00:15:54
    in and out of juvenile detention,
  • 00:15:56
    drug treatment centres, in trouble with the law,
  • 00:15:58
    spiralling, suicide attempts.
  • 00:16:00
    When I started to look to understand
  • 00:16:02
    some of the causes and conditions,
  • 00:16:04
    residential schools have left all kinds
  • 00:16:07
    of wreckage in our society,
  • 00:16:08
    and I mean the, the effects of this
  • 00:16:11
    ripple out into our communities.
  • 00:16:12
    How much is tied to lack of education,
  • 00:16:14
    healthcare, in trouble with the law,
  • 00:16:17
    you know, finances, economic vibrancy?
  • 00:16:19
    All of these thing go back to this wound, right.
  • 00:16:22
    I have these moments where I go into Mina 's room
  • 00:16:24
    and I rub her back and I'll sing to her
  • 00:16:26
    and try to put her back to sleep,
  • 00:16:30
    but I have to think about the fact
  • 00:16:31
    that there was a time as recently as 1996
  • 00:16:34
    that the government might not have wanted me
  • 00:16:36
    to raise my own daughter, right.
  • 00:16:38
    And what would her life have been like
  • 00:16:40
    if instead of her having daddy come in and sing to her,
  • 00:16:44
    or tell her a story, if somebody hit her,
  • 00:16:47
    or yelled at her, or put soap in her mouth
  • 00:16:49
    for speaking the language that I told her to speak,
  • 00:16:52
    hey, what would happen to her life?
  • 00:16:55
    And then what would happen if instead
  • 00:16:56
    of my daughter having a chance to heal
  • 00:16:58
    from that experience they took her kids away,
  • 00:17:01
    and then their kids, and then their kids,
  • 00:17:04
    and then their kids, all the way to seven generations?
  • 00:17:07
    See, as a kid growing up,
  • 00:17:08
    I wished somebody would take me away,
  • 00:17:11
    'cause I didn't have to go to school to get beaten,
  • 00:17:13
    I got beaten at home.
  • 00:17:15
    You know, and this is,
  • 00:17:16
    this is the beauty of something like this,
  • 00:17:17
    so that we can hear each other's stories
  • 00:17:18
    and have that empathy for each other, right,
  • 00:17:21
    'cause we don't, we haven't had that opportunity.
  • 00:17:23
    I need you to understand that residential schools
  • 00:17:24
    are not your fault.
  • 00:17:26
    No.
  • 00:17:27
    It's not on you.
  • 00:17:28
    And this is the reason I wanted to invite you into my home
  • 00:17:30
    is because I've seen far too many Canadians
  • 00:17:32
    walk away from learning about residential schools,
  • 00:17:35
    or the sense of guilt that isn't owed to them,
  • 00:17:38
    they didn't do this.
  • 00:17:40
    I don't know any of this, how is that possible?
  • 00:17:42
    Yeah, I can't believe something like that
  • 00:17:44
    wouldn't be all over the news.
  • 00:17:46
    It's disappointing.
  • 00:17:47
    Yeah.
  • 00:17:48
    The other side of that though
  • 00:17:49
    is that as much as this isn't any of our faults,
  • 00:17:52
    we do have to make a decision.
  • 00:17:54
    Even though I'm not responsible for this,
  • 00:17:56
    do I want to contribute to the solution?
  • 00:17:59
    And that's for every person to decide.
  • 00:18:03
    Narrator: The first day of the journey is done,
  • 00:18:05
    and there is much for the exhausted travellers to absorb,
  • 00:18:09
    but their opinions on the experience so far differ.
  • 00:18:13
    Ashley: The thought pattern I had showing up to the unknown
  • 00:18:15
    was a negative connotation right away,
  • 00:18:17
    and thinking, s---, am I gonna be sleeping in a slum?
  • 00:18:20
    And then we show up to this nice house,
  • 00:18:21
    with these awesome people,
  • 00:18:23
    it caught me off guard thinking,
  • 00:18:24
    wow, I had a negative thought right off the get-go
  • 00:18:26
    when I shouldn't have.
  • 00:18:28
    Don: This is a man and his wife who are working
  • 00:18:30
    and paying their own way, and they've got a beautiful place.
  • 00:18:33
    People that live in the houses that we saw in the north side
  • 00:18:36
    isn't probably the greatest percentage,
  • 00:18:38
    and some of them are working,
  • 00:18:40
    some of them may be on welfare, who knows, I don't know.
  • 00:18:43
    I know for sure that on the reserves
  • 00:18:45
    there's lots of people who aren't doing anything
  • 00:18:46
    except collecting their monthly paycheque.
  • 00:18:50
    Narrator: Winnipeg, day 2.
  • 00:18:52
    The travellers pack up and say goodbye
  • 00:18:54
    to their indigenous hosts.
  • 00:18:56
    Good day the office.
  • 00:18:57
    Today, Jamie Sue, Ross and Don
  • 00:19:00
    will experience a very different side of the city.
  • 00:19:03
    Many of Canada's missing and murdered indigenous women
  • 00:19:06
    are from Winnipeg, and sadly,
  • 00:19:08
    some of their remains have been found here in the Red River.
  • 00:19:14
    As a woman with her own difficult past,
  • 00:19:16
    Jamie Sue can empathize with this awful reality
  • 00:19:19
    more than most.
  • 00:19:21
    ♪[music]
  • 00:19:22
    Alcoholism runs in my family, really strong on my mom's side.
  • 00:19:27
    My mom has had her struggles with it
  • 00:19:30
    that was passed on to me as well.
  • 00:19:34
    Yeah, it's definitely generational.
  • 00:19:35
    Gonna get ya.
  • 00:19:36
    I am an animal lover.
  • 00:19:38
    I have three cats, Missy, Baxter Parker,
  • 00:19:42
    and a dog named Chico.
  • 00:19:43
    I'm gonna get your paw.
  • 00:19:44
    Narrator: Jamie Sue lives in Ingersoll, Ontario.
  • 00:19:47
    Growing up near a reserve,
  • 00:19:49
    she was taught to fear her indigenous neighbours.
  • 00:19:52
    We were told not to really look at them,
  • 00:19:55
    and we were told not to go on the reserve ever,
  • 00:19:57
    like, it's not safe.
  • 00:19:59
    Narrator: Today, she still knows little
  • 00:20:01
    about Canada's First Nations people.
  • 00:20:04
    The stories that some of these people have gone through
  • 00:20:07
    in their childhood and stuff,
  • 00:20:09
    it just seems like it's a whole bunch
  • 00:20:10
    of partying and flophouses unfortunately.
  • 00:20:14
    But like any community, there's always going to be
  • 00:20:17
    those uplifting spirits in it,
  • 00:20:19
    and I'm sure we'll actually get to meet,
  • 00:20:21
    like, that little light in the darkness,
  • 00:20:23
    and then that will make it into a happy one,
  • 00:20:25
    'cause there's always hope.
  • 00:20:28
    Narrator: Unlike Jamie Sue, Ross and Don
  • 00:20:30
    have little sympathy for the victims or their families.
  • 00:20:34
    We're hearing about missing and murdered indigenous women,
  • 00:20:37
    but we're not hearing about white girls,
  • 00:20:38
    black girls, Hispanic girls, whatever,
  • 00:20:42
    and for all we know there could be just as many
  • 00:20:44
    of them that are missing.
  • 00:20:46
    It still comes down to a choice.
  • 00:20:48
    Being broke and poor and getting addicted to drugs is,
  • 00:20:51
    is a choice.
  • 00:20:53
    Narrator: They're about to have their views turned upside down.
  • 00:20:57
    The group has been sent to experience Drag the Red,
  • 00:21:01
    an indigenous grassroots initiative
  • 00:21:03
    that scours the river looking for evidence
  • 00:21:05
    of missing and murdered people.
  • 00:21:08
    Started by Bernadette Smith,
  • 00:21:10
    after her own sister went missing nearly 10 years ago,
  • 00:21:13
    Drag the Red is about more than dredging up evidence,
  • 00:21:16
    it's about healing.
  • 00:21:18
    Bernadette: It's helping people get involved,
  • 00:21:19
    it's helping community come together,
  • 00:21:21
    and it's helping to create change.
  • 00:21:23
    People are getting involved
  • 00:21:24
    because they don't want to see this violence anymore.
  • 00:21:27
    What kind of percentages are we looking at
  • 00:21:29
    that are indigenous and non-indigenous persons?
  • 00:21:32
    You know, 2 years ago, it was recorded that there were, well,
  • 00:21:35
    1,181 missing and murdered, you know, indigenous women. Don: Yes.
  • 00:21:39
    If we were to take that and equate that to Caucasian women,
  • 00:21:42
    that would equate to about 18,000 missing women.
  • 00:21:45
    Narrator: Jamie Sue is floored.
  • 00:21:47
    Jamie Sue: These aren't just numbers, they're human beings.
  • 00:21:51
    Jamie Sue: It's so sad.
  • 00:21:52
    It just blows my mind the way that the stereotypes
  • 00:21:54
    desensitizes so much that it removes the fact
  • 00:21:57
    that that's an actual person.
  • 00:21:59
    I mean media were portraying my sister as this,
  • 00:22:02
    you know, Aboriginal sex trade, drug addicted woman,
  • 00:22:05
    so it really dehumanizes and gives the public
  • 00:22:09
    almost permission to put blame on these women,
  • 00:22:12
    when, in fact, every, every person has a story.
  • 00:22:15
    Like, my sister didn't grow up thinking, oh,
  • 00:22:17
    I want to work the streets and be addicted to drugs.
  • 00:22:20
    You know, she was sexually abused as a little girl,
  • 00:22:23
    she was 12 years old, you know,
  • 00:22:25
    and she was raped, and that really turned her life around.
  • 00:22:29
    A lot of our stories are similar.
  • 00:22:32
    We never in a million years thought it would happen to us.
  • 00:22:35
    We need to, as a society, shift the way we think,
  • 00:22:38
    we act and we treat each other.
  • 00:22:42
    So, we're just getting our kits together here.
  • 00:22:43
    Narrator: No far away, Ashley, Dallas
  • 00:22:46
    and Avonlea are about to get a taste of life
  • 00:22:48
    on the streets in the north end.
  • 00:22:50
    James: You three will come with me.
  • 00:22:52
    Narrator: Every night, James Favel
  • 00:22:54
    leads a group of volunteers called the "Bear Clan".
  • 00:22:56
    Okay, let's do this.
  • 00:22:57
    Narrator: Working closely with hospitals and law enforcement,
  • 00:23:00
    they patrol this largely indigenous neighbourhood
  • 00:23:03
    to keep residents safe.
  • 00:23:05
    So, we're just keeping our eyes n the ground.
  • 00:23:06
    Narrator: There are plenty of dangers.
  • 00:23:08
    There's a needle over here James.
  • 00:23:08
    James: Sharps!
  • 00:23:11
    I guess you've got the sharps container there.
  • 00:23:13
    Narrator: Just 5 minutes into their walk,
  • 00:23:15
    Ashley discovers an exposed, used hypodermic needle.
  • 00:23:19
    Dallas: It is very scary.
  • 00:23:20
    These people are just getting high
  • 00:23:21
    and they're throwing their needles and, you know,
  • 00:23:23
    with no regard to kids, anybody else.
  • 00:23:26
    Narrator: Growing up on these very streets,
  • 00:23:28
    James did time in prison
  • 00:23:30
    before straightening out his life and starting the program.
  • 00:23:33
    James: When I was younger, the reason why I got into trouble
  • 00:23:35
    is 'cause I wanted money.
  • 00:23:36
    Money to buy things that I couldn't afford.
  • 00:23:37
    The women, they find themselves in a position
  • 00:23:39
    where they're trying to tend for kids
  • 00:23:41
    that they don't have enough money to support.
  • 00:23:43
    The man goes to prison,
  • 00:23:44
    they got to do what they got to do to survive,
  • 00:23:46
    next thing you know they're turning tricks or whatever else.
  • 00:23:47
    Yep, yeah.
  • 00:23:49
    So you kind of feel like it's a cycle almost.
  • 00:23:49
    Abso-freakin'-lutely.
  • 00:23:51
    Dallas: Yeah, and, and it all stems just from...
  • 00:23:53
    James: Poverty. Dallas: ...poverty.
  • 00:23:56
    Hello there. Hi.
  • 00:23:58
    What's going on with you?
  • 00:24:00
    You're okay? Ha-ha, gosh.
  • 00:24:02
    Narrator: But it's the high number of unsupervised kids
  • 00:24:04
    on the streets that shocks Ashley and Avonlea.
  • 00:24:07
    Ashley: it's what, 7:30 in the evening,
  • 00:24:10
    and there's no parents around and...
  • 00:24:11
    Avonlea: Is it a good thing that they're out being independent,
  • 00:24:14
    or is it a bad thing that they're alone and,
  • 00:24:17
    you know, it appears like neglect.
  • 00:24:18
    It's alarming to me being a mom.
  • 00:24:22
    Narrator: Avonlea is a married stay at home mom
  • 00:24:24
    in Chilliwack, BC.
  • 00:24:27
    I have two boys, they're 1 and 2.
  • 00:24:29
    Okay, let's straight.
  • 00:24:30
    I would definitely classify us in the middle class,
  • 00:24:32
    and my mom helps us out quite a bit.
  • 00:24:35
    With having one income, we really have to work at it.
  • 00:24:39
    We have a house we're paying the mortgage off.
  • 00:24:41
    Narrator: When she compares her situation
  • 00:24:43
    to that of an indigenous families...
  • 00:24:45
    Okay, you help, Rory, come on.
  • 00:24:47
    Narrator: ...she feels put out.
  • 00:24:49
    I'm not sure how it works on the reservations,
  • 00:24:51
    but I think they're given a house.
  • 00:24:53
    They didn't earn the dollar to pay for that house,
  • 00:24:57
    whereas in my house I have to work hard
  • 00:24:59
    for everything we have, and my husband works hard for money.
  • 00:25:04
    It's a nice idea to think that you just get some money
  • 00:25:08
    from the government and don't have to worry about things.
  • 00:25:11
    ♪[music]
  • 00:25:13
    Ashley: Back there, we're watching all the kids,
  • 00:25:15
    some don't have shoes on,
  • 00:25:16
    and they're walking around in the grass,
  • 00:25:17
    the same grass we're looking for--
  • 00:25:19
    Needles.
  • 00:25:19
    ...yeah, paraphernalia.
  • 00:25:20
    Where, where are the, the parents and where?
  • 00:25:23
    She was right there on the corner, one of them,
  • 00:25:25
    and the dad was the other one with that little blond girls.
  • 00:25:27
    Mom's right there, why...
  • 00:25:27
    Why aren't they doing better?
  • 00:25:27
    ...isn't she saying anything?
  • 00:25:31
    I can't answer that.
  • 00:25:33
    Part of the, the sickness it's,
  • 00:25:34
    that comes with the, you know, they're living like this.
  • 00:25:36
    The thing that, that the,
  • 00:25:37
    the indigenous community has lost
  • 00:25:38
    is that connectivity between the family members.
  • 00:25:40
    The culture was taken away, the language was taken away,
  • 00:25:42
    land was taken away, and, like,
  • 00:25:44
    the family unit was destroyed.
  • 00:25:45
    There's a, a mental sickness that comes along with that.
  • 00:25:48
    Narrator: Ashley's not convinced.
  • 00:25:50
    She can't understand why indigenous people
  • 00:25:52
    can't overcome their issues like she has.
  • 00:25:55
    Instead of making excuses,
  • 00:25:56
    like, I'm not getting enough money to live,
  • 00:25:58
    like, why don't you get up and man up and go find a job?
  • 00:26:01
    Yeah, well when you've had a criminal record,
  • 00:26:03
    it's not, it's not that easy,
  • 00:26:04
    so there's barriers to education and barriers to employment.
  • 00:26:06
    You come from someone who had a criminal record,
  • 00:26:07
    That's right, but I worked very hard to get here.
  • 00:26:07
    and look where you are.
  • 00:26:09
    Exactly, so why aren't...
  • 00:26:09
    It's not impossible.
  • 00:26:11
    ...exactly.
  • 00:26:11
    But it's not easy.
  • 00:26:12
    And you're a perfect example of where you can go.
  • 00:26:15
    But I'm not typical.
  • 00:26:17
    Remember, as an indigenous person,
  • 00:26:18
    these kinds of things are, are pervasive through our community,
  • 00:26:20
    barriers to education, barriers to employment,
  • 00:26:22
    and a lot of people don't have the skills,
  • 00:26:24
    the tools to overcome those barriers,
  • 00:26:26
    so that's why we're here is to try to help them.
  • 00:26:26
    But I learned, I took courses, that's my thing is, like.
  • 00:26:28
    That's right, but that's you.
  • 00:26:30
    I'm just having a very hard time understanding, that's my thing.
  • 00:26:31
    Yeah, it's, it's not universal, people suffer in different ways.
  • 00:26:35
    Narrator: Out on the Red River,
  • 00:26:37
    the other group is looking for evidence
  • 00:26:39
    of missing and murdered women with Drag the Red.
  • 00:26:42
    Jamie Sue: Going down the river, it looks beautiful,
  • 00:26:44
    but underneath there's a whole bunch of tragedy
  • 00:26:47
    and bad memories and graves for people
  • 00:26:50
    who came to an end that they didn't deserve,
  • 00:26:52
    so it's all surreal.
  • 00:26:55
    Narrator: They stop near an old railway bridge
  • 00:26:57
    gathering debris from downriver.
  • 00:27:00
    It takes little time to snag something.
  • 00:27:02
    Man: Oh!
  • 00:27:03
    Bernadette: What's at the bottom of that chain
  • 00:27:05
    is what would be interesting.
  • 00:27:06
    Man: Oh geez.
  • 00:27:08
    [grunting]
  • 00:27:10
    Narrator: The prospect of finding something
  • 00:27:12
    weighs heavily on Jamie Sue.
  • 00:27:14
    Jamie Sue: The very first time that we pulled it up,
  • 00:27:16
    there's, like, a moment of high anxiety
  • 00:27:18
    and what ifs that really popped into my mind.
  • 00:27:22
    Holy crap!
  • 00:27:23
    Ross: Somebody can put a body in there
  • 00:27:25
    and thrown that in there, right, to keep it down.
  • 00:27:27
    ♪[music]
  • 00:27:29
    Narrator: Now it's Jamie Sue's turn to drag the bottom.
  • 00:27:32
    Jamie Sue: Part of me really wanted to find something
  • 00:27:34
    to help someone,
  • 00:27:35
    but at the same time a whole bunch of fear,
  • 00:27:37
    like, what if this is something that's going to haunt my dreams?
  • 00:27:41
    It's just intense.
  • 00:27:43
    ♪[music]
  • 00:27:45
    Oh, I got something.
  • 00:27:46
    Man: You got something? Here, let me grab it.
  • 00:27:47
    Ready, then I'll check on the hook to see what it is.
  • 00:27:47
    I think it let go.
  • 00:27:50
    ♪[music]
  • 00:27:51
    Yeah, it let go.
  • 00:27:54
    ♪[music]
  • 00:27:56
    Narrator: It's been a long night,
  • 00:27:59
    and some of the travellers have been profoundly affected
  • 00:28:01
    by what they've experienced.
  • 00:28:03
    Before it was something I would see on the news
  • 00:28:06
    and not often enough in my opinion,
  • 00:28:08
    because I didn't really understand
  • 00:28:10
    the magnitude of the situation.
  • 00:28:12
    So, it's definitely part of my life now and very real to me.
  • 00:28:17
    Dallas: You get to hear these stories, man,
  • 00:28:19
    and, and you get to really see what's going on,
  • 00:28:22
    instead of just driving by it.
  • 00:28:24
    Narrator: But not everyone is convinced.
  • 00:28:26
    My opinion hasn't really changed.
  • 00:28:28
    Don: I think that the weaker the family group is,
  • 00:28:30
    the further in the hole it goes, basically.
  • 00:28:33
    I would personally say, yeah, it's, it's a waste of time.
  • 00:28:36
    Jamie Sue: Family, when it's a generational mess,
  • 00:28:40
    how can they support someone when they're dealing
  • 00:28:43
    with their own trauma, their own addiction, you know,
  • 00:28:45
    you don't have that solid foundation to grow from.
  • 00:28:47
    I hurt for these people, but at the same time
  • 00:28:49
    I'm happy that they're able to come together
  • 00:28:52
    out of their pain and,
  • 00:28:53
    and try to help other people with their grief.
  • 00:28:56
    Avonlea: There's got to be a, a line where the excuses stop
  • 00:28:59
    and the, the action start.
  • 00:29:03
    Narrator: The second leg of the journey has begun.
  • 00:29:05
    The group will have their views confronted
  • 00:29:08
    in one of the most isolated places in Canada.
  • 00:29:12
    The travellers don't know it,
  • 00:29:14
    but they've been invited to Kimmirut,
  • 00:29:16
    a remote Inuit community on the western shore of Baffin Island.
  • 00:29:20
    Ashley: Well, it's got wings and an engine, we're good.
  • 00:29:23
    Narrator: The old northern air is a shock to the system.
  • 00:29:27
    It's freezing.
  • 00:29:28
    They said it was 6, but I call bulls---,
  • 00:29:30
    I think there's a negative beside that.
  • 00:29:31
    Narrator: With no roads on this unforgiving Arctic terrain,
  • 00:29:35
    air travel is the groups only way in or out of Kimmirut.
  • 00:29:39
    Dallas: You definitely feel like you're
  • 00:29:40
    definitely a little more remote on this,
  • 00:29:42
    on this side of the country, for sure.
  • 00:29:45
    Ross: Yeah, there's no trees, not a tree to be had.
  • 00:29:47
    Geez! There's a tree line where they cease to grow.
  • 00:29:50
    Man: Yeah.
  • 00:29:50
    [delighted chuckle]
  • 00:29:51
    Jamie Sue: I didn't know that.
  • 00:29:52
    Dallas: It's what we signed up for, it's gonna be an adventure.
  • 00:29:56
    Narrator: The view of the northern landscape
  • 00:29:57
    is both breathtaking and humbling
  • 00:30:00
    for Dallas and the group.
  • 00:30:01
    I've never felt so foreign in my own country.
  • 00:30:03
    ♪[music]
  • 00:30:06
    Narrator: The travellers are welcomed
  • 00:30:07
    to the community by local Zack Camella.
  • 00:30:10
    I think you'll like it here.
  • 00:30:10
    Yeah.
  • 00:30:12
    Yeah, like, it's kind of chilly. [laughs]
  • 00:30:16
    Narrator: Kimmirut has less than 400 residents,
  • 00:30:19
    90% of them Inuit.
  • 00:30:21
    Many of them still rely on hunting as a way of life.
  • 00:30:26
    Don, Avonlea and Ashley are welcomed
  • 00:30:29
    into the home of Jeannie and Elijah Padluq.
  • 00:30:31
    ♪[music]
  • 00:30:34
    Like most elders here, Jeannie and Elijah speak only Inuktituk.
  • 00:30:38
    ♪[music]
  • 00:30:39
    Zack translates for the group.
  • 00:30:41
    Thanks for coming to my community.
  • 00:30:44
    Narrator: Out of respect for her guests,
  • 00:30:46
    Jeannie's prepared a store bought meal,
  • 00:30:49
    but it's far from what she'd typically serve her family.
  • 00:30:52
    Ashley: So, what would be an example of local food?
  • 00:30:54
    Nattiq.
  • 00:30:55
    Seal.
  • 00:30:56
    [Inuktitut word]
  • 00:30:58
    Whale. No.
  • 00:30:59
    [laughing]
  • 00:31:01
    Narrator: Ashley's chance to try local food
  • 00:31:03
    will come sooner than she thinks.
  • 00:31:05
    Really?
  • 00:31:06
    ♪[music]
  • 00:31:07
    Narrator: Across town, Dallas, Ross and Jamie Sue
  • 00:31:10
    shop at the local store for dinner.
  • 00:31:12
    11 bucks for a bottle of ketchup, holy god. Jamie Sue: Wow.
  • 00:31:15
    Ross: Somebody is making a killing somewhere.
  • 00:31:17
    Dallas: Supply and demand at its finest right there.
  • 00:31:19
    Narrator: After paying the bill,
  • 00:31:21
    Ross is left with a serious case of sticker shock.
  • 00:31:24
    Five bucks for this, five bucks,
  • 00:31:27
    pretty disgusting the prices these poor people are paying.
  • 00:31:29
    ♪[music]
  • 00:31:31
    Narrator: Back at Jeannie's house...
  • 00:31:32
    Yum, yum, yum, yummmm.
  • 00:31:34
    Ashley: Looks nice and red.
  • 00:31:35
    Narrator: A local delicacy has been delivered -
  • 00:31:38
    freshly killed caribou, prepared the traditional way, raw.
  • 00:31:42
    Would you like to try some?
  • 00:31:44
    Ashley: Well raw?
  • 00:31:44
    Yeah, why not?
  • 00:31:46
    Yes, you do.
  • 00:31:47
    No, no, I don't even eat pig.
  • 00:31:49
    I'm, full, I am so full.
  • 00:31:51
    Oh, just have a bite, like, that's what I say.
  • 00:31:54
    I like to have some.
  • 00:31:56
    Avonlea: For them, it was a real treat,
  • 00:31:58
    and trying it, it wasn't my thing.
  • 00:32:00
    I think it was a mental thing
  • 00:32:01
    'cause you could see so much blood.
  • 00:32:03
    Ashley: So, do you eat the stomach?
  • 00:32:06
    Zach: Oh yeah. Yeah, it tastes like grass.
  • 00:32:09
    Narrator: Ashley finally gives in.
  • 00:32:12
    Does it taste like steak?
  • 00:32:13
    Zach: It's good.
  • 00:32:16
    Delicious.
  • 00:32:17
    You know what? It actually tastes good.
  • 00:32:19
    It actually, it actually tastes really good.
  • 00:32:21
    Narrator: It's all part of the sharing economy
  • 00:32:23
    Inuit people have lived by for centuries.
  • 00:32:26
    Zach: We share seal, fish.
  • 00:32:28
    We don't exchange and bargain, we distribute and share,
  • 00:32:31
    and everyone gets a bite.
  • 00:32:34
    ♪[music]
  • 00:32:36
    Narrator: It's day 2 in Kimmirut.
  • 00:32:38
    Dallas, Ross and Jamie Sue
  • 00:32:40
    are about to have the adventure of a lifetime.
  • 00:32:42
    Dallas: Hello!
  • 00:32:44
    Onya.
  • 00:32:45
    Narrator: Onya, a local hunter,
  • 00:32:46
    his daughter and the Padluq family
  • 00:32:48
    are taking them out on the frigid Arctic waters
  • 00:32:51
    for a seal hunt.
  • 00:32:52
    ♪[music]
  • 00:32:53
    It's an experience few Canadians will ever have.
  • 00:32:57
    Oh, my god, there's an iceberg over here, that's insane.
  • 00:32:59
    Ross: That's my first iceberg ever!
  • 00:33:01
    Narrator: But for animal lover Jamie Sue,
  • 00:33:03
    the thought of hunting a seal is gut wrenching.
  • 00:33:06
    Jamie Sue: I personally am not comfortable
  • 00:33:09
    with killing an animal.
  • 00:33:10
    I don't know how I will handle it.
  • 00:33:13
    Narrator: Dallas, on the other hand,
  • 00:33:15
    is ready for the kill.
  • 00:33:17
    Dallas: Let's see how they live. Let's see how they provide.
  • 00:33:20
    I'm fully onboard. I want to get a seal.
  • 00:33:22
    I want to get two seals.
  • 00:33:24
    Narrator: But stalking a suitable seal
  • 00:33:25
    in open water isn't easy,
  • 00:33:28
    particularly at this time of year.
  • 00:33:29
    Ross: When you shoot them, do they float to the top?
  • 00:33:31
    Onya: Not much fat right now, summertime.
  • 00:33:33
    They sink that when we shoot them, we got to be quick.
  • 00:33:36
    Jamie Sue: What would you do with the seal, just put it in the boat?
  • 00:33:39
    Onya: Yeah. Ew.
  • 00:33:41
    Narrator: The foggy conditions make it nearly impossible
  • 00:33:44
    for the Inuit hunters to spot a seal,
  • 00:33:46
    but the travellers are about to learn
  • 00:33:48
    how determined they are to succeed.
  • 00:33:53
    ♪[music]
  • 00:33:56
    Narrator: Back in Kimmirut...
  • 00:33:57
    Whoa, he just schooled me!
  • 00:33:59
    Narrator: ...Don, Ashley and Avonlea
  • 00:34:01
    have seen all sides of the community,
  • 00:34:05
    including a session with a local carver.
  • 00:34:07
    Avonlea: What do you use for the eyes?
  • 00:34:09
    Carver: I just [imitates drill].
  • 00:34:10
    Yeah.
  • 00:34:11
    Narrator: But a chance meeting at lunch
  • 00:34:13
    starts a conversation that will alter
  • 00:34:15
    their perspective on Inuit life.
  • 00:34:18
    You know that old saying, eh, walk a mile in my shoes
  • 00:34:20
    and you'll understand.
  • 00:34:21
    Narrator: They talk with Nunavut MP Hunter Tootoo,
  • 00:34:24
    here for a town hall meeting.
  • 00:34:26
    But, you know, I think the biggest challenge
  • 00:34:27
    for Aboriginal people is just the ignorance.
  • 00:34:29
    Yeah.
  • 00:34:30
    Narrator: Recently, he's gone public
  • 00:34:32
    about issues with alcoholism,
  • 00:34:34
    stemming from his time at residential school.
  • 00:34:37
    Prior to this journey, Ashley wasn't aware
  • 00:34:40
    that residential schools even existed.
  • 00:34:43
    Ashley: I can't say I know anything about the residential schools
  • 00:34:46
    with Aboriginals.
  • 00:34:47
    Never knew that it was a problem.
  • 00:34:49
    It was probably the darkest period in my life.
  • 00:34:52
    Okay. I had no family.
  • 00:34:54
    You feel like you're all alone.
  • 00:34:56
    I mean if you look at the whole concept behind it
  • 00:35:00
    was to assimilate indigenous young people.
  • 00:35:05
    Hector Langevin, he was one of the architects, and he said, you know,
  • 00:35:08
    "The only way to take the Indian out of somebody
  • 00:35:13
    is to take them away from home,
  • 00:35:14
    you can't leave them in their homes."
  • 00:35:16
    Basically it was cultural genocide.
  • 00:35:20
    And I mean if you know my story,
  • 00:35:21
    I went through a heck of a year last year.
  • 00:35:22
    I went through treatment. I faced a lot of stuff.
  • 00:35:25
    Right.
  • 00:35:26
    You know, I thought all this stuff happened to me,
  • 00:35:27
    how, how could it bother me?
  • 00:35:28
    It didn't bother me, look at me, I'm successful.
  • 00:35:30
    Yeah.
  • 00:35:31
    But, you know, until I sat down and, and faced it,
  • 00:35:35
    I realized how much of an impact those things
  • 00:35:38
    that happened to me in my life had on me
  • 00:35:41
    that I needed to, to deal with them.
  • 00:35:43
    The government is trying to put money towards indigenous people,
  • 00:35:47
    into counsellors and therapists,
  • 00:35:48
    people don't want to go, they don't want that help.
  • 00:35:52
    The programs and resources in southern Canada
  • 00:35:55
    have been there for years.
  • 00:35:57
    In all of the land that Inuit reside in,
  • 00:36:00
    in, in Canada, not one single treatment centre.
  • 00:36:04
    Wow. Not one.
  • 00:36:06
    Yeah.
  • 00:36:06
    You know, it takes a lot of courage
  • 00:36:08
    for someone to go and say I need help,
  • 00:36:09
    I need to talk to someone.
  • 00:36:11
    Up here, it's like you may have, like,
  • 00:36:12
    a psychologist would come in, and then so they,
  • 00:36:15
    they open up, and they go and they talk to someone,
  • 00:36:17
    and they lay their soul out to them,
  • 00:36:19
    and that person's gone, someone else comes in,
  • 00:36:21
    they got to start all over again. Yeah.
  • 00:36:23
    Going through that is hard enough once,
  • 00:36:26
    having to do it multiple times, that's just too much.
  • 00:36:29
    Ashley: It sucks.
  • 00:36:31
    They need programs here to help people heal from that.
  • 00:36:32
    ♪[music]
  • 00:36:35
    Narrator: On the icy shores of Baffin Island,
  • 00:36:38
    Dallas, Jamie Sue and Ross are hunting seals.
  • 00:36:42
    But so far, they've got nothing,
  • 00:36:44
    so their Inuit hosts take them onshore
  • 00:36:46
    to try their luck at Arctic char.
  • 00:36:49
    Jamie Sue: Is it slippery?
  • 00:36:50
    Narrator: Upstream is a traditional fish trap
  • 00:36:52
    that makes catching easy.
  • 00:36:55
    But getting there is anything but.
  • 00:36:58
    The hike gives the group a new respect
  • 00:37:00
    for the Inuit people who survived here for generations.
  • 00:37:04
    Dallas: I don't know how they could have done it,
  • 00:37:05
    'cause you don't see no trees where you could,
  • 00:37:07
    like, have a fire, or, like,
  • 00:37:09
    any wood where you can make shelter.
  • 00:37:13
    Like, I don't think I could last 2 days up here by myself, man,
  • 00:37:16
    you know what I mean?
  • 00:37:18
    Narrator: Dallas and the others can barely keep up
  • 00:37:20
    with their 78-year-old guide.
  • 00:37:22
    [speaking Inuktitut]
  • 00:37:24
    But upon arrival, the fish trap
  • 00:37:26
    is overrun with water and there are no char to harvest.
  • 00:37:30
    I guess the normal weather when it's not so much rain that the fish get trapped in there
  • 00:37:33
    and they were able to just grab them out.
  • 00:37:36
    Narrator: With no seal and now no fish,
  • 00:37:39
    the weary travellers get a taste
  • 00:37:41
    of how hard life on this rugged land can be.
  • 00:37:44
    Wild blueberries are a welcome find.
  • 00:37:47
    This is a tough place to live and survive.
  • 00:37:49
    I couldn't do it, I couldn't live out here.
  • 00:37:51
    You got to look at these people and they're the true Canadians
  • 00:37:54
    when I really think about it.
  • 00:37:55
    Ross: These people are the hardy ones, I'll tell ya.
  • 00:37:57
    Dallas: Yeah, they're the cornerstone, if you ask me.
  • 00:38:00
    Narrator: Back in Kimmirut,
  • 00:38:01
    the revelation about residential schools
  • 00:38:03
    has driven a wedge between Avonlea and Ashley and Don.
  • 00:38:08
    I'm still sceptical about the whole school thing,
  • 00:38:10
    'cause it was all they stole our kids.
  • 00:38:13
    I think that that's...
  • 00:38:13
    They ruined our families.
  • 00:38:14
    ...but that's the wrong thing to focus on.
  • 00:38:14
    They took us all away.
  • 00:38:16
    It's not focussing on... that commentation of
  • 00:38:16
    that is it was a violent
  • 00:38:18
    taking of all the children away from the families.
  • 00:38:20
    ...but it's not focussing on,
  • 00:38:21
    they took their culture, they took their language away.
  • 00:38:24
    No, you can't take someone's culture.
  • 00:38:25
    Yes, you can. You can teach them a new culture,
  • 00:38:27
    and if they, if they don't...
  • 00:38:28
    But if they're forcing them...
  • 00:38:29
    Then that's negating their own culture.
  • 00:38:30
    ...they're forcing them not to speak that language,
  • 00:38:33
    that's taking it away,
  • 00:38:34
    that's taking their human right away.
  • 00:38:36
    I think regardless of how it was done
  • 00:38:39
    and the intention that was there,
  • 00:38:41
    what happened to them is...
  • 00:38:43
    Inside the school was disgusting.
  • 00:38:43
    ...is inside the school was disgusting.
  • 00:38:45
    Don: You're saying that what they actually went through,
  • 00:38:47
    and I'm saying maybe they did,
  • 00:38:49
    but I, I haven't seen that proof of it yet.
  • 00:38:52
    I haven't seen proof of your life.
  • 00:38:55
    Don: No, you haven't seen proof of my life.
  • 00:38:56
    So, I mean I'm not denying that that happened.
  • 00:38:58
    Don: But I'm, but I can give you firsthand knowledge of what happened to me.
  • 00:39:01
    I'm getting firsthand knowledge, that's why I'm here.
  • 00:39:05
    Narrator: In spite of what he's heard,
  • 00:39:06
    Don still clings to the belief
  • 00:39:09
    that residential schools may have been
  • 00:39:11
    a good thing for indigenous people.
  • 00:39:14
    Don: You know, if I heard that all these kids
  • 00:39:15
    that were in residential schools were taken,
  • 00:39:18
    you know, kicking and, and screaming out of their homes,
  • 00:39:21
    and their parents were kind of pushed aside to do that,
  • 00:39:25
    that's bad, that's really bad, and I agree that it's bad.
  • 00:39:28
    In the meantime, I'm still sceptical.
  • 00:39:30
    Avonlea: Coming into a community,
  • 00:39:31
    you want to make sure that you listen
  • 00:39:33
    instead of talk over them,
  • 00:39:35
    because I don't think you can come in just guns blazing
  • 00:39:38
    and say you know everything,
  • 00:39:39
    that's the epitome of ignorance.
  • 00:39:41
    ♪[music]
  • 00:39:43
    Narrator: Back on the Arctic coast,
  • 00:39:45
    it's been a fruitless day of hunting, not a single seal.
  • 00:39:51
    Frozen and exhausted, Dallas is miserable.
  • 00:39:54
    Dallas: This isn't fun, this isn't good.
  • 00:39:57
    If we go missing, no one would know,
  • 00:39:59
    no one would know, not here, no chance.
  • 00:40:02
    I just want this day to be over with.
  • 00:40:03
    To be honest with you, I just wanted to
  • 00:40:05
    kind of fast forward and just be in Kimmirut,
  • 00:40:07
    or some where is not here.
  • 00:40:10
    ♪[music]
  • 00:40:13
    ♪[music]
  • 00:40:16
    Narrator: It's day 2 of the seal hunt
  • 00:40:18
    and Dallas has hit the wall.
  • 00:40:20
    Dallas: I haven't had a shower this morning.
  • 00:40:21
    I haven't been able to brush my teeth.
  • 00:40:23
    This is camping for them.
  • 00:40:24
    You know, this is kind of like their getaway.
  • 00:40:27
    For me, it's almost like hell on earth.
  • 00:40:29
    Narrator: But for Ross,
  • 00:40:31
    the hunt has helped him develop
  • 00:40:33
    a new appreciation for the Inuit people.
  • 00:40:36
    I was chasing some 78-year-old lady yesterday,
  • 00:40:38
    couldn't keep, keep up with her.
  • 00:40:39
    You got to give the generations
  • 00:40:41
    and generations prior to these people big,
  • 00:40:43
    huge props because I don't know how they did it.
  • 00:40:46
    They got skills that we don't have.
  • 00:40:48
    Narrator: After breakfast, Ross and Jamie Sue
  • 00:40:51
    sit down with Jeannie's son, Nepa.
  • 00:40:53
    They're about to discover they have more in common
  • 00:40:56
    than they thought.
  • 00:40:57
    Most of the stuff you hear is just, like, you know,
  • 00:41:00
    nothing but drunks or druggies or whatever,
  • 00:41:04
    and it's not really not true, 'cause the whole community is so close.
  • 00:41:07
    Everybody helps out everybody.
  • 00:41:09
    You're respecting your elders,
  • 00:41:11
    you're respecting what other people have taught you,
  • 00:41:15
    keep that in your brain, in your, in your heart.
  • 00:41:18
    It's just our way of life
  • 00:41:19
    and we just try and maintain it as best we can.
  • 00:41:22
    Yeah, it's all about kindness and,
  • 00:41:23
    and really striving to help other people
  • 00:41:26
    instead of putting yourself first, right,
  • 00:41:28
    but we've lost a lot of that back home.
  • 00:41:31
    In Kimmirut, people are very,
  • 00:41:33
    we're proud to be Inuit.
  • 00:41:35
    We want to, we always tell them
  • 00:41:37
    try and learn the Inuit way of life all the time,
  • 00:41:39
    make that number one.
  • 00:41:41
    ♪[music]
  • 00:41:43
    Narrator: The team leaves for Kimmirut.
  • 00:41:46
    The conditions are perfect to spot a seal.
  • 00:41:48
    ♪[music]
  • 00:41:53
    Their patience pays off.
  • 00:41:55
    Nepa catches sight of a ring seal resting on an iceberg.
  • 00:42:01
    But it senses danger and vanishes into the depths.
  • 00:42:05
    Straight down.
  • 00:42:06
    Clear day like this, flat water, lose him.
  • 00:42:10
    That's how good they are.
  • 00:42:12
    Narrator: It's not long before they track another in a small cove.
  • 00:42:15
    They just need a clean shot.
  • 00:42:18
    ♪[music]
  • 00:42:20
    [gunshot] Ross: There, you got him!
  • 00:42:22
    Go, go, go, go!
  • 00:42:23
    Narrator: They rush over, but it's too late,
  • 00:42:26
    the seal has sunk out of reach.
  • 00:42:28
    Ross: It's sinking hard!
  • 00:42:29
    Narrator: Leaving nothing behind but a trail of blood.
  • 00:42:32
    Ross: He's going down fast.
  • 00:42:34
    Oh man, it was so close.
  • 00:42:35
    Narrator: The hunt ends with a kill, but no payoff of food.
  • 00:42:40
    For animal lover Jamie Sue, it's hard to take.
  • 00:42:44
    Jamie Sue: Well, it's a waste of a life.
  • 00:42:46
    Nobody wins there.
  • 00:42:48
    Animal killed and no one's benefiting from it.
  • 00:42:52
    Narrator: But for the Inuit families who rely on seal
  • 00:42:55
    as a main source of food, it's an accepted reality.
  • 00:42:59
    It's like a 50/50, either it's gonna drop like a rock
  • 00:43:02
    like that one did, or if they're gonna float,
  • 00:43:05
    you can't distinguish which one is gonna float
  • 00:43:07
    or which one is gonna sink,
  • 00:43:08
    so you only know after you shoot it.
  • 00:43:13
    Gonna feed the ocean.
  • 00:43:15
    They're feasting now, so they're all happy.
  • 00:43:19
    Somebody's happy, somebody's always happy.
  • 00:43:23
    ♪[music]
  • 00:43:24
    Narrator: After a long ride home,
  • 00:43:25
    the two groups come together.
  • 00:43:27
    Their experiences in Kimmirut have left a lasting impression.
  • 00:43:32
    Avonlea: I'm more open to the experience,
  • 00:43:34
    and maybe coming in I was more judgemental
  • 00:43:36
    and now I'm feeling a little less like that.
  • 00:43:39
    To be completely honest, I thought they'd be more wild,
  • 00:43:42
    like, really, and just, you know,
  • 00:43:44
    running around and killing stuff,
  • 00:43:46
    but it's completely not like that.
  • 00:43:48
    So, it's just helping form my opinion
  • 00:43:49
    that we're all people on the inside
  • 00:43:51
    and we have a lot more similarities
  • 00:43:53
    than I thought that we would, for sure.
  • 00:43:56
    Dallas: These people are a special breed of people, man.
  • 00:43:58
    They're very happy with their friends and family,
  • 00:44:00
    and, you know, you could just tell
  • 00:44:01
    there's so much joy in the kids.
  • 00:44:03
    You cannot say these people don't have the work ethic
  • 00:44:05
    and drive to go out and get it, man.
  • 00:44:07
    These people man, that's crazy, that's crazy.
  • 00:44:11
    Look at that.
  • 00:44:13
    Narrator: Their time in Nunavut is over,
  • 00:44:16
    but the six have no idea about the trials that lie ahead.
  • 00:44:22
    Announcement: The final destination
  • 00:44:24
    is Muskrat Dam, Ontario.
  • 00:44:26
    Dallas: I'm the minority here.
  • 00:44:27
    It's definitely one of those feelings just,
  • 00:44:28
    like, ah, it's kind of scary.
  • 00:44:30
    Aboriginal man: The seed that was planted
  • 00:44:31
    in this reserve was residential school.
  • 00:44:34
    We can't keep worrying about what happened.
  • 00:44:35
    Come on, man, let's not be oblivious to this fact.
  • 00:44:38
    You don't [...] gettin' it!
  • 00:44:38
    I am gettin' it!
  • 00:44:39
    Why are you here?
  • 00:44:40
    I'm the average white guy, honest.
  • 00:44:42
    ♪[music]
  • 00:44:47
    ♪[music]
  • 00:44:52
    ♪[music]
الوسوم
  • Indigenous Canadians
  • Stereotypes
  • Residential Schools
  • Empathy
  • Cultural Understanding
  • Community Journey
  • Poverty
  • Addiction
  • Healing
  • Discovery