Production

Wapos Bay "There's No 'I' In Hockey"

Talon and T-Bear compete in the Wapos Bay Hockey tournament as Raven learns about commitment in the Winter Festival's Kohkum/Granddaughter Bannock Competition.

Ekospi Namew - At The Time Of The Sturgeon

The Cree people of northern Saskatchewan have lived along the Churchill River system for hundreds of years.   For generations they have learned to manage their environment effectively and have come to rely on the surrounding area for their way of life.   In 1928 the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company (HBMSC) required the first Saskatchewan Hydro Electric Dam to be built along the Churchill River system to power its mining operations in Flin Flon, Manitoba.   To aboriginal people the circle of life is very important and fragile.   A local elder remembers when her father always fished in a place where the water used to be red from all the Sturgeon fish in that area.   These fish used to be caught weighing 130-1150 pounds whereas today a catch is rare in the 20-30 pound range.   These sites no longer exist.   Aboriginal and non-aboriginal people, past and present, will share their knowledge about the affects of the dam on the people and their environment and how to co-exist for the future.

Christmas At Wapos Bay

Christmas at Wapos Bay begins a few days before Christmas for three native children visiting their Moshum (Grandfather) at his trap line cabin where they experience the traditional ways of fishing and trapping.   On the trap line, Moshum becomes concerned about the lack of animals in the area.   The family Christmas gathering may have to be cancelled if there is not enough food to feed everyone arriving.

Open Fire

"Open Fire" is a documentary that celebrates the Aboriginal men & women involved in fire fighting in northern Saskatchewan.   The program explores the growing interest among Aboriginal people in the science of forest fire fighting and the establishment of First Nations Fire Fighting Details.   To protect the environment, the spirit and energy of the people come together, every year to save their surrounding communities, trap lines and wildlife.

Journey Through Fear

The film follows an old Aboriginal Mushom {grandfather} as he checks his week's worth of traps while hunting along the shoreline.   As he ventures out with his dog sled team, he reflects on how he came to be where he is.   The expansion of communities has pushed his trap line further north just as it did to his father before him.

Along his journey, he stops to collect shoreline grass for his trap line bait.   There he sees a headless moose carcass and several footprints in the blood smeared snow.   He continues to check his rabbit snares when he hears gunfire in the distance.   After collecting a rabbit, he urges his husky dogs onto a frozen lake.

While at the fishing hole, he encounters a large black bear jumping out of the shoreline.   His only chance is to run to the sled to get his rifle.   The faster he runs, the closer the bear gets.   As he nears the sled, he trips over the fish net and looks back at the charging bear.   Suddenly, a gunshot is heard as the bear lifeless body falls to the ice.

The old man, still sitting by his sled, looks to see American hunters who had shot the bear.   The old man quickly collects his fish and leaves before the hunters' approach as they call out to the old man.