Nunavut Sivuniksavut and EnTheos Films are pleased to announce the national launch of the documentary- based educational resource, Staking The Claim: Dreams, Democracy and Canadian Inuit. Hosted by the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University as part of the Research Days celebration and organized by the office of the vice-president (Research and International), the screening takes place at the Bell Theatre, Minto Centre at Carleton University on Wednesday, March 24 at 7:00 p.m.
The Ottawa Inuit community, leaders and guests will view the documentaries and preview the teachers’ guide and students activities aimed at educating students across Canada about the Inuit journey for self-determination.
Staking The Claim is the story of the people and events that led Inuit on a quest for self-determination. In the early 1970s, a group of young Inuit activists from across the Arctic came together with a critical need to discuss how to secure certainty and control for their people in an intense climate of assimilation and resource exploitation. Theirs is a story of aboriginal Canadians seeking to chart their own course and define a new relationship with their country. It is also a story of a democratic nation with the political will to negotiate new approaches to governance. Along the way, socio-political structures and territorial divisions in our country were permanently altered. In short, this story is a significant part of recent Canadian history. Yet it is also a story largely inaccessible to Canadians – northerners and southerners alike.
“The story of what Inuit accomplished in one generation will inspire youth for generations to come. And Staking The Claim tells that story better than anything we’ve seen,” says Murray Angus, coordinator and founder of the Nunavut Sivuniksavut.
Co-creator and director Kath Clarida Fry and co-creator-producer Marianne Demmer of EnTheos Films remark: “Our hope is all Canadian students will have an opportunity to learn how Inuit changed the face of our nation. It’s a remarkable story; one that all Canadians should learn and celebrate.”
Launching Staking The Claim during Carleton University’s Research Days greatly assists in exposing this critical educational resource to schools. As part of its Research Days celebration (March 18 to April 19), the university is staging public lectures, conferences, films and project demonstrations to give the public an opportunity to experience the breadth and depth of research activities at the university.
The production of Staking the Claim has been a partnership between EnTheos Films and Nunavut Sivuniksavut, with major support from the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Education, the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, the federal departments of Canadian Heritage and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Qikiqtani Inuit Association, Nunasi Corporation, as well as many others.
Carleton sponsors include the School of Public Policy and Administration, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs, Department of Political Science, School of Canadian Studies, Department of Geography, Office of the Dean of Public Affairs and Management and the Centre for Aboriginal Culture and Education (Equity Services).
The trailer for the film is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmnu5CHXMxE
For more information:
Kath Clarida
Co-Creator/Director
Ottawa
EnTheos Films
kathclarida@entheosfilms.com
613-558-7115
Murray Angus
Nunavut Sivuniksavut Training Program
Ottawa
ns@magma.ca
613-244-4937, ext.12
Frances Abele
Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration
Carleton University
613-520-2600, ext. 2553
Marianne Demmer
Co-Creator/Producer
Iqaluit
EnTheos Films
mariannedemmer@entheosfilms.com
613-314-4506
Friday, March 19, 2010 in News Releases
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