Memories of a long-gone era have come flooding back for many residents of Pond Inlet when documentary filmmakers from Thunder Bay visited the community bearing sketches drawn in the community between 1970 and 71 by Susan Ross, an artist from Thunder Bay, Ontario who passed away in 2006.
Ross was close friends with Sheila Burnford, who wrote The Incredible Journey, of which the 1963 Disney Movie Homeward Bound was based on and they would go on to travel together across the North, Burnford would pen One WomanSA国际影视传媒檚 Arctic based on her experiences in Nunavut.The filmmakers also brought with them footage taked by Burnford during her time there.
After a decade of travelling to various First Nations communities in Northern Ontario and in Manitoba, the two finally got a chance in 1970 to travel to Pond Inlet.
SA国际影视传媒淢ost of the time when (Susan) would go to a community she just started sketching - so she did thousands and thousands of these sketches. She would go home in the winter in later years and she started doing printmaking,SA国际影视传媒� said Kelly Saxberg, one of the filmmakers.
A Tale of Two Qallunaat, the film sheSA国际影视传媒檚 working on, looks at the two women and their travels around Nunavut together as well as their legacy in the communities they visited. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 being made under ShebaFilms, which Saxberg runs alongside her husband Ron Harpelle.
Saxberg came across the material when Sheila BurnfordSA国际影视传媒檚 daughter approached her years after her passing with her motherSA国际影视传媒檚 photographs, writings and other works. Soon after, RossSA国际影视传媒� family got a hold of Saxberg and gave her all of RossSA国际影视传媒� old sketchbooks.
Ross picked up sketching after meeting Anishinaabe artist Norval Morrisseau who encouraged her to travel to Indigenous communities and connect with them.
TheySA国际影视传媒檝e been gradually scanning RossSA国际影视传媒� work over the last few years, said Adrian Harpelle, SaxbergSA国际影视传媒檚 son whoSA国际影视传媒檚 also working on the project.
Jonquil Covello, SheilaSA国际影视传媒檚 daughter, also wanted to make the trip but could not make the trip due to health concerns.
There was an impetus among to share these works in the communities they visited, the filmmakers also had digital copies which they brought with them to Pond Inlet.
SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 very important to them to be able to share all this work with the community,SA国际影视传媒� said Saxberg, who added itSA国际影视传媒檚 also available in the Thunder Bay Museum digital archive.
Familar Faces
SA国际影视传媒淵ou can recognize them! ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 how good she was. You can recognize the Elders, you can recognize the women,SA国际影视传媒� said Navalik Tologanak, the Inuk guide for the trip from Cambridge Bay, who was able to recognize people despite not having travelled to the community in a long time.
This was also the case for residents of Pond Inlet, who also recognized Clyde River residents, leading to the realization the two travelled to more than one community, the two also very briefly visited Iglulik, said Saxberg.
SA国际影视传媒淭hey really didnSA国际影视传媒檛 expect so much and some came back again, we rented a room at the hotel and a couple of them went through every sketch, made us stop throughout the film footage and gave us the names of everyone they could recognize. That was really, really amazing,SA国际影视传媒� added Saxsberg.
SA国际影视传媒淢any have passed on, but there are some that are still alive. We even found out more people were alive just before (we left),SA国际影视传媒� said Tologanak. This included one of the workers at the hotel they were staying at.
Saxberg wanted to approach this from a culturally informed and sensitive place, crucial to this was TologanakSA国际影视传媒檚 participation, which has greatly assisted in their travels.
The filmmakers left the printed sketchbooks and digital copies with the Pond Inlet Hamlet Office, so residents can also directly access this material. Material from Ross and Burnford were also dropped off at IqaluitSA国际影视传媒檚 Nunavut Research Institute.
This also presents a great opportunity for local high school students, Tologanak continues.
SA国际影视传媒淲hat I would like to see is high school students taking it on as a project and connect with their own parents and their community, to see who all theySA国际影视传媒檙e related to and how Pond Inlet was. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 a part of who they are and they can connect with it as a school project with their teachers.SA国际影视传媒�
This is particularly important SA国际影视传媒渂ecause a lot of our ancestors are no longer with us,SA国际影视传媒� she added.
Two close friends
SA国际影视传媒淪usan and Sheila they were good friends, they loved to hunt and fish and go out on their hunting camp on White Fish Lake,SA国际影视传媒� said Saxberg, this would be an annual journey about 100 km north of Thunder Bay.
Burnford immigrated to Canada from the United Kingdom in the 1948 and met Ross in Thunder Bay, where they sparked a lasting friendship.
SA国际影视传媒淭hey just loved being on the land and outdoors, (Burnford) was Scottish and she said if you donSA国际影视传媒檛 go out and walk every day then thereSA国际影视传媒檚 something wrong, you have to be in nature.SA国际影视传媒�
The two enjoyed connecting with Inuit and First Nations communities all over Canada, after Pond Inlet and Clyde River, Burnford later on moved back to the United Kingdom, but Ross went on to visit Kugluktuk, Kinngait and Pangnirtung, making sketches of people in those communities. In 2002 Ross was awarded the Order of Canada in visual arts for her work in documenting life in Canadian Indigenous communities.
SA国际影视传媒淭hey didnSA国际影视传媒檛 go to the North to preach, teach or supervise,SA国际影视传媒� said Saxberg, SA国际影视传媒渢hey just went as artists to hang around, sketch people, go hunting or learn Inuktitut and chat with people.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淲hat these ladies did, going up to the Arctic to Mittimatalik and just sit there and be with the people, to film and do sketches, thatSA国际影视传媒檚 pretty special,SA国际影视传媒� said Tologanak.
A Tale of Two Qallunaat is now currently in the editing phase.
For Saxberg, who approaches her work from a local angle, it was fascinating to travel and present this connection between her Northern Ontario hometown and Pond Inlet.
SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 something very special about sketches, seeing people who have been captured by an artist, seeing those faces, theySA国际影视传媒檙e not anonymous, this isnSA国际影视传媒檛 an anthropologist studying whatever. These are two people that these women connected with and they were storytellers in different ways, one through words and one through art. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 unique, I donSA国际影视传媒檛 think thereSA国际影视传媒檚 other artists who did the vast amount of sketches and connected with children and Elders.SA国际影视传媒�
