National Film Board of Canada & Society for Building a Healthier Kugluktuk Present: Coppermine
Film Credits
Director Ray Harper |
Producer Jerry Krepakevich |
Writing & Editing Ray Harper |
Photography James Jeffrey |
Music Michael Becker |
Sound Lindsay Bucknell Jerry Krepakevich Paul Fafard Paul Sharpe Bill Sheppard |
Voice and Narration Lydia Slabyj Bill Meilen André Roy |
Cast and Participants Glenn Beck Dave Pare
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A popular 1992 film still popular in schools across Canada today, Coppermine is a vivid portrayal of the consequences of colonial contact and socio-economic imperialism. Southern Canadians, Americans and British moved into Coppermine (now Kugluktuk), in Canada's central Arctic, at the turn of the century for many different reasons: mining exploration, the fur trade, scientific research and the religious conversion of Copper Inuit. While their motives may have differed, incomers had one thing in common: they carried with them diseases, a sense of social competition and a material culture that was previously unknown to Inuit. Through archival footage and eye witness accounts, Coppermine explores the devastating impact of disease on, and 'barely enough' developmental support for settlers and Copper Inuit alike.
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