As part of an initiative to provide creative means by which young people in the community can reconnect with their Elders, I have been hired by the Department of Social Health of the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation to lead a video project working with youth in the community. In the months of December and January, I collaborated with Ben Penashue and Edward Nuna who have been very helpful and insightful in guiding this process. To date, we have filmed twelve Elders recounting their stories and traditions which will be edited and produced as a DVD with translation and subtitles and an accessible web page aimed at the younger generation of Innu Youth. With these stories documented on video, the knowledge and history is captured for future generations to benefit from and take pride in the knowledge of their Elders. Though some of of the stories have been recorded and archived in the past, video adds a new dimension - the expressions and animate gestures of the speaker adds a unique dynamic of story telling not captured in voice recording.
These are the Elders who have been filmed so far:
Pien Penashue
Lisette Penashue
Penote Antuan
Tshaukuesh Penashue
Francis Penashue
Dominic Pokue
Tishtu Pokue
Anamani Penashue
Naissa Penashue
Tony Penashue
Mary Madeline Nuna
Katheleen Nuna
Late March 2012
We are going to film a reenactment of a legend or historical event! I am planning on submitting the finished video to film festivals. Are you interested in taking part? Which legend do you think we should work on?
LETS MAKE THIS HAPPEN! COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Translators:
Translator who is fluent in written in the more traditional Innu Aimun and English. There are 11 hours of footage that need to be translated.
Writers:
People who have written stories or screen plays about the legends and want to collaborate on this film.
Potential Filmmakers:
Are there any youth out there who want to learn how to film and edit video? Just email me and you can learn and help film the reenactment of the legend.
Adviser:
These are the Elders who have been filmed so far:
Pien Penashue
Lisette Penashue
Penote Antuan
Tshaukuesh Penashue
Francis Penashue
Dominic Pokue
Tishtu Pokue
Anamani Penashue
Naissa Penashue
Tony Penashue
Mary Madeline Nuna
Katheleen Nuna
Late March 2012
We are going to film a reenactment of a legend or historical event! I am planning on submitting the finished video to film festivals. Are you interested in taking part? Which legend do you think we should work on?
LETS MAKE THIS HAPPEN! COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Translators:
Translator who is fluent in written in the more traditional Innu Aimun and English. There are 11 hours of footage that need to be translated.
Writers:
People who have written stories or screen plays about the legends and want to collaborate on this film.
Potential Filmmakers:
Are there any youth out there who want to learn how to film and edit video? Just email me and you can learn and help film the reenactment of the legend.
Adviser:
Person who knows the traditional ways and wants to give guidance on set.
Actors:
Actors:
People who would like to act in the film, no previous experience is necessary. All ages are welcome.
Costume Designers:
Costume Designers:
People who have skills in sewing.
Anyone know a story that we can work on together late March? Here are a couple of ideas so far...
How Anikunapeu Took A Wife
Two
girls went berry picking on the island and they went walking in the
swampy place. One of the girls saw the other girl sinking into the mud,
on the island Nitinuk on Meshikamau lake. The other girl went home
to tell what happened and told the people what happened. The people went
over to see what happened to the girl. The girl was sinking deeper and
deeper. Then they tried to pull her out of the mud. She was going
down and down. All they could see was the hand of the girl. Then they
cut the hand of Anikapeu, the toad-man (...) And they cut the wrist of
the toad-man. After they cut the wrist of the toad-man, the wrist went
back in place again. Then they tried again; they cut the wrist of the
toad-man, but the toad-man's wrist fastened on again. The story is
true, what happened. Then the girl was no longer to be seen. They lost
her under the swamp. Then they tried to find out what happened to her.
They made what they called the shaking tent. When they finished the
shaking tent, and they brought the toad-man in the shaking tent. The
toad-man said: "It is I who took your daughter. It is I who took your
daughter." The toad-man told the girl's father that she will always be
happy where she stays. And she will never grow old "and you will always
stay here (...) in lake Meshikamau. And the girl's father said: "I will
always stay here," the toad-man told the girl's father where his [the
toad-man's] home was, where he lived at Kueshtakapishkau
Story told by late Sebastien Nuna of Sheshatshiu
Laboratoire d'anthropologie amérindienne, Montreal,
translated by Matthew Rich, 1967
 |
| Shushepis Rich showing how the caribou were drawn to near an Innu camp by a Kamantushit (Innu hunter with supernatural powers) |
Ustanitshu - The story
Ustanitshu
This is a story from long ago which I heard from my grandfather Pienshushep Shanima, an old hunter. He told me his version of what he heard when he was a young boy.
This is a very old story. It happened a long time ago. It has something to do with how the Innu survived before, what the Innu did in order to survive. They always went to places where the fish and animals were prolific; caribou in particular was the main source of food and clothing. Fish and caribou were gathered and preserved to last a long period of time. We had to keep doing this when the animals were there to avoid running out of food. Sometimes we would have to leave the food in a cache, and move somewhere else to hunt and gather fish. Sometimes we would need to go back and retrieve it and sometimes other Innu found it who were less fortunate. Sometimes they replaced it. That’s how we relied on each other and helped one another to survive, because all the Innu people understood why it was taken, they already knew.
Innu families traveled to Meshikamau and to Mushuaushipu and to Mushuaunipi to wait for the caribou herds in the places through which they normally migrate. They seldom missed the location; sometimes they were early, sometimes they were late but all the families had to get prepared while they were waiting, making corrals at the caribou crossings. It was in those places that the caribou were ambushed and speared. This normally takes place in the fall.
On one occasion the caribou did not arrive at all. The Innu people ran out of food while they were waiting. They were relying on fish, Kukumes (Lake Trout) and Brook Trout and eventually they did not get any fish at all. That’s what it’s like when Innu run out of food: it’s like there’s no fish there but everyone knows there’s fish in the lake. This means they will have hardships. Although the women were setting their hooks in the lake they didn’t get anything and they soon ran out of bait. At the same time the men were making long journeys for hunting but they came back with nothing. They continued doing this for several days; they don’t give up easily.
Some hunters were too weak to go hunting and so were the women. The children were crying in hunger. The old hunters were very strong and they asked the younger men to make a kushapatshikan (shaking tent) to check what had happened to the caribou.
They did this and when the Kamutankatshiut came out of the shaking tent, he told the hunters that someone was trying to kill them all; that he was blocking the caribou from going through. The person who was preventing the caribou from reaching them was a very powerful Kamutankatshiut who was abusing his powers. “There’s nothing we can do except to move to another location.” One of the young hunters told him “Everyone is too weak to walk. We might as well die here. What can we do?”. One old hunter told the others that they would go hunting early in the morning to check for any tracks. “Hopefully we will meet the caribou when they come.”
Six hunters went for two days hunting. They didn’t get anything. It was in the evening when they arrived. The children, boys and girls, were there to greet them. But they were disappointed when they heard the news.
In the night time the children could be heard crying in hunger until they cried themselves to sleep. Innu people got used to this because it happened in life sometimes. They knew that eventually they would get something. They didn’t give up easily.
In the morning the sky was dark. It looked as if there was a big storm coming. All the hunters found it unusual: it looked as if it was going to rain or snow but it wasn’t cold. They went hunting again and some went fishing. They only got one big skinny Kukumes. That was the “sign of starvation” among them and they all knew that but didn’t give up yet.
The children were very weak now and some were crying. Some were told to play outside in spite of the dark sky. But there was no wind.
In the afternoon the hunters came back with nothing even though they were very experienced hunters. That’s what it’s like sometimes when it seems as if there is nothing in this land. That’s what it’s like when animals don’t want to be killed. Sometimes that’s what Kamutankutshiut do to Innu people. He is so powerful, he can make these things happen. But no-one knows why. He may be 300 miles away while he is doing this.
Hearing the commotion, some kind of excitement from the children one young hunter came out of his caribou skin shaputuan (large multifamily tent). He was a little over 40 years old. Someone was cooking something and the children were standing around waiting for the skinny fish to be boiled. The tears came to his eyes; he couldn’t help it when he saw their excitement; some of the children were crying. But when they took out the fish the children could only drink the broth. There was no meat in it. The children were crying. Some did not have enough; some did not get anything.
The young man decided to walk to the point to look at the evening sky. He looked to the west and could see that it was clearing up. He could see the rays of the setting sun and the gleam off the pile of caribou antlers which had been stacked up by the Innu in past years after successful hunts. He looked to the other side of the lake and towards the barren hills on the horizon. He stood there thinking and decided to go back into the camp.
When he got there he spoke to the other hunters. He wanted to take a walk with the children who were not too weak; he wanted to walk to the biggest hill to the north west. It was a gradually sloping hill, less than a mile away. He went back to his tent and came out covering himself with a caribou skin and the children with him. He didn’t want any adults with him, only the children, the young boys and girls. They all followed him to the barren hill. When they got there, the others could see him and the children standing on top of the hill and they stood there for a while and then they came down. When they returned to camp everyone was wondering what he was doing. When they were back he turned to the children and told them to look back. They turned and saw the pile of bleached caribou antlers gleaming in the evening sun and then as they looked at the hill from where they had just come they saw the dust rising up and the sun shining through it. It was the dust kicked up as the big caribou herd came over the hill in large numbers.
Everyone, including the children, was so excited they forgot their hunger. They knew they would live.
Napes Ashini
This is a story from long ago which I heard from my grandfather Pienshushep Shanima, an old hunter. He told me his version of what he heard when he was a young boy.
This is a very old story. It happened a long time ago. It has something to do with how the Innu survived before, what the Innu did in order to survive. They always went to places where the fish and animals were prolific; caribou in particular was the main source of food and clothing. Fish and caribou were gathered and preserved to last a long period of time. We had to keep doing this when the animals were there to avoid running out of food. Sometimes we would have to leave the food in a cache, and move somewhere else to hunt and gather fish. Sometimes we would need to go back and retrieve it and sometimes other Innu found it who were less fortunate. Sometimes they replaced it. That’s how we relied on each other and helped one another to survive, because all the Innu people understood why it was taken, they already knew.
Innu families traveled to Meshikamau and to Mushuaushipu and to Mushuaunipi to wait for the caribou herds in the places through which they normally migrate. They seldom missed the location; sometimes they were early, sometimes they were late but all the families had to get prepared while they were waiting, making corrals at the caribou crossings. It was in those places that the caribou were ambushed and speared. This normally takes place in the fall.
On one occasion the caribou did not arrive at all. The Innu people ran out of food while they were waiting. They were relying on fish, Kukumes (Lake Trout) and Brook Trout and eventually they did not get any fish at all. That’s what it’s like when Innu run out of food: it’s like there’s no fish there but everyone knows there’s fish in the lake. This means they will have hardships. Although the women were setting their hooks in the lake they didn’t get anything and they soon ran out of bait. At the same time the men were making long journeys for hunting but they came back with nothing. They continued doing this for several days; they don’t give up easily.
Some hunters were too weak to go hunting and so were the women. The children were crying in hunger. The old hunters were very strong and they asked the younger men to make a kushapatshikan (shaking tent) to check what had happened to the caribou.
They did this and when the Kamutankatshiut came out of the shaking tent, he told the hunters that someone was trying to kill them all; that he was blocking the caribou from going through. The person who was preventing the caribou from reaching them was a very powerful Kamutankatshiut who was abusing his powers. “There’s nothing we can do except to move to another location.” One of the young hunters told him “Everyone is too weak to walk. We might as well die here. What can we do?”. One old hunter told the others that they would go hunting early in the morning to check for any tracks. “Hopefully we will meet the caribou when they come.”
Six hunters went for two days hunting. They didn’t get anything. It was in the evening when they arrived. The children, boys and girls, were there to greet them. But they were disappointed when they heard the news.
In the night time the children could be heard crying in hunger until they cried themselves to sleep. Innu people got used to this because it happened in life sometimes. They knew that eventually they would get something. They didn’t give up easily.
In the morning the sky was dark. It looked as if there was a big storm coming. All the hunters found it unusual: it looked as if it was going to rain or snow but it wasn’t cold. They went hunting again and some went fishing. They only got one big skinny Kukumes. That was the “sign of starvation” among them and they all knew that but didn’t give up yet.
The children were very weak now and some were crying. Some were told to play outside in spite of the dark sky. But there was no wind.
In the afternoon the hunters came back with nothing even though they were very experienced hunters. That’s what it’s like sometimes when it seems as if there is nothing in this land. That’s what it’s like when animals don’t want to be killed. Sometimes that’s what Kamutankutshiut do to Innu people. He is so powerful, he can make these things happen. But no-one knows why. He may be 300 miles away while he is doing this.
Hearing the commotion, some kind of excitement from the children one young hunter came out of his caribou skin shaputuan (large multifamily tent). He was a little over 40 years old. Someone was cooking something and the children were standing around waiting for the skinny fish to be boiled. The tears came to his eyes; he couldn’t help it when he saw their excitement; some of the children were crying. But when they took out the fish the children could only drink the broth. There was no meat in it. The children were crying. Some did not have enough; some did not get anything.
The young man decided to walk to the point to look at the evening sky. He looked to the west and could see that it was clearing up. He could see the rays of the setting sun and the gleam off the pile of caribou antlers which had been stacked up by the Innu in past years after successful hunts. He looked to the other side of the lake and towards the barren hills on the horizon. He stood there thinking and decided to go back into the camp.
When he got there he spoke to the other hunters. He wanted to take a walk with the children who were not too weak; he wanted to walk to the biggest hill to the north west. It was a gradually sloping hill, less than a mile away. He went back to his tent and came out covering himself with a caribou skin and the children with him. He didn’t want any adults with him, only the children, the young boys and girls. They all followed him to the barren hill. When they got there, the others could see him and the children standing on top of the hill and they stood there for a while and then they came down. When they returned to camp everyone was wondering what he was doing. When they were back he turned to the children and told them to look back. They turned and saw the pile of bleached caribou antlers gleaming in the evening sun and then as they looked at the hill from where they had just come they saw the dust rising up and the sun shining through it. It was the dust kicked up as the big caribou herd came over the hill in large numbers.
Everyone, including the children, was so excited they forgot their hunger. They knew they would live.
Napes Ashini
Source:
This is awesome, Navarana. It must be such a pleasure to work on this!!
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