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| Producer's
notes |
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When
I first embarked on this project back in the fall of 1997,
my first impressions of Native Alaska were colored by the
complexity of the history of the Great Land and the many
issues, which the Native population had faced in the 20th
century. As I traveled from one part of Alaska to another
researching this story, I visited both the major towns and
many Native communities, I traveled to remote villages and
hunting camps, and visited the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay
and Kuparuk River.
Everywhere I was met with friendship and co-operation, and
by the interest of the many Natives - particularly on the
North Slope, in the relevance of their story for my
audience in Greenland. I met hundreds of Natives and
non-natives, all of whom told me their stories, and
related how they and their families had experienced
the events of the last 50 years.
By the time I came to plan this film series, I could now
see from my notes that there was no single truth, no
definitive history which could be told as a simple story.
Alaska is a patchwork of many Native cultures, each with
its own language, traditions and ways of life - forged by
the land and the natural wealth of each region. The
Inupiat have their whales and caribou, the Tlingit have
their forests.
Together they inhabit the Great Land - a territory
covering an area equivalent to most of Europe or the lower
48 states - with as much variation of climate, geography,
wildlife, cultures, and resources between Kaktovik and
Adak Island as can be found between Mexico and
Minneapolis, or Madrid and Murmansk.
This project was commissioned by the Home Rule Government
of Greenland. With my primary audience in mind, I decided
therefore to focus on the story of the Inupiat Eskimos of
the North Slope and the Northwest Arctic region, with
whose story and living conditions the Greenland Inuit
could identify. Though the Inupiat have much in common
with other Alaskan Native peoples, they are also very
different - they live primarily close to the ocean, theirs
is an Arctic climate and a tundra landscape, their
traditional territory is huge, yet they are few in number,
they share a culture with Inuit from other regions or the
Arctic, and their lands are rich in oil and minerals.
So whilst these films can never tell the story of all of
Native Alaska, this series is my attempt at describing the
major lines of conflict which arise when a previously
isolated sovereign indigenous culture meets the forces of
colonialism, industrial development and globalization. In
such terms, the story of Alaska's Inuit has much in common
with the stories of aboriginal peoples all over the world.
Any study of Native Alaska, and of the Alaska Native Lands
Claims Settlement in particular, demonstrates the
complexity of the issues - political, constitutional,
religious, cultural and economic. The more detailed the
study, the more detailed the explanations as to why Alaska
has evolved as it has.
When telling a story for television, we prepare ourselves
by studying the details to try to understand the many
nuances - we may be objective in our research, but there
the objectivity must end, as the production process
inevitably assumes a subjectivity which the filmmaker must
accept and embrace. Somewhere in this process, the
film-maker must decide where he or she stands in relation
to the story - and I make no secret of the fact that I
have recognized and embraced my alliance to the Native
people who are the subject of this series.
Theirs is a story of generations of injustices wrought
upon them by outsiders. Some of these outsiders were
benevolent in their attitude towards the Natives, others
less so; most of them shared the common motivation that
their very presence in Alaska was rooted in a desire to
harvest the natural wealth of the Great Land.
Seen in this light, the complex issues of Alaska's history
become so simple - the Natives were there first - the land
was theirs, and in the century and a half since the first
contact with the white man, the Natives have never by
treaty or defeat given up their land or their sovereignty.
To this day, they continue to inhabit and work the land
that is their birthright, and every treaty or settlement
entered into, has been done so according to the terms and
conditions of outsiders.
Many Alaskans, including many natives, see this state of
affairs as an inevitable consequence of history and the
march of progress - in which the Natives also desire and
deserve their stake, and for which, since ANCSA was
passed, the Native population has worked hard to attain.
But for all that has happened, the relationship between
Alaska's Natives and their land and natural environment is
one which transcends material world - in their hearts this
land is theirs, and it will remain so until they must
deliver it to their children. This is the premise for this
television series.
"Native Experience" - as the title implies -
attempts to tell this story through the words and memories
of Alaska's Natives - both those who experienced the great
changes of the past 50 years, and those whose daily lives
are still impacted by the development which has taken
place.
It is my belief that the media - especially television -
bears a considerable responsibility for balancing the
outside world's view of the lives and affairs of
indigenous peoples - we must ensure that the history books
and archives also embrace the stories, experience and
wisdom of Native people - imparted from their perspective.
The western cultures define and control the major
communications media of our era, it is their
responsibility to do so with regard and respect for
indigenous people.
This project would have been impossible to accomplish, had
it not been for the tremendous openness and co-operation
which hundreds of individuals and organizations have
granted me, during the past 5 years. I have been given a
unique access to Native communities, individual families
and their subsistence activities; as well as the support
and encouragement of many Native corporations, local
government organizations and cultural institutions. It has
been my privilege to experience the Native way of life and
to share in the memories and experiences of so many,
and it has opened a door for me to a world to which I will
surely and happily return.
I extend my thanks to the many who have helped me in the
creation of this television series. |
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Adrian
Redmond
Mesing, Denmark, September 2002 |
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