Building A Kayak Part 1

Asinnajaq draws her viewers into a sublime imaginary universe— using archival footage overlaid with a quilt of hand-drawn and CGI animation to recast the present, past and future of Inuit in a radiant new light.

Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the tradtional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, the men are out hunting on the sea ice while the women work at drying sealskins, cooking and gathering moss.  

Dir: Quentin Brown. 1967. NFB

Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, it is full summer.  The skin tents are up, and it is time to fish. 

Dir: Quentin Brown. NFB 1967

Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the tradtional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, work on the kayak continues. More skins are soaked; ribs are split and shaped. Finally, the kayak is ready and the men take it out on the water for a test.

 Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the tradtional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, the run-off is in full flow and the entire family lends a had in building a new kayak.

Filmed over a period of three years, from summer 1963 to the late winter of 1965, and released in 1967, the Netsilik series is about the traditional lifestyle of Netsilingmiut living in the area around Kugaaruk.

In this episode, familes at the winter sea ice camp play games and drum dance inside the igloo.  The next day, they set out again over the broad expanse of sea ice.