The Experimental Eskimos Barry Greenwald, Canada, 2009, 70 minutes
Sunday, May 9 | 6:30pm | Vancity Theatre
Sunday, May 16 | 2:00pm | Vancity Theatre
“I don’t regret the experience, but I have never recovered from it either.”
— Zebedee Nungak
The Experimental Eskimos documents an extraordinary attempt at social engineering, undertaken by the Canadian government. In 1962 and 1963, three 12-year-old Inuit boys were separated from their families in the Arctic and sent to Ottawa to live with white foster families and be educated in Ottawa public schools.
Federal government officials called the children “an experiment.” The three boys — who had scored very highly on IQ tests — were relocated, it was said, with the tacit approval of their parents and with the best of intentions. The idea was to see how the brightest young Inuit would fare in the competitive white man’s world and to prepare them for leadership positions in their communities. The boys and their families were not aware that they were participants in an attempt to see how easily Inuit children could be assimilated.
The bureaucrats did not anticipate the outcome. All three went on to become activists and leaders of their people and a thorn on the side of the government that had brought them South. Peter Ittinuar of Rankin Inlet was the first Inuk Member of Parliament. Zebedee Nungak of Saputiligait, Quebec became president of the Inuit-owned economic and political organization, Makivik, and Eric Tagoona of Baker Lake was president of the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada — the first Inuit political lobbying organization.
The battles they fought and won were instrumental in the establishment of Aboriginal rights in Canada and led to the creation of Nunavut — the world’s largest self-governing Aboriginal territory. But it all came at a great personal price. They were deprived of their parents, their language, and their culture.
The Experimental Eskimos reunites Peter, Zebedee and Eric to reflect upon the profound impact that this assimilation attempt had on their lives. Directed by Palme d’Or Award-winning filmmaker Barry Greenwald and produced by Emmy Award-winning Peter Raymont, the film features a wealth of forgotten archival footage, family photos and government documents. The Experimental Eskimos is the untold story of how an experiment in social engineering changed not only three boys, but a nation.
Filmmaker in attendance
Best Documentary, Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival
Discussion to follow (May 9 screening only):
Gordon Christie Director, First Nations Legal Studies,
UBC
Professor Gordon Christie has a LL.B. from the University of Victoria, and a Ph.D. (in philosophy) from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has taught in universities in Canada and the United States, in Faculties of Law, and Departments of Philosophy and Indigenous Studies. Most recently he was an Assistant Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School (1998 - 2004), where he also acted as Director of the Intensive Program in Aboriginal Lands, Resources and Governments. “The conditions for justice arise only when everyone moves toward adopting respectful and responsible attitudes toward everyone else.”
Barry Greenwald Director, The Experimental Eskimos
Barry Greenwald began directing documentaries as an independent at the National Film Board in 1981. In 1983, Greenwald and a number of colleagues founded the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC). His films have received numerous honours, including the Sesterce d’Argent at the Festival International du Film Documentaire in Nyon, Switzerland for Between Two Worlds; the Silver Boomerang for Best Documentary Direction at the Melbourne International Film Festival for Taxi!; a Blue Ribbon at the American Film Festival for Who Gets In? and Best Documentary at the Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival for The Experimental Eskimos.
Peter F.K. Ittinuar Negotiator,
Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, Government of Ontario
Peter has been a teacher (Associate Professor), pilot, hunter, trapper, fisherman, CBC journalist, magazine journalist, film maker, author, worked for the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (the Inuit national organization) and a Member of Parliament. Infused throughout his careers has been the singular thought of creating a homeland where his people would enjoy a degree of autonomy, and Peter assisted this road to Nunavut throughout his life. “Justice should be balanced and blind, but it isn't.”
Gordon Christie
Barry Greenwald
Peter F.K. Ittinuar 
