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Grassy Narrows
Year Published: 1983Resource Type: Film/Video Cx Number: CX2846 Abstract: GRASSY NARROWS is about a people caught between two cultures. The 500 Native people in the community of Grassy Narrows, 60 miles north of Kenora, Ontario, haven't chosen to stop fishing, any more than they've chosen to stop hunting. What has happened is that another lifestyle has been imposed on them. In the first place, the Natives of Grassy Narrows were forced to move from their spacious ancestral grounds to the present confines of the reserve. Subsequently, their fish became poisoned by the effects of mercury pollution in the lakes. Moose and deer decreasd in numbers as more and more southerners or cottagers moved into the area, and gradually the Native livelihood as hunters came to an end. The changes from self-sufficiency to dependency has left its psychological scars. GRASSY NARROWS show how alcohol and unemployment have led to violence. GRASSY NARROWS records the efforts of the youth in the community to change the current conditions. They are beginning to organize for a restructuring of their education system, for an extension of their reserve land so they can perserve hunting, and for capital to create meaningful economic development. Subject Headings |