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APTN’s Taken shines a light on missing and murdered Indigenous women

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In the series premiere of Taken, hosted by Lisa Meeches, we revisit the case that shocked Canada, raising awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in mainstream media: Tina Fontaine.

Tina was a 15-year-old with a sweet little baby face, remembered by her teachers to be compassionate and loving. She was also brutally murdered, her body dumped in The Red River with the intention it never be found. However, because of its brutality, it was Tina Fontaine’s case that galvanised the nation. Sergeant John O’Donovan, Winnipeg Police Service, makes a sad observation that puts this into perspective: “I think society would be horrified if we found a litter of kittens or pups in the river in this condition. This is a child. Society should be horrified.”

Thelma Favel, Tina’s great aunt who raised Tina until she left Sagkeeng to reconnect with her estranged mother in Winnipeg, shares many stories that bring the face we know from the news to life. The storytelling is aided by re-enactments in the locations where Tina was known to frequent.

This initial episode of Taken also highlights the systemic abuse and racism present in Canada today. Policies put in place throughout the country’s history have promoted these vulnerable circumstances for Indigenous women. Craig Benjamin of Amnesty International explains, “this violence is a symptom of a much larger problem than was displayed in the Residential Schools. It is a pattern of discrimination that has played out in policy in a thousand minute every day ways as well.”

This is a serious program, not meant for entertainment but to inform. Care has definitely been taken to ensure Tina’s story is treated with the respect it deserves. However, due to the sheer number of cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous women and children, Taken may trigger difficult emotions for some viewers.

I have two main concerns with this show, co-commissioned between APTN and CBC. First, CBC has yet to slot the series into their schedule. This is an investigative  documentary series showcasing ongoing investigations. Each episode opens and closes with a request for information. Would it not be judicious to broadcast this to the widest audience possible in the timeliest of manners? Over time, information and leads dry up, memories can fade, evidence can be compromised, all of which can weaken the Crown’s Disclosure in the court of law. And yet CBC is not airing in conjunction with APTN’s broadcast.

My second concern relates to how Tina was initially presented in this episode. Tina was a little girl, she was not just one more murdered Indigenous child. She was a child with family and friends and hobbies. Often, we forget who the person was and they are seen only as a victim. We did learn about Tina the child, but that came later in the program. I would have preferred to get to know the child so I could grieve the loss of her.

If you do have any information about the Tina Fontaine case you are urged to contact either the authorities or Taken.

Taken airs Fridays at 7 p.m. ET on APTN.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

APTN’s Wild Archaeology entertains and educates

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Dr. Rudy Reimer of Simon Fraser University provides the context of APTN’s Wild Archaeology in the cold open. He is establishing a bridge of understanding between settler nation knowledge and traditional Indigenous knowledge.

Settlers, or mainstream society, demands scientific or documented proof in order for knowledge to have any value or basis. However,  knowledge in Indigenous culture is passed through oral history and storytelling.

Dr. Reimer immediately states, after he introduces himself in the traditional way, “Early on it struck me, what my grandfather and grandma told me in the stories they told me, that were passed down to them, they were actually true, because I saw the physical evidence through the artifacts, in the very locations in the mountains they were pointing to when they told me their stories.” He is taking the traditional knowledge and using it to find the scientific proof! And, we get to go along!

In the premiere episode, hosts Jacob Pratt and Jenifer Brousseau—along with Dr. Reimer—travel into the high country of Squamish Nation, B.C., 2,000 metres above sea level and far above the tree line. Dr. Reimer has learned from local Squamish Elders of a site he had yet to explore for ancient artifacts.

We follow their hike and experience the stunning scenery of Squamish Nation in their quest to find their physical proof and discover the pictograph of a Thunderbird drawn on the side of a mountain. With the aid of animation, Dr. Reimer shares the story of the Thunderbird as told to him by his grandparents. We learn, through the shared discussions, of the similarities between traditional stories despite vast geographical distances.

Their quest continues in search of the obsidian artifacts in connection to the stories of the Thunderbird. Dr. Reimer demonstrates a few archaeological techniques in their pursuit, and eventually Jenifer finds a significant artifact. The obsidian samples found date back more than 6,000 years.

I have to be honest, I was really surprised by Wild Archaeology. This was not at all what I was expecting in a docu-series. If every episode is as strong as this introductory one, this will be a fantastic mechanism to drive home the power Indigenous knowledge keepers have. The message is clear: there is a real need to engage young people today with the knowledge contained in oral histories. Wild Archaeology explores those connections, between traditional knowledge and science, something that is key to reconciliation between cultures.

As a teacher, I urge parents to sit down with your children and watch! You will learn about the rich history and geography Canada has to offer and all of you will be entertained!

Wild Archaeology airs Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. ET on APTN.

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Mohawk Ironworkers recalls The World Trade Center and 9/11

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As we are approaching the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 disaster, it is appropriate APTN’s Mohawk Ironworkers begins with stories of the World Trade Centre.

I have a number of friends from New York, and one who worked at  Ground Zero mere days after 9/11. When I mentioned this episode to him he said, “They [the Ironworkers] walked into the hazards side by side with firefighters and cops without hesitation. There were lives to save. A job to do.” He calls them heroes.

Peter J. Stacey, Randy J. Horn and Chris Beauvais  from Kahnawa:ke, and Bill Sears from Ahkwesahsne (who claims to be the infamous “Moon Over Manhattan”) are featured in the first segment of the debut. All were involved in the building of the original twin towers and recount their experiences during the construction, sharing a number of entertaining anecdotes. They also share grief following the destruction of the towers. For them, the loss was incredibly personal.

Chris Beauvais, who spent four long months on the cleanup and recovery, was one of the first on site following the collapse. He had been working nearby on another building at the time and explains, “All of the ironworkers went down there. That’s our job. It’s iron and we know how to play with it.”

In the third and final segment, we visit with Preston Horn, Kevin McComber and John McGowen, all from Kahnawa:ke. All three are currently working on the New World Trade Center and speak of their pride in the brotherhood of Mohawk ironworkers, and of being a part of the construction of World One.

The episode also gives a brief overview of the construction of the towers and describes the many innovative techniques that were unique to the construction of the original World Trade Center.

This was a good start to the series, demonstrating the long connection Mohawks have had with the skyline of New York City.  As we are approaching the eve of the anniversary, I would like to close simply with one other thought that my friend shared: “To those iron workers who waded into the horrors with all of us first responders … thank you.”

Mohawk Ironworkers airs Tuesdays at 7 p.m. ET on APTN.

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Rick McCrank explores empty lots in Viceland’s Abandoned

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Growing up in Brantford, Ont., there were lots of abandoned places to check out. There was one just a short bike ride away from my house, a crumbling house hidden in a forest and purportedly haunted. My friends and I stayed well away from the place—even during the day—more because it was tumbledown and disused than reports of ghosts. (That came years later, in an empty sanitarium next to the Trailer Park Boys set.)

In Abandoned, debuting Friday on Viceland, Vancouver skateboard legend Rick McCrank boogies right on into empty places to check them out. In the first episode of 10 of the Canadian original, “Ghost Mall,” McCrank enters what used to be Randall Park Mall in Cleveland. As McCrank explains, the area the mall was in used to enjoy strong economic times, but those are long gone.

McCrank doesn’t just shuffle through darkened hallways filled with dusty old benches and broken glass; he gives a nice history on the modern shopping mall, a creation born in 1950s America, gleaming, convenient spots where families could spend hours dropping money on clothes, electronics, housewares, food—the sky was the limit—all under one roof. Shopping malls hit their stride in the 80s, a ubiquitous sight in cities. But the good times ended when online shopping became more popular, and the sprawling complexes began to close.

Accompanied by photographer Seph Lawless, who captured images inside for his book Black Friday—The Collapse of the America Shopping Mall, McCrank wanders around Randall Park Mall, observing not only the decay but how quickly nature is reclaiming the land with life.

Two things struck me as I watched “Ghost Mall.” The first was how misty-eyed folks got remembering the time they spent in these now-shuttered behemoths. The second? How I totally related to what they felt. Growing up as a child of the 80s, I spent copious time in my local Lynden Park Mall, poking around Coles bookstore, Sunrise Records or sitting in the food court hanging out with friends. Lynden Park Mall is still there—it’s changed a lot on the inside—but I still get that pull in my heart when I drive by.

I guess that’s the point of a show like Abandoned. McCrank tours defunct properties around Canada and the U.S., showing how life rolls on while milestones of the past crumble. Upcoming episodes find McCrank in east coast fishing towns, empty schools in St. Louis and flooded missile silos in the Pacific Northwest.

Abandoned airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on Viceland.

Image courtesy of Rogers.

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Working It Out Together: Decolonization Dance

Season 3 ends on a high note featuring dance, and its ability to heal. Host Waneek Horn-Miller sums up the significance of dance: “Dance has always been an integral part of our ceremonies and traditions. It expresses our prayers, and our mythology, it celebrates our victories, and is a way to heal.”

However, colonization nearly destroyed dance. Policy forced dance underground, yet it survived and is seeing a resurgence across the land. Briana Olson, Manager, iHuman Youth Society, explains, “Our ceremonies were related, and central, and fully immersed in how we raised our children, how we engaged in trade, and through our language was how we were directly connected with how we viewed our land.” But to the colonizers, dance was viewed as a threat to the values they held. Thus the settlers created policy to ensure language, ceremonies and sacred dances were all banned. This form of colonization has facilitated  the culture of shame that, for many Indigenous people, has become a way of being.

Karen J. Pheasant, Cultural Knowledge Keeper, also speaks to the tradition and importance of dance in Indigenous culture: “We always gave first and foremost recognition to the powers that be, that brought these to us and we gave them with ceremony which was song, which was offerings, and celebrate the good life. What enabled us to do that was through our dance.”

James Jones, is a self described fusion dancer who, following a career altering knee injury, combined hip-hop with traditional dance styles. James, the official dancer with the popular band A Tribe Called Red, describes dancing as “food for the spirit.” When not touring, he has  been leading youth workshops, sharing his own experiences with multi-generational trauma and how that journey has affected his life. James was able to overcome personal tragedy and in so doing claims he was healed by the power of Hoop Dancing.

One interesting final note with respect to this episode: in the segment about James’ life in gangs on the streets of Edmonton,  there are a series of shots edited in, but never directly addressed. We see images from the Red Dress Campaign. This campaign was designed to draw attention to the plight of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls across Canada.

You can read more about James Jones here at WIOT Zine.

Overall, this season has  been incredibly instructive. Each episode, each facet explored, demonstrates how pervasive colonization has penetrated the lives of Indigenous people. If you are a student or a teacher wanting to understand colonization, particularly in light of the recent TRC Report and its Calls to Action, or if perhaps you are looking to add more content to your Social Studies units I HIGHLY recommend watching this season in its entirety. When viewed together, you get a real sense of the over arcing scope government and policy have played in the lives of Indigenous people in Canada. Additionally, there is a wealth of resources that could easily be adapted for classroom activities, located in the link listed above.

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