The Experimental Eskimos

The Experimental Eskimos (2009)

May 9th, 20091h 10min

Documentary
60%

Overview

In the early 1960s the Canadian government conducted an experiment in social engineering. Three young Inuit boys were separated from their families in the Arctic and were sent to Ottawa, the nation's capital, to live with white families and to be educated in white schools. The consequences the experiment would have on the boys, their identity and culture was brushed aside. The bureaucrats did not anticipate the outcome. The three grow up to be political activists and leaders - often at odds with the government that brought them south. They establish aboriginal rights in Canada and are instrumental in the creation of Nunavut, the world's largest self-governed aboriginal territory. But it all comes at a tremendous personal cost. Peter Ittinuar, Zebedee Nungak, and Eric Tagoona recount their stories, achievements and challenges in this film about an attempt at assimilation, empowerment, and the triumph of the human spirit.


Make sure to check your pop-up blocker!!

Trailer

Similar Movies

Angry Inuk

Angry Inuk


Released on: 2016-05-02
Documentary

With "sealfies" and social media, a new tech-savvy generation of Inuit is wading into the world of a...

Kanehsatake, 270 Years of Resistance

Kanehsatake, 270 Years of Resistance


Released on: 1993-07-12
Documentary

In July 1990, a dispute over a proposed golf course to be built on Kanien’kéhaka (Mohawk) lands in O...

People of the Seal, Part 1: Eskimo Summer

People of the Seal, Part 1: Eskimo Summer


Released on: 1971-01-01
Documentary

The first of two coproductions by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the National Film Board o...

The Living Stone

The Living Stone


Released on: 1958-02-04
Documentary

The Living Stone is a 1958 Canadian short documentary film directed by John Feeney about Inuit art. ...

The Flow of Resilience

The Flow of Resilience


Released on: 2024-07-24
Documentary

The film weaves together the filmmaker's introspections with survivor's collective memories. Amid de...

No Turning Back

No Turning Back


Released on: 1996-01-01
Documentary

This film follows the aftermath of the Oka crisis, which brought Indigenous rights into sharp focus....

Inuuvunga: I Am Inuk, I Am Alive

Inuuvunga: I Am Inuk, I Am Alive


Released on: 2004-01-01
Documentary

In this feature-length documentary, 8 Inuit teens with cameras offer a vibrant and contemporary view...

The Good Canadian

The Good Canadian


Released on: 2025-09-30
Documentary

The world knows the image of the good Canadian. But what if there was a dark secret behind a nationa...

Surviving Columbus

Surviving Columbus


Released on: 1992-11-16
Documentary, TV Movie

This Peabody Award-winning documentary from New Mexico PBS looks at the European arrival in the Amer...

Through the Repellent Fence: A Land Art Film

Through the Repellent Fence: A Land Art Film


Released on: 2017-02-19
Documentary

The film follows Postcommodity, an interdisciplinary arts collective comprised of Raven Chacon, Cris...

Svonni vs the Swedish Tax Agency

Svonni vs the Swedish Tax Agency


Released on: 2020-10-21
Documentary

A Sámi woman fights for her right to claim a tax deduction against the purchase of a dog. Why the Sw...

Nanook of the North

Nanook of the North


Released on: 1922-06-11
Documentary, Drama

This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northe...

Netsilik Eskimos, VIII: Jigging for Lake Trout

Netsilik Eskimos, VIII: Jigging for Lake Trout


Released on: 1967-12-23
Documentary

More signs of winter's end as more wildlife returns. The family makes an excursion for fresh fish fr...

Miss Campbell: Inuk Teacher

Miss Campbell: Inuk Teacher


Released on: 2023-10-17
Documentary

Part oral history and part visual poem, Miss Campbell: Inuk Teacher is the story of Evelyn Campbell,...

Qipisa

Qipisa


Released on: 2017-02-23
Documentary

The director goes back to her roots in Pangnirtung, amongst her family and community. It leads her t...

What Belongs to Inuit

What Belongs to Inuit


Released on: 2009-01-01
Documentary

A group of Nunavut elders travel to five museums in North America to see and identify artifacts, too...

The Annanacks

The Annanacks


Released on: 1964-01-01
Documentary

This short documentary depicts the formation in 1959 of the first successful co-operative in an Inui...

Pictures Out Of My Life

Pictures Out Of My Life


Released on: 1973-01-01
Documentary

The drawings and recollections of Inuit artist Pitseolak, from the book of the same title written by...

Between Two Worlds

Between Two Worlds


Released on: 1990-01-01
Documentary

This feature film is a documentary portrait of Joseph Idlout, a man who was once the world's most fa...

If the Weather Permits

If the Weather Permits


Released on: 2003-06-10
Documentary

Director Elisapie Issac's documentary is a sort-of letter to her deceased grandfather addressing the...