The Experimental Eskimos

The story of the social experiment conducted by the Canadian government that played with three Inuit lives.

Barry Greenwald / Canada / 2009 / 70 min

SHORT SYNOPSIS

In the early 1960s the Canadian government conducted an experiment in social engineering. Three 12-year-old Inuit boys were separated from their families in the Arctic and were sent to Ottawa to live with white families and to be educated in white schools. The consequences the experiment would have on their identity and culture was brushed aside. The experiment had unexpected results. All three men went on to become activists and leaders of their people, instrumental in establishing aboriginal rights in Canada and the creation of Nunavut. But it all came at a terrible cost. Peter Ittinuar, Zebedee Nungak and Eric Tagoona candidly recount their stories and challenges in this remarkable film about an attempt at assimilation, empowerment and the triumph of the human spirit.

LONG SYNOPSIS

"I don't regret the experience, but I have never recovered from it."
-- Zebedee Nungak

In 1962 and 1963, three 12-year-old Inuit boys left their families in the Canadian Arctic and travelled south to live with foster families and attend public school in Ottawa.

Federal government officials called the boys “an experiment”. They 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 government did not anticipate the outcome. How despite their loss of language, culture and traditional skills, the tools of their white education enabled their political activism.

The three boys went on to become leaders of their people. At a time when the Inuit and aboriginal people had to assert their rights. Peter Ittinuar of Rankin Inlet was the first Inuk Member of Parliament. Zebedee Nungak of Saputiligait, 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 three men were instrumental in the establishment of aboriginal rights in Canada and around the world. The battles they fought and won led to the creation of Nunavut – the world’s largest self-governed aboriginal territory. But their achievements came at an unfathomable price.

"The Experimental Eskimos" follows the three boys as men looking back at the extraordinary upheaval in their lives, wondering how the experiment affected them and what profound long-lasting impact it has had on their identity.

Featuring a wealth of forgotten archival footage, photos and government documents, the film is the untold story of how an experiment in social engineering changed not only the boys, but changed a nation.

Trailer

Credits

Awards & Festivals

Hot Docs International Documentary Festival (World Premiere)
Dreamspeakers Film Festival, Edmonton
Alianait Arts Festival, Iqaluit (Nunavut Premiere)
Festival of Inuit Film, Nuit Blanche, Toronto
DocFest Stratford
Cinema Politica (Canada, Indonesia, Sweden)
Leipzig DOK Festival, Germany (European Premiere)
Regent Park Film Festival, Toronto
Global Visions Film Festival, Edmonton
Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival (Prize Winner: "Best Documentary")
Ambulante Documentary Film Festival, Mexico
Docs for Schools - Hot Docs 2010
DOXA Documentary Film Festival, Vancouver
Yorkton Film Festival, Saskatchewan (Nominated for: 'Best Documentary-History', 'Best Director Non-Fiction', 'Best Research'Prize Winner: "NFB Kathleen Shannon Award")
Montreal First People's Festival Présence autochtone