April 8th.

The Chief and council want to be reassured that we are not on a vendetta to accuse them of corruption.  We’re being asked to provide proof of our intentions.  How do you prove intent?  We’re willing to talk to them, show them the script, the shot list, even the finished product before it goes out, but not the raw footage.

Acting Chief Spence has demanded to see all of our footage.  At the end of day 3, we had 3-4 hours, by the end of today (day 3) we’ll have at least 5 hours.  That would take a whole day to watch.
  
Not to mention that out of a 45 minute interview, I might only use 2-3 minutes that are relevant.  We’re not interested in squabbles with neighbours or the band council; we want only the parts dealing with the doc’s topic.  And what if he said something they find offensive?  It’s breaking an important trust to be showing it to people when we’re not planning to use it.  And could make things difficult for someone who trusted us enough to talk about his frustration.

So that’s fun.  And will likely interfere with some of our scheduled interviews.

Ironically, it never crossed our minds to do something anti-band council until they started this shit.  We weren’t even mentioning the band council, were anti-government apathy and indifference.

April 7th (Wednesday)

Woke up twice during the night when someone tried my door handle.  Could’ve been someone at the wrong room, Robbie (Rosie’s husband) making sure I’d locked my door, or someone trying to break in.  The whole population knows there’s a white woman here with a film crew and expensive film equipment.  I prefer to think it was a repeat of the 5 year old boy who tried to get in on a dare from his brother.  I’d heard him earlier I the evening, whispering to an almost identical little boy, then whoosh, he raced up the hall, tried the door knob and raced away.  I’m glad I keep it locked.

The power was off in the kitchen last night.  So we had cheese whiz on tortillas, homemade beef jerky & cold cheese for supper.  Got up this morning, power’s off again.  Shit!  No coffee!

Power’s on!  As soon as we finish some exteriors and the shot of Irkar in the  room, we can make coffee!!

Power’s off again.  Rats!!!  We’re going to have to be careful about timing!

Afternoon & Evening

Coffee at the Northern Store 2 coffee, 1 tea and 1 Coke = $13.  ½ case of bottled water = $25.  2 Sobe iced tea = $13.   I am rapidly going broke!

And my back is killing me!  Maybe walking that ½ mile through the mostly frozen swamp for that perfect shot by the frozen lake, wasn’t the brightest idea after all.

 But man, it looked great!

We interviewed Bob & Wes at the airport, that is one amazing little kid.  He’s smart, he’s poised, and he’s totally unafraid of the camera.  His mom, however….  Beautiful woman, flatly refused to be on camera, or within 15 feet of it.

Angela arrived, as did Irkar’s lost backpack.  Good thing because he was freaking without his chocolate stash.  And Laszlo got his boom pole.  My box of food arrived, right on time!  But without the maple suckers I bought for the kids.  Shit! 

I’ll have to mail them up when I send Rosie’s lace and stuff.

Speaking of which, Rosie has a dance class on Friday, we’re hoping to get to film a couple of the kids.

Angela is being brought up to date watching the footage so far.

We have several leads on interviews, and will do the first one tomorrow morning.  Mike Koostachin, who’ll be running for chief this summer, wants to talk. So do Helen Kataquapit, Paul Mattinas and Elder Dominic Nakogee.  And Jackie Hookimaw wants to be re-interviewed.

Irkar just poked his head in to tell me that today’s footage is ‘awesome”, even “brilliant”.  Good, maybe it’s worth the backache and incipient migraine.  The caribou hide mittens Angela bought are reeking of cigarette smoke; they’re going to kill me.

Night:

Angela, Laz & Clarence went out to Mike’s tepee last night for a fire & stories.  She had a great time, arriving in our room at 1:11am.  I know because she woke me and I looked at my cell phone.  Didn’t matter, people walking, talking and (in one case) singing in the hall had woken me a dozen times already.

Attawapiskat April 6th: (Tuesday)

My back is killing me and my head is exhausted. We were up by 7, fed by 830, and supposed to be in the taxi to the airport by 845.
But you know what they say about the best laid plans.

Clarence had apparently checked into the hotel by suppertime. I tried calling his room to arrange for all 4 of us to eat together. It would be a chance to plan and organize everything. Get everyone on the same page. Alas, it was not meant to be.

When we got back to the hotel after dinner, I tried Clarence’s room again, still out. So I left a message. Then booted up mini-me and left a message on facebook.

After a shower and a little TV, I set my alarm and went to sleep. More or less, there was a loud party right over my room, and I don’t sleep well in hotels to begin with. I woke up once an hour and checked the time. Of course, I was finally asleep when the alarm went off.

Packed up, dressed and at breakfast by 8. I’d left Clarence a message to meet us in the lobby at 8 and that the taxi to the airport would be there at 845, apparently he forgot. Both.

So by 840, I was spitting sparks and Irkar as fit to be tied. The taxi arrived, we barely fit. Even without Clarence it was a tight fit. We waited until almost 9, but the plane was at 10, we had to go. Driving into the cold winter morning, our anger keeping us warm and Irkar’s cursing making the driver swerve in shock, but only in English. Still stage one anger, according to Irkar. We don’t need to worry until he starts swearing in Greek.

Half a block up the street, we ran into Clarence. Not literally, but we had finally found him. So we went back to the motel. Clarence packed up, checked out and rejoined us.

Off we went again, only 15 minutes late.

The driver drove as fast as he could, helped us unload and whipped off, leaving us at the wrong airport. Thunder Air was a barely visible blue building further up the road.

Fortunately, before I could freak completely, the nice lady behind the Air Creebec counter offered to call Thunder Air and have them send a shuttle for us. I love that woman.


Finally, we are on our way. $128 in weight overages, Irkar’s too tall to get in without looking like a clown-car, and if the pilot coughs the whole plane shakes. But we’re in the air!

The plane was sooo tiny! It seated only 9 plus the pilots, both of whom were young and seriously cute. I watched them and tried to ignore the turbulence and sudden altitude drops.

Moosenee

Fort Albany

Kasheshewan

Attawapiskat!

Last time I was here, it was a security nightmare, at least from my point of view.
Starting in Ottawa, with all my bags being searched and tested for drug or explosives residue. Or both, who knows? They even had me strip down to t-shirt & jeans, and bare feet and *patted me down*!! How many middle-aged white women are terrorists? IN CANADA!?

I was almost late for my plane, had too little time for the transfer in Toronto, and went to the wrong hotel in Timmins…..

Then when I arrived in Attawapiskat, we had the whole search thing over again.

This time, I packed very carefully, nothing over 75 ml, all my electronics in a ziploc bag, all my toiletries in another, all my filmstock in a third. Everything in the least bit questionable was checked. And what did they do?

Nothing. I wasn’t searched, my bags weren’t searched, I didn’t even have to take my stuff out of the carry-on to show them. I had a 1 ½ hour stop in Toronto, so I had lunch. I had a lovely hotel in Timmins, which let us park the car there for a week, free!

Attawapiskat? The same! Straight from the plane to the parking lot. I don’t know why this trip as so different, but shhhhhh…. If we don’t ask questions maybe they won’t remember to terrorize me on the way home.

So, what did we actually accomplish today?

Irkar got a bit air sick from turbulence the last 10 minutes of the flight and nearly barfed on the back of the pilot’s neck. In his rush to get off the plane and into the fresh air, he forgot his backpack. With all his coke and chocolate stash for our visit. They never unloaded the boom pole and we didn’t notice it missing until the plane was gone again.

We had lunch; we got settled in the homeless shelter for the week. Yup, we’re living the story, living in H House while we’re here. I’ll describe it more tomorrow, right now I’m exhausted and my back is killing me.

We also got some driving around footage, went to the water treatment plant, the sewage treatment lagoons and the lake where the reserve gets its water. And met several people who want to be interviewed.

Tomorrow, we’ll interview Wes Prankard, and film the True North Aid team leaving. And Angela’s arrival! Then the real work begins.