"You cannot ask for sovereignty because to have sovereignty one must have one's own culture, language and land."
Lucien Lessard, Quebec Minister of Fisheries 1979-1982
Restigouche and Kanehsatake are one and the same: the government seeks to take away what has been available to their peoples since time began. In the case of Restigouche, Lucien Lessard demanded the Micmac peoples remove their nets from the waters despite the fact that Micmac livelihood - as well as their identity as a people - depend on the salmon they fish for in those very waters. Naturally, the Micmac resist, and of course, squads of police march in to instill order. And the word to describe this act is march and no other. There are a couple moments in which still black and white photos of the police appear and pass. The soundtrack is marked by decisive marching. Like Nazi goose steps. And like a Pavlovian response, this march immediately curls the Micmac defensive. It is as if to sound an alarm, to let them know the enemy is coming.
Obomsawin, more than a decade before Kanehsatake ever took place, felt the need to document Restigouche. She initially had trouble gaining access to equipment and crew, and thus, missed out on some of the initial occurrences that took place there (a setback she immediately sorted when embarking on Kanehsatake). Notably, her voice seems less at ease here than it did at Kanehsatake and I feel it has less to do with age than it does experience. Her voice is more weathered in Kanehsatake, as if she's endured this disturbance before. It is like deja vu to a degree. But it was very new at Restigouche. Her outrage is more blatant as she and Lessard verbally battle it out during an intermittent interview throughout the film. The most memorable is when she throws his quote (quoted above) back in his face (for reasons that are quite obvious).
Obomsawin is more known for her work as a cinematic social activist than any distinct visual signature. For this, I have discovered she has received some flack from select critics. Surely, her documentaries lack anything fancy. Instead, she aims at making no-nonsense pictures that are designed to relay a (very) clear message. But I believe there are very distinct inflections in her work from what I've seen so far: the use of natural imagery (that is, focused on nature and the natural world), a strong use of the spoken word via interviews, and an indomitable native spirit. One cannot deny the compassion she feels for her native peoples. She loves the people she documents. After all, she is one of them.
The film is available in its entirety here:
