NFB film a peek into Mi'kmaq family life

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When the National Film Board invited Catherine Anne Martin to do a documentary about traditional parenting in Native communities across Canada, she wasn't sure where to start.

"I thought this is a big topic," says Martin. "I'll be working on this till I die. The appropriate way to do that kind of film would be to live in those (Native) communities."

Instead, inspiration came from her own community.

"I came back to the film board to say I have no choice but to make a film about my own community," says Martin. "As a Mi'kmaq I could only hope to do justice to my own community."

The result, Mi'kmaq Family or Migmaoei Otjiosog, does just that, giving outsiders a slice of what life in the Mi'kmaq community is like.

The film opening shows a baby entering the world (the birth is tastefully filmed), an appropriate image for a documentary on parenting.

The baby is film-maker Martin's second child, Thomas. Throughout the film, in interviews with parents, grandparents, and Elders, Martin finds out how to raise Thomas the traditional Mi'kmaq way.

Her journey takes her to the Saint Anne's Day gathering at the Chapel Island reserve in Cape Breton, and to Malagawatch, an area of Cape Breton where her great-grandfather was born.

Saint Anne, the patron saint of the Mi'kmaq people, is seen as an Elder. On Saint Anne's Day Mi'kmaq turn to the women of their community for direction and guidance.

The Elders Martin consults on child-raising give plenty of advice:

Children are a gift from the Creator. They're not owned by their parents, simply "on loan".

A child is watched over and cherished. There's even a celebration to mark a baby's first tooth.

And each child benefits from a "built-in block parent system". Growing up the Mi'kmaq way means inheriting an extended family of Mi'kmaq people who look out for you.

At Malagawatch, a summer gathering place, Martin asks parents and grandparents to tell her their experiences of life - and parenting.

A mother tells of the challenge disciplining children - women are the disciplinarians in the Mi'kmaq community.

A grandmother sings a child to sleep in Mi'kmaq. A grandfather takes his grandchildren through a breathtakingly beautiful forest, explaining Mi'kmaq traditions in the process.

One couple describes the pain of losing their son, a young man with a promising future, in a sudden accident. A man explains how traditional drumming helped him heal and recover from alcoholism.

Martin says making the film was a struggle. The NFB cut it from one hour to 30 minutes and she had to follow NFB guidelines in making the film.

"You really have to fight for your positions in making films. I have found it difficult to present my perspective as a Mi'kmaq film-maker without having to compromise something."

So far Martin is the only Aboriginal film-maker in Atlantic Canada. But Martin, a veteran of four films, says she's glad to pave the way for other Aboriginal film-makers in the region.

And she's proud to help others understand Mi'kmaq people.

"In the Mi'kmaq community we're all a family. We're all connected. It's not something we say for the hell of it."

Mi'kmaq Family is available for rental at NFB locations. You can order a copy of the video ($26.95) by phoning 1-800-267-7710.