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The Fast Runner, Atanarjuat

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The Fast Runner film serves as a way to share the story of an Inuit legend, an evil spirit that has been passed down through generations for centuries. The intent of this film was to show viewers the balance of good and evil in the Inuit culture and the struggles of the people that follow. The Fast Runner, Atanarjuat, is fighting with the evil spirit and this film shows his encounters with the legendary spirit. The creation of this film can also be used as a way to enlighten people about the lives and culture of Native Americans in the Arctic. While watching this film I found the storyline to be very basic. I enjoyed this film because while I was watching I forgot it was a scripted film and not a documentary. At times during the film I thought …show more content…

The family resides in a permanent community with the nuclear family aside from elderly members and unmarried relatives. This occurs because the elderly and unmarried people cannot provide food and clothing for themselves. Arranged or promised marriages seemed to be formed to prevent the people from not being married and unable to provide. A male in each household seemed like the spokesperson for that family and would do the best to provide for that family. The roles for the men and women of the Inuit are similar to the gender roles of Americans today. The men did the hunting, built houses, and maintained the tools needed for survival, while the women of the Inuit did all the domestic chores, took care of the children, and made the clothing and other covers used to preserve their belongings. Aside from the headman, the elders had power and respect over the people. The elder’s power and respect is best represented by Panikpak telling Oki and Puja that they must leave Igloolik right away and never return because of their continuous pattern of unacceptable behavior. The social organization of …show more content…

In the film, Atanarjuat and Amaqjuaq went hunting for their household alone. When there was community gatherings multiple men would bring different food for everyone to share. Throughout the film, Atanarjuat and Amaqjuaq discuss the shortages of caribou in the area while the supply of seal and fish seemed steady. The textbook mentions food shortages and deaths by starvation but the film doesn't portray the food that way. Although they talk about not having certain animals to hunt in the area, they never discuss being excessively hungry or not having any food to eat. In the film, the people would eat their meat raw and then burn the fat of the animals for heat. The way they ate their food in the film seems accurate in relation with the textbook and other references. Although the film seems accurate in regards to the economics of the Inuit people, the film doesn't necessarily show how they hunted the animals that they ate. The people in the film would ride off in their dogsleds and return with seals or fish later on in the

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