“For you Flora plays a monumental and essential role in the portrayal of Aboriginal characters on screen,” enthuses Charles Bender, actor from the Huron-Wendat nation. who plays a role in Sonia Bonspille Boileau’s series on the legacy of residential schools for Aboriginals in Quebec. But beyond a “deep, three-dimensional and complex” representation, the first fiction written, directed and produced by an Aboriginal person for Radio-Canada also influenced the filming. “The team understood the traumatic event in question, and the set itself was safe. We never felt bad to express our opinions, to make proposals. And at no time were we to teach an Indigenous 101 course,” he says. This first step thus paves the way for progress that is still possible to accomplish.
For Véronique Rankin, general manager of Wapikoni mobile, the result of the series, available on Tou.tv, is extraordinary and is part of the healing process of Aboriginal communities. “ For you Flora is a quality production accepted both by members of the First Nations and by the non-Aboriginal world, she explains. That Radio-Canada accepts that an aboriginal producer works in its own way is a huge step forward. Charles Bender believes it was time for the French-language public broadcaster to take responsibility for Indigenous content so that it does not rely solely on the Indigenous Peoples Television Network (APTN). He now believes that “people are listening to Aboriginal people a little more. The environment is all the richer”.
Go beyond clichés
Véronique Rankin also thinks that the existence of series like For you Flora little by little to break down the clichés about the Aboriginal universe conveyed by Hollywood westerns for a long time. “We must recognize the importance of the work accomplished in the film industry, in Quebec, but also elsewhere in things. This is where Indigenous narrative sovereignty becomes essential. ” André Dudemaine, artistic director of the international festival Présence aboriginal, welcomes the arrival of aboriginal actors and actresses on our screens. “Even if they don’t decide on the scenario, it is essential that Aboriginal artists be able to embody their characters in their own way and with authenticity. They take things further in a convincing way, he continues. It is important that the actors give a personal image of their character, because a universal image remains in the stereotype which has always prevailed in the cinema. »
Directors like Tracey Deer, with Mohawk Girls, and Sonia Bonspille Boileau paved the way for a new perspective
According to André Dudemaine, it is the actors who are at the forefront of this fight. To do this, he recalls the “canonical” example of Chief Dan George, who had been chosen to Little bigman, of Arthur Penn, in the last century and whose “brilliant and authentic” interpretation had earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. And the emergence of Aboriginal filmmakers also has something to do with it. “Women directors like Tracey Deer, with Mohawk Girlsand Sonia Bonspille Boileau paved the way for a new perspective,” he says.
Nicolas Renaud, assistant professor of Indigenous studies at Concordia University, also talks about the appearance of these new faces — the same goes for the documentaries made by Alanis Obomsawin for 50 years — who are changing the game. “We live in a time where, more and more, the Aboriginal imagination represents itself rather than going through an offbeat external gaze that makes it an exotic or compassionate object,” he underlines. He mentions in this regard Hochelaga, land of soulsa film by François Girard released in 2017, “which notably exploits the fantasy of spirituality and conveys certain other clichés”.
He makes, among other things, a reference to the opening scene of the film, where we see “a shaman making an incantation to the sky”. “It’s folklorization,” he says. Then, we see that the French Canadians and the Aboriginals fight together against the English, while ofAboriginal point of view, it is them against two colonizers who speak two different languages. »
Quebec lagging behind
If this subjective vision of colonialism partly reflects the reason why Quebec has not advanced at the same speed as the rest of Canada in terms of the screen representation of Aboriginal characters, Charles Bender nevertheless recognizes that the cultural milieu is at listen and act in good faith. “Quebec’s cultural workers are making great efforts to bring things up to standard,” says the actor.
“Before I was brought to play Aboriginal characters, about fifteen years ago, productions expected to see a Navajo arrive… So inevitably, the Innu or the Wendat were no match for an Asian or a South American. We are finally out of this! People have understood that I look indigenous because I am. »
In this regard, he applauds the reinstatement of the character of Bill Wabo, played by Marco Colin, in the Canadian radio series The lands above. “Because the work already existed, there was a lot of work to be done to make this character deeper than he was in the source material and for Bill Wabo to not just be the Native on duty,” notes he.
Even if he willingly expresses his optimism regarding the representation of Aboriginal characters in Quebec series and films, André Dudemaine finally calls for vigilance. “This turning point and the current opening must not be just a flash in the pan. Some concerns will not be erased anytime soon,” he warns.