Dartmouth Events

"People of the Feather," a film by Joel Heath and the people of the Sanikiluak community, is about surviving in a changing Arctic. It features stunning footage from seven winters in the Arctic and takes you through time into the world of the Inuit on the Belcher Islands in Canada's Hudson Bay. Connecting past, present and future is a unique relationship with the eider duck. Eider down, the warmest feather in the world, allows both Inuit and bird to survive harsh Arctic winters.

Traditional life is juxtaposed with modern challenges as both Inuit and eiders confront changing sea ice and ocean currents disrupted by the massive hydroelectric dams powering New York and eastern North America. Inspired by Inuit ingenuity and the technology of a simple feather, the film is a call to action to implement energy solutions that work with nature.

Introducing the film is Bill Roebuck, Professor of Toxicology at The Geisel School of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Environmental Studies, who, since 1983, has kayaked in the Belcher Island archipelago five times with trips from 2 to 4 weeks long.  Additionally, he and his wife Karen have kayaked several times along the Quebec coast of Hudson Bay just east of the Belcher Islands. Professor Roebuck has unique experience of the community in the film, and he will provide context for the changes taking place there.

Sponsored by the Institute of Arctic Studies at the Dickey Center for International Understanding.