The Fast Runner

The Fast Runner

The Fast Runner is a movie that highlights social and cultural lifestyle of Canadian aboriginal people. The goal of this film is to show how Inuit communities thrived and survived in the in extreme Arctic conditions for thousands of years. Men and women performed specific roles, with men hunting wild animals to provide food for the family while women were nomadic gatherers. Besides, the community had a clearly defined political structure became a cause for intense power struggle and dissidence among the dominant male members of the society (Kunuk). People lived in tightly knit nomadic bands for protection and to meet other social needs such as marriage and continuity of the community’s legacy.

Hunting

The film depicts several scenes where men hunt wild animals such as seals, deer, and bears. For instance, when Antarjuat goes hunting, he meets Puja (Oki's sister) who seduces him into marrying her as a second wife. Hunting was central to Intuit survival because it was strongly associated with religion and cultural beliefs. Men that were unable to hunt enough to feed their families were regarded as having bad omen, thus, it was the responsibility of other adult males with good luck in hunting to replace them. Panikpak regularly hunts and brings meat for the children of Tulimaq as a way to mend a tumultuous relationship.

Gathering

On a daily basis, women of Inuit communities gathered edibles on the farm to supplement meat as staple food. Women understood their role at a tender age, and spent time with their grandmothers and mothers how to look for and gather food products in the field. The maturity of a woman as a housewife is measured by her ability to gather adequate food for her family (Kunuk). In fact, the choice of Antanarjuat to marry Atuat is significantly influenced by her skills as a gatherer.

Band

In the film, the families are closely knit. It is the role of grandparents and parents to select wives for young and competent male hunters to ensure sustainability of family bond and to avoid inclusion of an outsider that can stir up the extended family structure. Panikpak, Oki's grandmother, is against Oki's marriage to the tribal leader’s son because his family is perceived as cruel and wicked. Panikpak fears for her granddaughter's future, especially if she opts to marry a son of an ill-mannered political leader that earned his power through bloody and malicious means.

Socio-Political Organization

            Tribal politics in the movie is subject to controversy. In fact, two brothers launch a deadly fight for power and leadership. One of them favors Sauri as a camp leader and Oki as a future leader. There is a direct link between religious beliefs and the political organization, in that the leader controls the community’s supernatural powers. Besides, a political leader has powers to heal sicknesses and to strengthen love triangles. In fact, these are some of the qualities that a political aspirant has to possess before his legitimization.

Anthropological Framework

            The film documents the community’s anthropology because it depicts the culture and social relations of Inuit people. It continues millennia of Eskimo people history passed from a generation to the other. The movie captures authentic aspects of the people living in the tundra and sea ice of far north that has long been shunned off from Canadian mainstream media. It demonstrates how men handled dogs, how they built igloos and hunting strategies. Additionally, The Fast Runner highlights insubordination of women, power struggles, and strong family bonds (Kunuk). 

Work Cited

Kunuk, Zacharias, Dir. Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner. Isuma Igloolik Productions, 2001. Film.