Jean-Luc Pilon videotaping the excavations at MlTk-16 in 1991.
Photo taken by Luc Nolin.

We first experimented with video in 1991. At that time we rented a 3/4 inch camera from the Inuvialuit Communications Society in Inuvik for a period of one week. We had very little time to learn about its use as our plane was waiting. Our fifteen minute course managed to go over the proceedure twice! Needless to say we didn't get everything right. The pictures turned out to be quite good first efforts, but they lacked sound! Thus, our experience paralleled that of the development of film! The footage was used to produce a video report to the local communities.

In 1992, we purchased a high resolution 8mm video camera which was brought into the field. We also invited Justin Lenczewski, head of the Canadian Museum of Civilization's Audio-Visual Department, to tour our four other camps in the general Mackenzie Valley/Beaufort Sea region in order to acquire 3/4 inch video footage representative of the different areas, camps, crews and investigations. Once again, the intent was to produce community reports which would be much more widely viewed than any written report we had ever produced.

In 1993, the Hi8 once again returned to the field and again we called upon the services of an expert camera-person: Micheal Fylyshtan who spent a week obtaining Betacam footage in the Inuvik/Tsiigehtchic/Whirl Lake areas. This time we were working on a documentary of the project and so we needed specific shots and themes to be covered.

Most of the video clips listed below have not been previously included in any of our video productions. As such, they could benefit from a good editing. However, the purpose in presenting them here is to provide a richness and texture that is not easily communicated through the written word or even through still photography. They add life and a new dimension to many segments of this site.

Along with the video clips listed below, we have also gathered together a few interesting sound files. These sound clips have various sources: the sound tracks taken from video footage, a taped radio interview and wax cylinder recordings in the collections of the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

Introduction to the Mackenzie-Beaufort Region (40 sec, 4.1mb)

The Riddle of Thunder River (32 sec, 3.3mb)

Tsiigehtchic: That's Where They Gathered (32 sec, 3.2mb)

Ancient Ways, New Visions; Traditional Knowledge (33 sec, 3.4mb)

Where Time Began... (50 sec, 5.1mb)

Thunder River excavations-1992 (22 sec, 2.3mb)

Whirl Lake excavations, Luc Nolin-1992 (52 sec, 5.2mb)

Semi-subterranean house construction (43 sec, 4.4mb)

NbTj-9 overflight (14 sec, 1.4mb)

Excavations and view of church-Tsiigehtchic (23 sec, 2.3mb)

Introduction to the site on the Flats at Tsiigehtchic (41 sec, 4.2mb)

Stratigraphy at MiTr-1, Tsiigehtchic (31 sec, 3.1mb)

View of camp at Vidiitshuu-1991 (18 sec, 1.8mb)

Explanation of stone axe-making (1 min 6 sec, 6.7mb)

Felling a tree with a stone axe and an antler wedge (1 min 7 sec, 6.8mb)

Lure Lake excavations (1 min 2 sec, 6.3mb)

Tern Attack (29 sec, 3.0mb)

Bread-making in the bush (1 min 12 sec, 7.3mb)

Crossing the stream at Whirl Lake (31 sec, 3.2mb)

Chiropractic adjustment at Whirl Lake (11 sec, 1.1mb)

Dancing at Whirl Lake (13 sec, 1.7mb)

Luc's last words at Whirl Lake (12 sec, 1.2mb)

Diane's target practice (24 sec, 2.5mb)

The Smoking Hills (45 sec, 4.6mb)

Luc Nolin's community presentation-1992 (37 sec, 3.7mb)

Permafrost-Ground Ice (36 sec, 3.7mb)

Cessna 185 flyby (39 sec, 4.0mb)

The Polar Shelf Sched (46 sec, 4.7mb)

Helicopter flyby (58 sec, 5.9mb)

Tour of Tuktoyaktuk (1 min 3 sec, 6.5mb)

Making dry fish at Lure Lake (1 min 11 sec, 7.2mb)

Inside the church at Tsiigehtchic (26 sec, 2.6mb)

Hyacinthe Andre sings a Welcoming Song (They're coming) (46.6 sec, 1028kb)

Wally Firth introduces JLP on Blue Ice Afternoon (2.3k sec, 49kb)

Mosquitoes (4.4 sec, 97kb)

The following Gwich'in songs were recorded on wax cylinders by Cornelius Osgood at Fort Good Hope, N.W.T. in 1928-29:

Morning song (30 sec, 664kb)

Dance song-1 (30 sec, 663kb)

Dance song-2 (30 sec, 663kb)

Song of the Eclipse (30 sec, 662kb)

Love Song (30 sec, 662kb)

Medicine Song (beaver) (30 sec, 662kb)

Medicine Song (caribou) (32 sec, 706kb)