Curse Of The Axe Film Analysis

In my opinion, the purpose of the film "Curse of the Axe", appears to be an attempt to glorify the field of archaeological research. The filmmakers attempted to demonstrate that archaeologists can teach First Nations about their history. This film suggested that the Huron-Wendat had little, to no knowledge about their past. I feel that the filmmakers, even if they depicted an interesting portrayal of pre-colonial Aboriginal history, did so in a biased manner. In contrast to the last chapter of "Ontario Archaeology" which highlighted hostile relations between Aboriginals and archaeologists, the movie made it seem as if Aboriginal communities depend on archaeologists for knowledge of their ancestors. In reality, archaeologists sometimes play …show more content…
This is evident from the pottery remains found in Mantle, which featured many styles from different groups within the Haudenosaunee. I also learned that there was contact, between Aboriginals and Europeans before the dawn of official colonialism, through trade routes. However, what stood out to me was the scene when the archaeologist had a conversation with the Huron-Wendat elders about their ancestors. Even though it is probable that the Huron-Wendat did not have a complete picture of their past, the film implied that they knew almost nothing about this and emphasized their dependency on the archaeologists to inform them of their …show more content…
Generally the relationship between archaeologists and Aboriginal communities is nothing like what was displayed. There is often hostility between the two groups due to opposing goals, especially as concerns the handling of remains. On some other occasions, they can work together when it comes to preserving land and ancestral artifacts. With the Kennewick man, for example, a lot of the hostility ended once the local descendants were invited to participate in the research. Therefore one aspect of the film which remains true is that hostility between First Nations and archaeologists can be overcome through the involvement of Aboriginal communities in research and findings. Unfortunately, this aspect was greatly exaggerated in the film, making it seem as if Aboriginal communities depended on archaeologists for their cultural knowledge, when in fact the opposite is often