October 28th, 2006
being caribou – a review
Last night, I watched an extraordinary documentary film. Being Caribou, is a National Film Board of Canada (NFB) production, shot on location and “en route” by Leanne Allison, the cinematographer half of a husband and wife team – the other half being wildlife biologist, park warden and writer, Karsten Heuer. The film traces a journey of 5 months and 1,500 kilometers in the footsteps of the Porcupine herd of caribou as they make their annual spring migration from the Yukon to their calving grounds in coastal Alaska, then back to the Yukon in autumn. Walking, skiing, wading and sometimes even swimming, Leanne and Karsten travel with the great herd, both observing and occasionally sharing what it means to “be” caribou. They must endure blizzards, hunger, biting insects, fatigue, and at one point, are stalked by one of several hungry grizzly bears that are following the herd. The land is beautiful, but the terrain rugged and challenging, as the herd’s path leads over mountain ranges and across wild rivers. At the calving grounds in Alaska, the pair remain concealed in their tent for days as they observe without disturbing the caribou giving birth all around them.
As mentioned above, this seems an extraordinary film. In the first few minutes, I admit to thinking, “Are these people crazy? They’re going to follow the caribou on foot and on skis?” It may sound simple enough, but when you see them hoisting 60 to 80 pound packs – their entire “survival gear” – onto their backs and then struggling to ski or plunge, on foot, through snow broken up by the tracks of the caribou, it’s soon quite clear that this is not going to be a walk in the park. Believe me, I’ve (briefly) plunged around through deep snow enough times in my years of winter hiking and skiing, that the thought of hiking many kilometers per day for weeks is almost unthinkable. The tenacity of this pair is truly astounding. But there’s much more to this film than a story human endurance. The larger story is about the caribou and the journey which they make each year — have made annually for thousands of years — each migration a struggle for survival. Leanne and Karsten’s documentary reveals the life-or-death nature of this journey — one that is entirely outside of human experience and subject only to the laws of the wilderness.
Much of the reason for this film’s making was to raise public awareness of the challenges faced by the caribou, especially in these times when oil and gas exploration and production threaten to change the face of the Arctic regions. Leanne and Karsten’s documentation of the fragility of the caribou while on their summer calving grounds gives reason enough to question any assurances that oil fields and birthing caribou are compatible neighbours. The movie concludes with the couple’s trip to Washington in an attempt to speak of their findings with congressmen and others. The mission was, for the most part, disappointing. In the end, they rethink their strategy, realizing that enlightenment must begin at the grassroots. This movie should go a long way toward raising greater public awareness of the impact of human activity on the caribou. Since the release of the movie in 2004, Karsten Heuer has published a book by the same title. It’s on my “to read” list. To view a map and read excerpts from the expedition’s trip diary, visit their website and select from the list of dates in the sidebar. The film is available from the NFB.
Film Running Time: 72 minutes
Directed & Written by: Leanne Allison & Diane Wilson