Footage of the Cree Indians; British Columbia; Saga of the Snowshoe
odd: label: Local Number
content: HSFA 1999.3.3
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Laszlo, Andreas E.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Andreas E. Laszlo films
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Film reel (36 minutes, color silent; 1208 feet, 16mm)
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1954
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Human Studies Film Archives
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Film reels
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Footage shot by Andreas E. Laszlo, M.D., of the Cree Indians and, in particular, the process of making snowshoes, during travels with his wife, Lucile, and friend Narcisse Nosky, a Cree Indian, in Cree trapping grounds near an unnamed tributary of the Jennings, close to Teslin Lake.  Footage opens with a map of western Canada and snow covered mountains, a map of British Columbia with, presumably, a group of Cree and mongrel dogs carrying packs walking across snow and a topographical map followed by what appears to be an early fall Cree encampment in a wooded area.  Dogs are harnessed to a sled and a small group of men and women leaves the camp, some on horses.  There appears to be some difficulty getting the dogs harnessed and moving in the right direction.  They travel through wooded areas and down a frozen waterway, and along a mountain top.  An animal is killed, possibly a juvenile or female elk.  The group sets up an encampment near a partially frozen river.  Two Cree men look over a pair of broken snow shoes which begins the process demonstration of making a new pair of snow shoes.  Two men on horse cross the swiftly flowing river followed by dogs struggling against the current.  A Birch tree about eight inches in diameter is cut down, trimmed, and carried back across the river to camp.  Smaller trees of about 2-3 inches in diameter are trimmed and stripped of bark. The following footage shows in some detail the making of a snow shoe including stages of creating and preparing the shoe's frame and turning up toe which is typical of a Cree snow shoe; drilling and burning holes for the lacing; preparing animal hide for lacing and cutting strips of hide for the lattice and wrapping the frame; and lacing with the strips of hide.  In addition, repairing a broken snow shoe is shown.  A man works with the frame and the women primarily process the hide and lace the lattice work. Footage ends before the snow shoe is finished.

Legacy Keywords: Snowshoes and snowshoeing ; Dogsledding ; Dogs Canada ; Trapping pelts ; Language and culture