Programs

A selection of our programming includes the following:

Tales From the Longhouse

Tales From the Longhouse is an entertaining half-hour family series about an idiosyncratic community of animals based on traditional native characters. A unique combination of puppetry, live action and animation, with settings steeped in North American folklore, Tales from the Longhouse will look unlike any other show of television. Geared to appeal to a large audience, the show features well-paced accessible stories filled with music and laughter. Each week the program will revolve around the attempts of a mythical spirit who can change his shape at will, to influence the lives of a unique community of animals. Just as in real life, however, the characters who form the community have their own ideas about how things should be.

Theatre of the First Peoples

This series is a 6 part one-hour format based on plays written by Aboriginal playwrights through the 1980ís and 1990ís. Taking the very best of Canadian plays by Aboriginal people, Theatre of the First Peoples would be a high profile, dynamic and innovative program that would speak to an audience ranging from the patrons of the arts to grassroots communities in the rural and urban areas of Canada. Plays such as Tomson Highwayís Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing to Margo Kaneís Moonlodge help to reclaim the pride and history of the First Peoples of this country.

The Absolute Truth… About Aboriginal Women

This is a 12 part one-hour series featuring four Aboriginal women representing different age groups, social, economic and political segments that create the diversity of the Aboriginal community of Canada. Each show will focus on a particular theme and open with current events. Each of the four women will discuss the theme, sharing their unique perspective. Expert guests will also be featured. Show themes include the traditional roles of the sexes in Aboriginal cultures, and how Aboriginal people are reflected in the media.

Aboriginal Youth Television

This 13 part half-hour series would comprise a fast paced current affairs show focused on issues affecting Aboriginal youth. The show will include a discussion of key issues, feature profiles of youth role models and youth services in action. The show will also merge Internet technology to create an interactive environment for youth to network, create friendships and support each other.

Native Feasts

Native Feasts is a 12 part cross-Canada travel cooking series featuring traditional Native foods from a distinct area of Canada as well as two locations in the US. The show will be hosted from each local community. As an integral part of the series, there will be a clear emphasis on travel and recreational opportunities within the First Nations territories. The program will explore the colour and drama of key cultural events as well as show the health and nutritional benefits of locally derived foods. Dishes prepared will be appealing and delicious.

Pow-Wow Trail

Is a 13 part series on Indian dancing. The series will focus on the history and people who make up the present pow-wow trail. It will provide information on the history of the dances as well as the techniques used to create an exciting exploration of native dance and culture.

First Perspective

This Vancouver-based program uses a talk show format to feature guests from all walks of life. The program includes discussions with Aboriginal authors, politicians, business people, athletes, musicians-virtually all aspects of the Aboriginal personality. The show offers high energy with a casual feel.

Medicine Walker

This 13 part half-hour series will explore the ways of the grandfathers and grandmothers of ages past. In Medicine Walker, the viewer is guided down some of the oldest trails and some of the most pristine territory in the country to learn the secrets and gifts of the land that have kept the Aboriginal people healthy through the seasons. The program will demonstrate how the traditional knowledge that enabled the elders to approach a northern lake with nothing more than a sharp axe and sustain themselves over a number of days or a season. The pilot episode will feature the Sakaw, the Woodland Cree of the Wabasca area, three hours north of Edmonton. Here the diversity of the forest has provided a multitude of healing roots and plants esteemed among the western tribes. Plants such as sweetgrass and the powerful smudge that grows as a fungus on the mature willow will be featured along with the healing qualities of the conifers and the strength of the Mother Tree-the Birch.

The Independent Production Sector

Our program schedule will draw substantially from the independent production sector. With the exception of our in-house daily phone-in shows, our daily newscasts at 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., 5.5 hours per week of news and information programming from CBC North, NFB material and some foreign programming, the remainder of our schedule will be comprised of NNBAP programming and independently produced programs. The NNBAP organizations operate as independent, non-profit production societies for specific regions in the North. Programming acquired from other independent Aboriginal producers, most of whom operate as for-profit businesses, will represent the single largest component of the schedule. Thus, APTN will play a significant role in economic development in the Aboriginal community.