Patriarchy is a very common form of social system worldwide, and it seems like the Inuit people of Northern Canada were also using this system in which men hold the power with designated gender roles. We will see through the movie Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner from Zacharias Kunuk, released in 2002, what consist of those precise roles. Although it is important to know this story is an ancient-old tale that has been told for centuries through oral legend, this movie analysis references to older times such as the first millennium. For the purpose of having a more modern point of view of the matter, we will see the common points and the differences between now and then. To address a more modern matter, we will use “Women and Power in North America”,
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First of all, the first reference to possible gender roles in the Inuit community of Igloulik is at the very beginning (Kunuk, 2002, 13 minutes), when Telemaq is made fun of because he is a bad hunter. Although he puts the blame on bad luck, someone makes a remark that he should stay home and do a wife’s job, which consists of sewing and cooking. This clearly shows that primarily, they are two very separate genders for this community, and secondly that they have different assigned roles, such as women to the home chores and men the hunting.
Through out the movie, it is reinforced that men dominate women. The scene in the igloo at the feast and games reunion where Oki and Atanarjuat fight (Kunuk, 2002, 41 min), they fight to decide who gets to marry Atuat, showing that women are passive in relationship …show more content…
Shortly after, Atuat wonders if she should come back to Oki, because she needs a man to protect her and her son. Although there are many moments in the movie when it is obviously shown that in the Inuit community represented, patriarchy is the dominating system, they are a few moments when women have their moments of decision, just like when Atuat and her brother-in-law’s wife decide to forgive Puja’s treason, showing solidarity between women (Kunuk, 2002, 1:61 min). Another proof moment of this support between women is when Panikpak, the old grandmother, reassures Atuat and comfort her after Oki raped her (Kunuk, 2002, 1:61 min). This rape and violence against the women of the community has been confirmed to be more modern as well, as seen in the Woman and Power in Native North America, that “the beating, mutilation, sexual coercion, abduction and murder of women” (Klein, Ackerman, 1995).
Some scholars have agreed at the same conclusion, that is to say that the Inuit community is very patriarchal, even in more moderns days: “generally allot Eskimo women low status relative to men”’ (Klein, Ackerman,
First of all, the first reference to possible gender roles in the Inuit community of Igloulik is at the very beginning (Kunuk, 2002, 13 minutes), when Telemaq is made fun of because he is a bad hunter. Although he puts the blame on bad luck, someone makes a remark that he should stay home and do a wife’s job, which consists of sewing and cooking. This clearly shows that primarily, they are two very separate genders for this community, and secondly that they have different assigned roles, such as women to the home chores and men the hunting.
Through out the movie, it is reinforced that men dominate women. The scene in the igloo at the feast and games reunion where Oki and Atanarjuat fight (Kunuk, 2002, 41 min), they fight to decide who gets to marry Atuat, showing that women are passive in relationship …show more content…
Shortly after, Atuat wonders if she should come back to Oki, because she needs a man to protect her and her son. Although there are many moments in the movie when it is obviously shown that in the Inuit community represented, patriarchy is the dominating system, they are a few moments when women have their moments of decision, just like when Atuat and her brother-in-law’s wife decide to forgive Puja’s treason, showing solidarity between women (Kunuk, 2002, 1:61 min). Another proof moment of this support between women is when Panikpak, the old grandmother, reassures Atuat and comfort her after Oki raped her (Kunuk, 2002, 1:61 min). This rape and violence against the women of the community has been confirmed to be more modern as well, as seen in the Woman and Power in Native North America, that “the beating, mutilation, sexual coercion, abduction and murder of women” (Klein, Ackerman, 1995).
Some scholars have agreed at the same conclusion, that is to say that the Inuit community is very patriarchal, even in more moderns days: “generally allot Eskimo women low status relative to men”’ (Klein, Ackerman,