For two summers, Tracy German and a small film crew hiked into the coastal mountain ranges of British Columbia, explored the depths of the Central B.C. Coast and Lake Huron, trekked high into the Arctic, and combed the east coast of Labrador to uncover the ancient history of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. The resulting documentary series, Wild Archaeology, takes viewers along for the journey. The 13-part series airs across Canada this fall on APTN. It follows Indigenous archaeologist Rudy Reimer and co-hosts Jenifer Brousseau and Jacob Pratt (pictured) across Canada to discover the stories of North America’s original peoples.
Of Aboriginal descent, lead writer, director and producer German began the project as a way to explore her own heritage. “My maternal side has Indigenous ancestry, but I didn’t grow up with the traditions or culture and was curious to find out more,” she says.
Her crew also helped her overcome some unique geographical challenges. In the Northwest Territories, for example, an electric wire perimeter surrounded their camp to keep polar bears at bay. In the mountains outside Whistler, B.C., the crew donned backpacks and lugged food, camping gear and all their cameras and filming equipment up the side of a mountain. Once they arrived in a settlement, German and the crew worked hard to build relationships with the people living there so they would share parts of their oral history to help them understand the archaeological discoveries, such as volcanic glass on the B.C. coast.
German, who also teaches part time in Sheridan’s Bachelor of Film and Television program, says the time is right for Canadians to enjoy the series. She believes Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s investigation into residential schools and the Idle No More movement in support of Indigenous rights have made Canadians receptive to learning more about Aboriginal history.