KABLOONA TALK by Sharon Pollock

Stuck in a Snowbank Theatre, the Canada Council for the Arts and the NWT Arts Council are pleased to have supported the writing of ;

KABLOONA TALK by Sharon Pollock

The Kabloona (White Man) thought to bring the Rule of Law to the North with the 1917 trial of Sinnisiak and Uluksuk, charged with the murder of two Catholic priests in the Arctic Barrens. But is innocence or guilt secondary to the Government’s sovereign and economic interests? A verdict is in, and a back room quickly replaces the Court Room. The gloves are off as a mysterious figure dictates strategy and manipulates Prosecutor, Defense and Judge as they square off in the interests of Justice as each sees it.

Will the clash of cultures determine innocence or national concerns dictate guilt? The ultimate victim may be Justice itself.

The Case August 14th 1917: A steamy hot day, an historic day, with Alberta’s Chief Justice presiding over the first trial under white man’s law of members of the Inuit race. Two Coppermine Inuit, Sinnisiak and Uluksuk, admit to the murder of two Oblate priests, Father Le Roux and Father Rouviere, at Bloody Falls on the fringe of the Arctic Ocean, on or about November 13th, 1913, a day of sub-zero temperatures and a life-threatening blizzard. The Inuit describe in detail and in translation the stabbing death of Le Roux, the shooting and bludgeoning of a fleeing unarmed Rouviere, the theft of the priests’ belongings and the eating of their livers.

August 17, 1917: Edmonton headlines announce Sinnisiak Not Guilty! a surprising verdict for many observers, given the circumstances of Rouviere’s death for which Sinnisiak was charged. More is seen to be at stake than the guilt or innocence of any individual. The reach and authority of British law has sovereign, cultural, and legal implications. Exploration hints at a wealth of resources beneath the frozen North. If a safe and lawful environment can be assured for whites, economic benefit will surely follow. A legal strategy quickly evolves. A subsequent trial moves to Calgary thought to be the residence of more reliable jurors. Sinnisiak and Uluksuk are jointly charged with the murder of Father Le Roux, although their plea of self-defense is well grounded and appears to indicate their innocence of murder.

August 24, 1917: Convicted Eskimos Go North! Calgary newspapers report Sinnisiak and Uluksuk found guilty, their death sentence commuted to life imprisonment which will be served at the police post at Hershell Island.