Miśel Joe

the long version

Mi'sel Joe: An Aboriginal Chief's Journey chronicles both the life of an individual and that of his people. Mi'sel Joe is the traditional and administrative chief of Newfoundland's Conne River Mi'kmaq Reserve. Through a series of taped interviews with Raoul Andersen and John Crellin, Mi'sel Joe tells his life story, including his unorthodox education through the many migratory jobs that took him as far west as Alberta. Mi'sel Joe also speaks of a community fighting for the right to determine its own future. He tells of the struggle to revitalize traditional values in the face of racial prejudice. He reveals the steps being taken by aboriginal leaders, both in this province and elsewhere, to help their people gain respect in a white man's world without losing their own identity. Mi'sel Joe's story is his own, but it is also a window into Mi'kmaq history, culture, and traditions.