Provide some information about the film-maker: Alanis Obomsawin is a First Nations woman who has directed other films for the National Film Board on First Nations issues (e.g., "No Address," "Diary of a Metis Child"). She spent 78 days filming the Oka standoff.

Show learners the newspaper clippings and magazine articles on the "Oka Crisis." You could distribute them among the learners, or read aloud headlines and relevant passages yourself. Allow time for learners to discuss the way the events were described.

Before screening the video, ask learners to pay particular attention to how the story is told, and how this is different from what they have just seen in the newspapers and magazines.

Encourage the learners to take notes on what they think are important points in the video. They might be able to jot down key words as they watch the video, but it is probably easier and better to make notes as soon as the screening is over. A possible alternative is to stop the video after each major sequence and have learners jot down their notes before continuing the screening. Give learners a bit more time to make entries in a double-entry journal if they wish.

After viewing the video, ask the learners to form small groups to discuss the content of the video. Each group should have a recorder and a reporter. To encourage discussion, ask the groups to consider several points of view.

A first set of questions explores the events of this standoff from a Mohawk or First Nations perspective:

• What were the reasons for the Mohawks putting up the road blocks?
• Did the Mohawks see this action as their only recourse, or did they see another alternative?
• What part did the Elders play in the standoff?
• Did the outlook of the Warriors change over the 78 days? How?
• Why did the Warriors believe that this was a life or death cause?
• What did the Warriors set out to do? Did they achieve these goals?
• How did other First Nations people express their support for the Kanehsatake?