Two Canes on the Tundra

<p>In an Alaskan Yupik village a blind 12-year-old Apu relies on his older cousin to guide him around the village. When a special teacher flies in to teach him how to use a cane Apu is teased by the other kids and gets angry.</p><p> </p><p>Hearing about Apu's struggles at school Grandfather sets up a ceremony in which Apu's extended family tell stories of ancestors bravely navigating the Alaskan wilderness using tools for survival. Apu's resistance to using a cane fades as he recognizes Grandfather's support cane and his own mobility cane as tools for independence similar to the role of ancestral tools for survival in a harsh wilderness.</p>