From a media release:
Today, Little Bear Big Wolf Pictures Producer Daniel Fortin, announced principal photography has wrapped on season two of the highly anticipated unscripted-series Merchants of the Wild. Sean Buckley of Buck Productions is on board again as Executive Producer and show mentor. After a successful inaugural season, the docu-series has officially wrapped filming in Nova Scotia and is now in post-production with an anticipated release in 2021.
Filmed within Potlotek’s Traditional Territory, (Near St Peters, NS) and some scenes in Hiawatha First Nation, ON; Merchants of the Wild is a vivid documentary series mixing culture, survival, reconnection to the land, and adventure. The show takes viewers back in time with six Indigenous adventurers, pitted against the perils of ancient waterway trade routes used by Mi’kmaq nations. Merchants of the Wild is being developed and produced by Little Bear Big Wolf Pictures for APTN, in partnership with the Canada Media Fund.
Season two of Merchants of the Wild is one of Buck Productions’many collaboration projects of 2019 and wraps at a pivotal time for the Toronto-based production company as it prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary later this month.
Synopsis
Six Indigenous Adventurers embark on the journey of a lifetime, as they spend 25 days on the land, paddling birch bark ‘gwitn’ (canoes) through the Mi’kmaq territory, ‘Unama’ki ’ (Land of Fog), known as Cape Breton, NS. Following an old waterway trade route, moving inland from the ocean at the end of summer, the Adventurers begin their difficult journey with a few necessary tools and a limited supply of food. From day one, they will need to rely on cultural teachings and the land to reach the end of their journey.
During the course of their adventure, they will meet Mi’kmaq Elders and Knowledge Holders at various camps along the ocean, rivers, and lakes, learning culture, language, and traditional Mi’kmaq teachings to help them complete their journey. Throughout the experience, each Adventurer will be impacted in different ways, with some finding the connection their spirit has been in search of, while others could succumb to the constant demands of mother nature, the physical struggle and emotional challenges that can come with living off the land, while others discover newfound strength amongst the teachings and their new friends.
