Gerald Auger

Gerald Auger, who portrays Kondiaronk, is a Woodland Cree man from northern Alberta who spent 25 years working as an actor in Hollywood. He eventually left the entertainment industry and spent six years in the wilderness, using the time to confront and heal from the effects of intergenerational trauma.

As the son of an Indigenous woman who spent her childhood and adolescence in Canada’s residential school system—where every aspect of her identity was systematically suppressed in an effort to remake her into what authorities considered a “proper” white Canadian—he carries the legacy of those policies. During his years of retreat, Auger worked to remember, relearn, and reclaim his Indigenous identity, reconnecting with the teachings, culture, and sense of self that colonial systems sought to erase.

Kondiaronk was a Wendat leader. How does Gerald address the fact that he belongs to a different Indigenous community? His goal is always to foster greater respect among audiences for the knowledge, wisdom, and contributions that Indigenous peoples bring to the world.

The Dialogues were written by a white man, Baron de Lahontan. When reading the script, how did Gerald feel about his lines? It was a challenge to understand the process of thought behind these lines because they didn’t come from the heart, but were instead a kind of ideological and supremacist thinking.

“What is this teaching me?” This is the question behind Gerald’s attitude to life.

There is a spirit inherent in the original languages that English doesn’t convey. Words come with a historical meaning, knowledge, and wisdom. They come with energy.