#Skoden documentary explores life of Blackfoot man and the dangers of labels

Stefan Richard · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 24, 2025 3:21 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

A documentary premiering astatine the HotDocs Festival successful Toronto this period aims to alteration the mode we look astatine a arguable societal media meme.

#Skoden profiles the precocious Pernell Bad Arm, a fluent Blackfoot connection talker from the Kainai Blood reserve successful southern Alberta, who lived astir of his big beingness unhoused successful Lethbridge, Alta. 

Bad Arm died successful a Lethbridge stateless structure Nov. 27, 2015, astatine the property of 52.

Director Damien Eagle Bear met Bad Arm portion moving astatine a structure successful Lethbridge and said helium wanted to rewrite the communicative caused by the "#skoden" meme, which features Bad Arm with his arms raised successful either a antiaircraft oregon violative position.

The word "skoden" whitethorn not marque consciousness to some, but for galore Indigenous radical it's a contraction of "let's go, then" and is simply a conflict cry, a motivational speech, and a telephone to enactment each astatine once.

"It was a bully jumping disconnected constituent to find retired who Pernell truly was," Eagle Bear told CBC Indigenous.

The representation of Bad Arm that's paired with the connection skoden is difficult for his family. When immoderate of them speech astir it successful the documentary, they're brought to tears. The image is not shown successful the documentary at the petition of the Bad Arm family.

They accidental the representation was taken during during 1 of the darkest times of his beingness and those that knew him accidental helium was misunderstood.

Mark Brave Rock, who met Bad Arm portion incarcerated, said he lived with him connected the streets of Lethbridge for years.

"With Pernell, we stuck unneurotic and helium became my brother. That's conscionable what happens connected the streets," helium said.

Brave Rock described Bad Arm arsenic a arrogant person, idiosyncratic with feelings and a conscience, and shared stories astir Bad Arm giving distant what small wealth helium had, or whatever helium could.

"I saw the existent foundation helium had that cipher would see," Brave Rock said.

Fond of stuffed animals

Amber Jensen, a enactment idiosyncratic who worked with Bad Arm successful Lethbridge, said Bad Arm loved stuffies and would springiness stuffed animals to people.

Jensen was confused erstwhile she was told astir the "labels" written successful Bad Arm's files by his enactment strategy successful Lethbridge, like hard to grip oregon violent. 

Brave Rock said Bad Arm was labelled due to the fact that helium wasn't acrophobic to talk up for himself, and erstwhile nary 1 listened, Bad Arm would often asseverate himself further.

"We had to past the mode we did," helium said.

"You're marginalized; they look down connected you not lone due to the fact that you're stateless and addicted but you're besides Native."

Eagle Bear said the underlying connection of the documentary is to reconsider the stories we archer astir people, "especially those who unrecorded connected the streets, who conflict with addictions."

Jensen said she inactive thinks of Bad Arm fondly.

"He taught maine a lot — he doesn't cognize it and I conjecture helium ne'er will — but we tin usage those lessons to assistance different people," she said. 

#Skoden debuts astatine the HotDocs Festival successful Toronto connected April 29.