Aklavik (Jan 15/07) - Aklavik might soon have a Mad Trapper museum or 'interpretive site', if the exhumation of his body is allowed to proceed.

Filmmaker Carrie Gour said her documentary company, Myth Merchant Films, was prepared to fund a kind of historical marker for the hamlet, once production wraps up.

She said the idea was proposed during a three-day door-to-door tour of Aklavik, in which she and local filmmaker Dennis Allen discussed the project with residents.

"People in their own homes feel comfortable expressing themselves,"she said, explaining why a town meeting was not held.

The information will next be submitted to hamlet council in a report.

Since Gour grew up in Inuvik and has family in Hay River, Allen said he's known her for many years.

He said he respects her work, and said the movie would have class.

"I have known Carrie 20 years and we have worked on projects," he said.

"This is a good opportunity for Aklavik to be featured in a high-quality program."

But while Gour said it would be fascinating to examine the Trapper's DNA, she said it's clear some residents are concerned.

"It's a sensitive topic, especially for people who are religious," she said.

One compromise would be the inclusion of local elders in the exhumation itself.

Gour said some elders offered to perform a religious blessing while the body is uncovered, and a local minister might also be involved.

Since the Trapper documentary would be broadcast on the Discovery Channel, Gour said it might attract some tourists to the hamlet.

"The show will be seen all over the world, and it's going to reinvigorate interest," she said.

But before the dig happens, Gour said she has to dispel many false rumours.

For starters, she said the Mad Trapper is not in a common grave, as is believed.

She said Joe Greenland - whom Aklavik's elders' residence is named after - helped build the Trapper's coffin in the 1930s, so it's known he's alone.

Furthermore, she added, there are no plans to ship the body down south.

"You have to understand, we would remove the soil, take a sample, and then cover him right up again," she said.

This might be the high point of the documentary, she said, as the moment would be captured on film.