When Andy Burns sent me this documentary to review, I mistakenly assumed it was only about the world of wrestling, but it was so much more. It was about the people, both wrestlers and the isolated towns that they visited.
The Death Tour
When I was very young, too many years to count, my cousins and I would go to the Spectrum in South Philadelphia to watch the wrestlers perform. It was awesome to watch. Even if I subconsciously knew that it was more performance than actual wrestling…I just knew that I loved going to the Spectrum to watch this sport and also Roller Derby…which was more like wrestling on skates.
The Death Tour documentary is definitely about wrestling, but is also about community, which I’ll cover at the end. The film, directed by Stephan Peterson and co-directed by Sonya Ballantyne, tells the story about a group of professional wrestlers leaving Winnipeg on a dangerous journey through ice and snow conditions towards the remote Indigenous communities located in Northern Manitoba, Canada’s frozen north.
The man in charge of these yearly trips is Tony Condello. Tony, a former wrestler and part of a duo known as “The Flying Italians,” has been organizing and promoting “The Death Tour” for over fifty years. On this trip, Condello brought along wrestlers such as Sarah McNicoll (McKenrose the Scottish Warrior), Sean Dunster (Massive Damage), Sage Morin (The Matriarch), Dez Loreen (The Eskimofo), and many others.
As the documentary begins, we learn about the background of each wrestler. They had hard lives due to drugs and alcohol, but wrestling saved them. Sage Morin had lost a child due to a drunk driver and uses wrestling to fight that loss. We learn about the wrestling preparations, the set-ups and breakdowns as they travel from one First Nation Reservation to another. But wrestling and the wrestlers are not the story. The story is about the communities that these wrestlers try to help.
I had always thought that the United States was the only country that mistreated their First Nations. We aren’t the first demons on the block, and as the film continues, we begin to witness the utter desolation and hopelessness of these towns. The suicide rate is extremely high among the young, and the wrestlers interact with the children and their families with the purpose of bringing some joy and hope to the families that come to watch the events.
The wrestlers, Sage Morin and Sean Dunster are on a mission to bring hope and healing to remote Indigenous communities in Northern Manitoba. Their mission is called Fight for Life. You can check out the information and help. What really upset me about the film was that the First Nations are not allowed to perform their Pow Wows. Why? Every other culture gets to practice their beliefs and culture celebrations…why not the First Nations? This bothered me so much, that I needed to interview Sage Morin via email to learn more.
Gilbert: First off, Sage, I want to say that I am so sorry about the loss of your child. Can you explain to me and the followers of Biff Bam Pop why First Nations are not allowed to do Pow Wows in Canada?
Sage Morin: I wouldn’t say that First Nations aren’t allowed to do Pow Wows in Canada. We have a beautiful + flourishing culture all across Turtle Island. However, unfortunately there are some communities, especially more isolated ones, that are still very early in their healing from the intergenerational traumas inflicted by the residential school system. I am very fortunate to come from a community that practices our traditional spiritual ways + community ceremonial gatherings such as pow wows + round dances. I don’t feel comfortable speaking on behalf of communities that don’t practice these ways, BUT I will say I am the first generation in my family to not be in residential school. The healing in our family started with my mother, my matriarch, when she began her own personal healing journey + connection back to spirit after attending residential school to then be returned to her mother who also attended residential school + truly, deeply believed what she was taught there that our ways are “evil” + “satanic”; beliefs my grandmother held until she passed. My mother had to really struggle to reconnect after that type of indoctrination. A reconnection that her children + grandchildren now flourish in.
Gilbert: How long did it take for you to learn wrestling, and what is the hardest part of this sport?
Sage Morin: Wrestling is something you truly never stop learning. It’s such an ever-evolving art, especially for those of us fortunate enough to have found some great mentors + coaches, not to mention all the crowd involvement there’s always something different to learn + grow from. I love wrestling, it has absolutely saved my life + so there’s nothing really difficult about giving my all back to this sport that saved me, however, the most difficult thing I’ve faced in my career so far is going into some of these communities + just wishing I could do more, be there more, engage with the community + youth more…
Gilbert: What inspired you to start ‘The Life Tour’? How can the people in the States help?
Sage Morin: It’s definitely a collaboration of many of us that just, like I said, wish we could do more, be there more + engage more. Tony’s tours already included youth engagement talks at the schools; my coach + mentor Massive Damage won the Humanitarian Award at the Cauliflower Alley Club for his work with his Fight for Life program; I have been fortunate enough to be raised by our Cree teachings of miyo-pimotisowin “a good, balanced life” + it is now my responsibility to pass those teachings on. It made sense for us to come together + work collaboratively to support our relations in these communities, as our Cree teaching of wahkowtowin states we are all related + connected. If our relations in the states would like to contribute to those efforts, they can follow along at thelifetour.ca which will be updated as we prepare for our return to these communities in February 2025.
Gilbert: How has ‘The Life Tour’ helped the children of Northern Manitoba, especially fighting the high suicide rate?
Sage Morin: The Life Tour will officially kick off February 2025 where we return to the communities to host viewings of the documentary, along w workshops for the youth, which I am immensely looking forward to! However, I truly believe, even if it is only one or two nights, Tony Condello’s Northern Tours have an amazing way of bringing the communities together, letting the youth forget about the daily adversities they face even for a short while. I must decline to speak on their behalf, but I will say personally, being able to connect with our beautiful indigenous youth, tell them I love them, tell them I’m proud of them + to be embraced by them so dearly has been medicine for my spirit in my own struggles with suicidal ideation.
Gilbert: Thank you, Sage, and I hope this documentary and interview will get people more involved with The Life Tour.
Thanks to Sage Morin for talking to Biff Bam Pop! and Ingrid at GAT PR for helping make it happen. The Death Tour is now streaming for free across Canada on Gem.
