Beaufort
Delta Residential School Reunion
Mary Simon's Vision for Inuit
Great Northern Arts Fest
Jordin Tootoo visits Edmonton
Jacob Archie on Trapping
New Legislation for Tuktoyaktuk Hunters
Tony Alanak to teach Fiddling
Cindy Voudrach + Confidence
Lanita Thrasher Flies High
Top of the World Film Festival
September/October 2006
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Sarah Rogers, Inuvik
Jack Akhiatak, Ulukhaktok
Joanne Eldridge, Sachs Harbour
Jimmy Komeak, Tuktoyaktuk
Willow Printers
WGbeen taking youth and elders out on the land as part of an Elder's Committee initiative in Tuktoyaktuk. We spoke to Georgina when she returned from a summer camp at Topkak with youth.
“It was just beautiful out there, we all got sun tanned,” she said. “Each day I would have children come up to me to say things like, ‘Thank you for taking me out here,’ and ‘this is the best day of my life’, and when I asked them why, they would say “because I learnt how to swim!” She laughs, “You know, and then you can’t get them out of the water for the next task.”
“We did a lot of swimming and eating; we also went beach combing on the mile-long beach, these children looked for rocks that caught their fancy. We set fish nets, and told traditional stories around the campfire as we ate the fish that they caught. The children also got to observe wildlife nesting.” Barney told the children fables about Raven and Fox, to encourage their respect for the natural environment.
David Nasogaluak teaches Youth Participants (Bo Raddi, Devaughn Raddi, Gilbert Katigakyok, Matthew Jacobson, Mitchell Jacobson, Vaughn Taylor, Teigan Raddi, Kane Raddi) how to clean
David Nasogaluak, Yvonne Camsel and two of Georgina’s grandchildren also came along. The women would make breakfast for the children, and then David and Barney will take over. “My main job was to make sure that the kids got to play, and also learnt how to clean and cook. We had lots of bonding time, and we ended up cooking a lot on the beach. The kids did their chores really fast.”
In fact, the youth were observed to have all their little problems melt away as soon as they got out to the land. Instead of being competitive for attention, they got along well together.
“It’s too bad that at the last minute, 3 kids decided not to come. The land was just beautiful. The only thing that bothered us were mosquitoes that swarmed us, but the winds kept them away mostly. This year, we’ve the right amount of rain for berries and flowers to grow.” The children also enjoyed having visitors to the camp.
Swimming for the first time!
fish!
Finding a nest!
Weiner roast!
For Lanita, ever since her first plane ride to Inuvik in 2001, flying was the career of her choice. Her internet identity is ‘ypc_chick’, meaning Paulatuk Airport Chick, while her website says “Sky’s the Limit” and is filled with photos of those she loves; family, planes, and friends who fly. “Oh, It’s awesome, my first solo…I couldn’t stop smiling that day,” Lanita recalls.
“It’s a tradition that on your first solo, you get splashed by your instructor, but I didn't know about it, so I was surprised by my instructor Josh Riep! He's one of the best instructors. Everything was perfect on my first solo, I just had to get used to how there was no instructor next to me. Without his weight in the plane it took me longer to land.”
At the young age of nineteen, Lanita has already attained her private flying license, which means, “I can fly airplanes, but not for salary yet.” In July, she has just been awarded a $5000 NWT Aviation Career Development Program Bursary, and has her goals set to becoming a commercial pilot very soon.
As one of the eight award recipients, she was chosen based on her scholastic history, career plan, letters of recommendation and an essay explaining her interest in the aviation industry. Her essay began with "Although I'd hate to be the bugs in front of my propeller I still feel like an angel flying my airplane…" You might have seen her working at the Aklak counter at the Inuvik airport this year. Rambunctious and with an infectious laugh, Lanita amazes because she can have so much fun while being so focused on her future.
She left Paulatuk to attend Grade 12 in
Inuvik, and now continues her pilot training in Red Deer. Lanita is not afraid to fly beyond her boundaries. She said, “It was fun! I found learning how to fly easy, because I really like it.” According to her, it is way more fun than High School, but Grade 12 was one of the requirements before she could become a pilot.
“I'm planning on flying up north with one of the Sky Wings planes, sometime after I get back to the North. The coolest thing I learnt is that when you’re flying cross the country, we can listen to music on our headsets through radio stations.” Her younger sister Jerrie is so inspired, she wants to become a pilot too!
5. Her “ceiling painting” at Samuel Hearne High School. Lanita said, “Which gave me a high mark and a place in the yearbook! I couldn’t have thought of anything cooler to do. This plane is awesome, I just know its around when I hear a Harley Davidson ripping the skies.”
Photos L-R: 1. Lanita looking out at a plane 2. Lanita on her first DC3 flight, with pilots Chad and Brandon 3. Lanita’s favourite kind of view on a beautiful day 4. Lanita all smiles next to the Cessna 172.
" Although I'd hate to be the bugs in front of my propeller I still feel like an angel flying my airplane…"Photos courtesy of Lanita Thrasher
Jacob
Archie is 74 years old, and still makes it a point to go out on the land daily if the weather permits. “ I used to set 40 to 50 traps near the lake,” he said. “Now, I set about 10 traps, because when you are older your energy levels are different. But I try to go out on the land everyday, because I like how I feel when I am outside.” Jacob is an older son of Archie and Mary Erigaktuak. Here is a story of the respected trapper’s life and times.
“You have to work, otherwise you will have nothing.” These words sound absolute, but they are a reflection of Jacob’s work ethics. “About 5 or 6 people here [in Aklavik], we’ve been trappers all our lives. I started trapping when I was four years old, with my mom. We were from the Beaufort, Yukon area before we moved to the Delta in 1940. The profits from muskrat trapping were good, each skin was worth 70 cents then.”
Jacob has kept track of fur prices over the years, as he is determined to stay aware of changes in the market. He even attended a fur convention in Toronto once, to better understand the marketing process behind the fur trade. As we pored over the latest price lists for pelts and a book where he notes fluctuations in all kinds of fur prices, he recalled, “Around 1977 to 78, fur prices were very good, I had a cabin with my wife and children, way up in the mountain. We checked our traps once a week, so the trapped animals suffer less. You have to be careful and look out for bears. The traps are hard to set, because they are hard to open up. We look out for pushups from muskrats, and we also shoot muskrats. It was a lot of fun. Billy [my son] and I used to canoe all night and fill the boat with our catch.”
His wife and him would share the work. “We hunted together and skinned the muskrats early in the
morning.” Life started changing when fur prices dropped, and Jacob moved to Aklavik with his family. He worked for the Hamlet of Aklavik for four years, and instead of living in cabins, they moved into their first house in 1963. “ The government wanted people to live in town. I missed trapping, so I continued to trap on weekends. My job also allowed me to take a couple of weeks of no pay leave, and I would go into the bush. I still made some good money trapping.”
He noted the differences between life then and today. “Long ago, we hunted with harpoons. My mum also snared a lot of ptarmigans around the coast, and we fished for loche, jack fish, white fish and char. In the last 7 years, you can catch fish even in the delta, although you used to have to look further. In the fall, we hunted for caribou, and in the winter, when it was cold, it was good to look out for footprints.”
“I hunted a polar bear once. I chased it by Herschel Island, and finally moved it up the shore. The ice was going out, it was dangerous. I used to hunt seals a lot more too, but again the ice is changing. It’s harder to get around now. The price of petrol is also too high now.”
What does Jacob think about famous Beatle, Paul McCartney’s bid to end seal hunts? He paused solemnly, and then said, “Hunting is what we have done for years to survive. They should respect that people have to make a living. It costs money for us to travel around here, even to visit our family who live in other towns. The fur trade allows us to make some money from our work.” He definitely preferred it to getting hand outs from the government.
Jacob also compares the change in transportation used for hunting.
“In 1975, the first skidoos came out. They were called Elans, and they were yellow and black in color. These skidoos would only last a year of use. Some people started using them to chase animals like caribou. Even nowadays, I try to stop people from doing that, but they do not listen."
"When you used to be successful at trapping, others could see it from the skins piled up high on the skidoos! My son did really well with rabbit skins last year.In a couple of days everything was sold. Muskrat meat and rabbit meat, skinned fresh, sold quickly for $10 per piece.”
Jacob speaks fluent English, but had never attended residential school. “My parents did not go to school. Neither did I. My children did, and my son Billy lost his language. Thankfully, my daughter Verna is now a language teacher. In the old days, when people lived in the bush, we did not socialize much. We saw people other than our immediate family mostly at whaling camps. Now, I see my friends mostly at church.”
Jacob still brings the skins he harvests to the Northern Store to sell. He gets paid a base price for each fur, and depending on the final price at which the skins are sold, he collects the rest of his earnings from the Northern afterwards. “In the winter, the furs are thick and their prices are higher. Right now, fur prices are rising again after a slump,” he said. “My son gives me all the skins
of the animals he traps, I skin all of them.” It is a way in which his son helps provide for Jacob. Although Jacob is concerned about change, such as the environmental impact of the proposed gas pipeline in the Mackenzie Delta, he said, “The Berger report stopped it [the pipeline] from going through in the 70s. It’s up to the young people now. They need jobs too.”
The only thing Jacob would like to see disappear is alcoholism. “You see some people around here bootlegging, selling drugs. They are selling a 40ounce bottle for $60. Some people buy from them even during the week,” he said in a sad tone. What does he prefer then? “Rabbit soup! It’s very good, when made with vegetables and onions. I used to like muskrat meat and duck soup, but find those too rich now. I am older now, I prefer loche, white fish and char, they are lighter!”
Jacob is also passing his skills and knowledge onto the next generation by taking children in schools to bush camps. “I show them how to set up a trap,” he said, “they seem more interested in wrestling amongst themselves, but it’s still good to teach them how it’s done. We have a lot of fun.”
A typical scene in the old days, a great number of pelts were piled high for trading and selling
Jacob
Archie 74nik
ukiuqaqtuk, ahintauk aullarukhuli nunamun hila nakuuman.
Naniriaqturrunga
40nik 50mun aglan
narvat qanninmatta.
Uvlupak qulittnik naniriarturaqtunga.
Angayuqaqtunni
allangurunikuk itilakput. Uvlutuak aullarurunga ilanni.
Nakuurigapgu
hilaminama. Una
Jacob ukuak
Archilu Mary
Erigaktuak
irningak. Uva
qulliaqtunga una piqparinaqtuak, aunguniaqtim inuniarutinga.
Huiliunaqtuqhavagitkuvit,
ukuat uqautchit
iluaqtut aglan
Jacob inuniarutinga pirram.
Tallimatluni, itchakratluni inuit
Niaqunnami qilaluraniarmata iluqating havarurut, qilalurak avguuruat hanaikluggit maktait.
(manni Aklavrvingmi) naniriaqtururuggut inunirurtiptingni. Naniriartuqtunga hihamanik ukiunigamma aakagalu.
Tariumin, tamani Yukon mitchuruaggut ahin uummarmuktuaggut 1940mi. Naniriaqtuqtuni kivgalungnik nakuuruak, atauhik aminga 70 cents taimmani.
uvungalu 1978 ammingit akihuruat, nakuuruak. Igluqaqtuanga tuvaaqatigalu, nutaqqagalu tavani irrini.
otauchimik hanahuiniqmi, makua naniriaktat nirrutit naglikqungitluggi. Anayanaktut makua aklat qinnilalutin. Makua naniriat ningitchiritchut ahintuak ungmakiritchutuaq. Kivgaluit nunautunginik ivaqliquruggut, kivgalungniaguruggut pihiktalurit.
Aliahunngitchuuruggut. Billilu uvangalu qayaqtuarurugguk unuapak ahin ulipkakluggu qayakpuk.
Tuvaaqatingalu, ilatqaptauk havauruak atautchikun. Angunirauruaguk atautchikun, ammikivlutik uvlatchiarmi.
Inuhikput alanguktuak ammit akihurman, ahin Jacob nuttuak Aklarvingmun, ilangitlu. Havaktuak Aklarvingmun, ilangitlu. Havaktuak Aklarvingmi hihamanik ukiuni, tavani iningilangani, igluchiarmatta nutaq 1963mi. Guvermentguq inuit nutquvluggit Aklarvingmun. Naniriatuggrunga hanahiunman. Havavumnim malrungnik hanahiunmik auliaguruniga, akilalunga aglan allakama nunamun manninirurunga nakuruamik naniriaqtukqamma.
Jack
naipikturuggi ammingit qanuqitilangit, ilihimahuruq qanuq itilangit tauqhimatta. Attautchimi Toronto muktuak ilitchurhukluggit qanuq itilangit. Tautuktuagaptiru qanuq itilangit akihutingit ammingit ilihimaruk 1977
Uvlupaklu, ingilaranlu alauruq innaktuak.
Ingilaran anguniaruruagut nauligannik. Aagagga nigaqtururuakqarqinik tariumi. Qaluniaruruagut titaliniklu, annakliniklu, ahin tauk qalukpingniklu. Talimat ukiuni qalungnaktuk uummarmimtuak, ilanni ungahiktuanuuruaggut. Ukiakrammi tutuniaruruaggut, ukiummiptauq qiqaumaung nakuuruq kinniqtunni tumminik. Nanuniaqtunga atautahimi, mallikagga Qiqiqtarumunaglan ahin nuttuak hinnanun.
Jacob irninga Billilu, tutitchiangalu tuttuliaqtuak.
Quyahuktunga pannira Verna ilihauriman.” Inglilaran inuit tavani innuarmatta taututiliatchurggut, aglan inuit tautunganaqtut. Qilalugiaqtuni ilalhinavut. Uvlupak angaatdjuliaktuni illannatgga tautrugittgga.
Jacob tunnihuri ammit Northern tauqivianun. Akiliruggat qanutunakiharmm tamna ammik. Qanuq akitutilananik. Ahin ilangit pirluggit qaimmatta Northernmin.
Ukiumi ammingit nakuurut ahiintauq akihurut, akitqaluting. Innaktuak irningma qaitchirhurri ammingit naniriatungi, ammirugitgga. Tainna irningatta, kayurugga Jacob. Jacob ihummalutiggi qanuq allangurman ukuat tuak taukluruat maungapatta uummarmun. Inaktuak
“Arnat havangat” amiqiruni.
anayanqtuq. Natchirniarurungaptauk aglan hiku allangugtuq. Hapirnaqtuq aullarunni. Gaahalik akihuviatluni.
Jacob, hummariniqqparai ukuat Beattle
“min’nguq” Paul McCartney natchirniarutigguni?
Uqangitlaktuak ahiin inaktuak “Angunrriaruruggut qaffini ukiunni innuhukuppta. Makua Inuit Innuhukuppta makua Inuit Innuniarqtuat ilitchuripatta nakyunaraqtuq. Aullaktunni hummunligga akihurruk, puliaktunniptuak illaptingnun allagayami inuniartuat. Makua taukiriruat amminik munniniktichuratinggut ukungnanin govermentnin.
Jacob ilihimarra aullativut allangugtuq anguniartunni.
1975mi skidud qaiqamatta atingit Elan, quqhuqtauruat, taaklauruatuak. Uvlupak taimakti niaraluaritqga aglan naalaliatchut. Naniriatlantakman tautungnaktuk ammit skidum illuani. Uvlut qaffitchani ilkigan tunirnaqtuq. Kivgaluit niqipianga, ukalit niqipiangalu ammiktunni tunninaktuk $10 atauhik.
Jacob uqalaruq taniktun aglan ilihariangitchuak. “Angayuqanga ilihariangitchuak, uvaptiktun. Nutaqqatgga aglan pirraat. Billilu uqautching tamari.
taiman Bergerim taimmaktitangi
taimmani 1970mi. Makua nutat inuit ihummatiggun havanirraurut.
Jacob manni tangak tammagualuara? Inuit tautungnaktun tunn’uqqatuat tangannik, higaaglungnik. 40 oz’ gug $60 itut, ilaaniptauq inuit tunirriruat uvlami tainaktuak aliahuktuatun.
Hummikqiaq pihukpa? Ukalim hutunganit! Nakuuruuq nauriaanik, onionik pirunni. Kivgaluit niqingit, qangut huutuq; aglan ukrurut. Utuqqanagugtunga. Makua titaaliklu, anaakliklu, galukpik piniararitgga uqilarratut.
Jacob ilihaurtiggi nutaqqat iliharvingmin tammarving mutivluggit. Ilihautivluggit naniratutinik, aglan innaktuak ilingminun piura nakuurilarat aglan nakuuru. Taina ilihautiruni iluatun. Aliahunngnaitchuk aglan.
From the 10 th to the 14th of July, the first Beaufort Delta Residential School Society (BDRSS)
Reunion was held in Inuvik, at SAMS School. John Banksland, chairperson of the society said, “It was five days of very intense emotional upheaval and healing. We ran terrific, everything was done terrifically.”
Ellen Smith, on the Board of Directors for the BDRSS, and one of the first advocates for such a reunion (to bridge the gap between the church, government and residential school survivors), told us her experience.
“I’ve seen the change in the people who told their stories, they are no longer sad or avoiding direct eye contact. It’s a load off their shoulders. Me too, I let go of a lot of things, I feel much lighter. I told my story for the first time, and now it’s documented to help my children, my grandchildren and my great grandchildren. Children of our future will read our history and know what happened to us.”
There were apologies and recognition of the injustices of the residential school system by both church and state. John said, “Father Matthew Ihuoma gave an apology on behalf of the Catholic Church. Although it was done by a priest and not the Bishop Crouteau, who was there earlier, he made such a unique presentation that the reunion became very touching. A lot of us have attended school under the Catholic Church so it was a timely apology and allowed a certain amount of closure for those who were affected.”
There were facilitation sessions for those who wanted to tell their stories in smaller groups, and the Aboriginal Healing Foundation videotaped the survivor’s stories.
“Bea Shawana, Gerri Staples, Mike Benson, Archie Norbert, Julia Trennert; all the facilitators did terrific jobs,” said John, “We adjusted the agenda a little on the
second last day because we found out many more students wanted to tell their stories. We didn’t even have a proper closing ceremony because it was so important for us to accommodate these people.”
Along the length of an entire wall in the school hall, paper had been put up so students can “write down the names of those we lost due to the residential school system.” Ellen said, “It was done because the reunion was dedicated to their memory. A lot of us have gone through the residential school system, and ended up adopting unhealthy lifestyles with drugs and alcohol to escape the pain. Some of us even tried to go the south, to run away, and they died living that lifestyle . As a facilitator, I’ve
of
We burn it afterwards, instead of holding onto it,
it
be
away gracefully by the wind. The pain might come back again, but if you repeat the exercise, the pain will lessen eventually.”
John added, “So many people have held their stories for so long that they have died. There was an old gentleman who went to a reunion in Edmonton last year, but he had a heart attack before telling his story.”
Ellen said she learnt from this experience that the next time round, more translators are needed to help elders communicate. “My heart goes out to them, we had the budget but there weren’t translators available for hire. With the elders we need to be very careful, they are not public people and they need a safe place.” She suggested that the elders be given their own space next time, and that
learnt that writing down these names helps us to let go of some
this pain and loss.
so that
can
carried
families and youth be involved too, but in a separate area, so they can be informed to understand the impact of the residential school system, "even if they did not go through it.”
said Ellen. “It was wonderful to know that they are beginning their journey of healing, although it is painful at first. I hope they will remember that they’ve a lot of gifts; they just need to look inside themselves."
“We pass the impact onto our children. This pattern has to be broken, we are trying to shut this “legacy” down by making it part of our history. The first phase is truth and reconciliation. The second is commemoration. We could have a memorial erected so it declares the residential school period as part of our history, so we can move on and develop our country and our people, with hardly any baggage to haul behind us.”
“It was unique that the reunion made sure everyone was equally important, regardless of which aboriginal group you came from. We had two Inuk from Labrador, another sixtyfive from Kitikmeot, and it didn't matter where you came from, we are all survivors!”
Attendees of the reunion filled out feedback sheets for the reunion, and judging from the number who rated it beyond excellent, and their messages of “Please do this again!”, the reunion will definitely have to happen again. John and Ellen would like to extend their gratitude to all the organizations and individuals who have made the reunion happen, through their financial support or the volunteering of their knowledge and time. “We only had $235,000 for this, and since we are a society, we’re non-profit. We were all volunteers.” John said.
375 former students came to the reunion, out of the estimated 1,000 who had attended residential school in the region. Regarding the survivors who did not make it to this reunion because they are not ready psychologically, John said, “It’s unfortunate that these people haven’t had the opportunity to understand what happened to them, because they don’t have to continue to carry the load.”
He had reconciled his issues with the Catholic Church in his early twenties, by seeking professional help. Like Ellen, his work experience in healthcare all over the Arctic and Canada makes him acutely aware of the issues faced by these former students. “I am not a healer or an elder who gives advice. At one time I was like any other survivor, I was an alcoholic, and part of my healing was to get rid of the alcoholic problem.”
As Board members of the BDRSS are from all over the Beaufort Delta, Kitikmeot, and the Sahtu region, the next reunion will be situated in another location. Ellen encourages other regions to organize their own reunions too. She said, “If you seek the information, you will find resources available, and people to help you.”
Ellen and John would like to thank:
The Gwich’in Tribal Council, IRC, ICS, Ernie Bernhart, Pauline Gordon, the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, the Indian Residential School Canada, Charlene Barrio, Laura Milonias from the Legacy of Hope, Mike Benson of the National Residential School Society, Mike Degarnier, Wayne Christianson, and especially Stephen Kawfwi, whom John said “took a weight off his shoulders” by stepping in as co-chair.
“The impact of this system is intergenerational,” said John.
“I just want to say to the survivors who came, that I commend you for the courage to make the journey,”The Harris family sang a poignant song they wrote about loss and healing. James Rogers and George Kunnizzi checking out a copy of an old year book and Tusaayaksat! The wall where the names of those lost through the residential school system were commemorated. A picture of John Banksland as a young man! John Banksland
Itwas not easy for Pauline Gordon when she told her story at the Residential School Reunion, but at the end of the session, she said, “This is so therapeutic for me.” Below is an edited version of her journey, from the difficult days of being a residential school student, to her current success as Assistant Deputy Minister of Education in Yellowknife.
Pauline, whose maiden name is Tardiff, is originally from Aklavik. At the first residential school she attended in Inuvik, breakfast always began with the students being lined up by number or by size. “I was number 143 in junior girls,” said Pauline. I don’t remember the nuns ever calling me by my name. I remember sometimes wishing… that they would hold my hand or touch my shoulder, and recognize that I am human, but it never happened.”
were heathens and pagans. “Even though my father was a strict Catholic, very much a churchgoer,” said Pauline.
“I remember being rounded up by the RCMP at the dock to go back to residence, and only my father was there. I recognize now that my mother couldn’t deal...I was the eighth of eleven children, and by then she had suffered too much separation anxiety. I can only imagine what they were going through, the whole community was being gutted of kids.” Her mother used detachment as a way to deal with the pain; she did not touch her children or speak kindly to them. “That was very hard to handle,” said Pauline.
“weren’t supposed to have emotions.” At the age of five, Pauline’s younger sister arrived at residential school, and was punished for running across the dining hall to see her elder brother, “who had packed her around on his back just the day before.” When Pauline became upset, “the nun grabbed me by the hair and told me that my sister broke the rules, so I wasn’t allowed to cry.”
“Our life in residence had so many parallels to military life. You become almost brainwashed into thinking that first of all, you are less than a human being. Secondly, that nobody will ever like you or love you. You are only a number and you should be thankful to be a number; you should be thankful for the food given to you, although it was so foreign to your body and your system.”
Pauline felt forced to pray for a God that seemed “hateful”. “I remember us chuckling as junior girls, sharing our confessions. How many ‘Hail Marys’ did you get?” Students were told that their bodies were “ugly and sinful”; they were not allowed to interact with the opposite sex. “I remember always wanting to tell my parents how things were at school, but being scared,” said Pauline. The nuns said their parents
“My saving grace is that my father is very much a nurturer.” Instead of chastising his children, Pauline’s father reasoned with them when they made mistakes. He also encouraged her to take up opportunities to learn. When she was twelve, she was selected by the Oblates to attend a Mission School in Fort Smith.
“Grandin College gave me everything I thought I would never have. It brought out elements of leadership in me. Father Posha said that as Aboriginal people, we could accomplish anything, and that it didn’t matter if we were of a different color.” Once, when she slacked in her studies, he called her into his office and told Pauline he believed in her abilities. She had expected to be given a strapping, a common punishment at Grollier Hall.
“At that point I realized, God, this guy really does love us, so I deliberately did well.” Pauline worked hard. Her academic excellence made her feel recognized and valued as a person. Life at Grandin College was regimented, but there were lighter moments. “Ernie Bernhart and Gerry Ruben always brought me chocolates, they treated me like a little sister.” Piano classes were another “luxury”
that she treasured, “because it gave me some alone time. When you are raised in an institution, all you long for is some privacy.”
“Throughout my life, some of the bigger anguishes would have led me on a different path, but I’ve learnt it’s the little things that make it so much easier to bear.”
Thusshe treasured the skills she accumulated, and bears gratitude towards elders like Billy Day, Emma Dick, Herbert Dick, Rosie Albert and her uncle David Roland, who were kind to her, and supported her when began her path as an educator. “My role as educator helped me to become a healthy person. In order to teach the primary grades, I had to demonstrate that I was well. There were times I really struggled, going into SAMS School as a teacher…especially when I went through the Catholic wing, sometimes I’ll have flashbacks.”
“In residential school we were told we were sinners, that our parents were sinners…so I always have to remind myself, no I am not…Everyday I would smile and think, well, you know, I could let the system do me in, or I could remember to be the way my dad was, the way father Posha was, the way Mr. Elliot was, the way our elders are now…So many injustices were done and they still persevere.”
“My students also taught me love means so much more with action than with words. Love is not this thing that’s really big or hard to accomplish, it’s the little gestures; being invited to their weddings, being treated like you are somebody in their lives. It’s so special, I have nothing but good to say about what the education system has done for me as an adult.”
“Iwas asked why I became an educator, despite it being an education system that did us in. And I thought, it would be so much easier if I could just cast blame and be angry.” She felt conflicted about “becoming part of an institution that took away our sense of being and our language…But I also recognized that I could help create change.
I didn’t want my kids and my grandkids to go through what I went through.” When Pauline had fears about moving to Yellowknife for work, she went to Herschel Island to find her roots. Lucy Inglangusuk and Rosie Albert helped Pauline see her mother’s accomplishments. “Even a week before she was diagnosed with cancer, she was out on the Island, she had her caribou for the year, and she was wondering how to get her berries. I never saw all those skills she had…I have so much to thank my mother for…”
“Iknow she loved us, but I think she didn’t know how to show it, after losing almost all of us to residential school.” Pauline’s mother and some siblings used “alcohol as a way of survival,” against the emptiness they felt, but fortunately recognized each other’s pain and resolved some of their issues. When her mother became ill, she requested Pauline to accompany her to Edmonton for treatment. Pauline had an “aha” moment when her mother “wouldn’t let me out of the [hospital] room.”
“I wanted to go to the bathroom so badly, but she was just deathly afraid of being alone in the institution and I could relate. And I was thinking, oh my gosh, this is why I need to be here. I realized later she was trying to make amends.” Now, her family is beginning to celebrate their mother’s accomplishments and strengths.
“You have to realize we were never taught parental skills, and parenting is so much more than feeding and sheltering.” Pauline realized she too sometimes “reverts to anger if my kids didn’t follow rules”. She juggled her personal life, parenthood, marriage and career, “blocking out” her emotions until her children were more grown up. She found the inability to express emotion a common problem for former residential school students. Some relatives found they “did not
know how to cry” to release their sorrow at funerals, even if they really wanted to.
“I struggled with [this interview] last night. I thought, how could I prepare myself? There is no way…look at what just happened, I broke down…I KNOW I shouldn’t have apologized for crying, that’s the institution in me. The ME today should have just said “I needed to cry, it’s ok. It’s healthy.”
Pauline is inspiring others through her determination and humor. She strives to live in the moment. “I had to do a session with the principals in Behchoko the other day. “
“As I drove in, I thought, oh my gosh, this is so special. I could drive first of all because somebody invented Lycra and my jeans are expandable, and at my age I need expandable material.”
“And secondly, it was a wonderful day. I saw a female buffalo and her little one, and they were looking at me.
I thought, oh this is so rich! Where else can you get to see wildlife and green before you do a presentation? I was also playing a CD, and I heard Eunice Mitchell playing the harmonica. And I thought, you know what - if Eunice could play harmonica at her age and be happy, who am I to even question my ability to present to principals about education, and to maybe even have a little impact on somebody’s life?”
Cindy Voudrach’s instructors at Aurora College say she is “a leader of today and one to watch in the future,” and awarded her the Staff to Student Legacy Award to stress their belief in her abilities. She was also recently announced as a winner of the Council of the Federation Literacy Award. When Cindy first enrolled in the Adult Literacy and Basic Education (ALBE) program two years ago, she did not know that it would be a new beginning for her.
One of her children began attending kindergarten, and she found it hard to co-ordinate that with looking after her two younger ones at home. It made her decide to go to school herself, so that her younger children can go to daycare. "I thought my daughter and me might as well both get an education," she said.
Cindy completed her studies from a Grade 6 to Grade 12 level in two years, and is now ready for post secondary studies. Her commitment to learning had a strong influence on her family; her niece has returned to school as well.
“In High School, I was always shy. I tried to have fun, but I was pretty much by myself. My daughter was like me then, but now she’s a lot better after getting an education.”
“I was the master of ceremonies at the completion ceremony, I never thought I would be able to present in public like that.” However, she volunteered for the job when no one else would take it on. “I was actually very comfortable on stage, I thought I would get hot, nervous or shaky, but I was good.”
“When I got the Staff to Student Legacy Award I was so proud of
myself that I got this far, and then the other award arrives, and it’s a national award! I wanted to make my family proud. I do thank my family, my friends, and my instructors for supporting me. My family supported me in every way. They helped me pay for their diapers and more. EC & E was a great help too.”
The single mum is now going to begin the Office Adminstration Program, which will allow her to work in an executive position on graduation.
She might go south to further her education when her children are more grown up. She wants to take financial or management courses. For now, she would rather study in Inuvik. Ever since her completion of the ALBE course, she feels a sense of purpose and independence.
“I’ve always been dependent on my husband, and being separated is hard. I was young when we met and I learnt to depend on him; he was my provider, my supporter, he was everything to me. All of a sudden the person I depended on is gone. I struggled through raising my kids, I had one in kindergarten, two in diapers. I was struggling financially but I kept my cool and did what I could to survive.”
As for her teachers saying she is a “future leader”, she said, “I believe it can happen. I have the confidence to work with people. Dealing with tourists (She now works at Arctic Nature Tours), I really realize that, because you get the odd tourist who is unhappy about a situation, and you have to learn to not take it personally. I try to deal with it professionally instead of getting upset myself.”
“I was the master of ceremonies at the completion ceremony, I never thought I would be able to present in public like that.”Cindy Voudrach at her current workplace, Arctic Nature Tours.
In late July, the Edmonton Inuit Cultural Society was very pleased to host two Meet ‘n Greet events consecutively in the same evening. Thanks to NorTerra Inc. who brought in their company Official Spokesperson, Jordin Tootoo to the city to make a surprise appearance at a lunch of the IDC Youth Leadership Orientation Program, the Inuit Society took advantage of Jordin’s being here to host the events.
OnThursday, July 27th , 2006 Inuit gathered to meet and hear from Jordin as he spoke about his hockey career and his family’s support. He spoke to the youth about his mother’s strong and firm connection between sports and school – basically if you miss school, there will be no hockey. Photos were taken, questions were asked and we all got to see each other and visit again. “It was really exciting to meet him,” says Myna Maniapik, “I thought that he was a very nice person”. A small group of people turned out but it was a very enjoyable evening.
Following the gathering at the Native Friendship Centre, Christy Brewster, Director Northern Business Development for NorTerra Inc. and myself moved the Meet ‘n Greet on another surprise visit – to Larga Home, the patients home away from home. Several Inuit who
Musicians: Owen Avakana on fiddle, Floyd Sydney on guitar and Myna Maniapik on spoons
were at the Friendship Centre followed to keep the spirit of atmosphere high and cheerful. No one at the patient boarding home was expecting such a visitor! Not only did we surprise them by bringing Jordin but by bringing live music!
Thanks to Floyd Sydney for bringing his guitar and fiddle – the music added an extra element of surprise and added to putting smiles on peoples faces, lifting spirits and got toes tapping. And thanks to my cousin Owen Avakana, he, himself a patient was in the mood to play the fiddle. Two-stepping tunes, jigs, waltzes and songs kept on well after the close of visiting hours much to the delight of many long-term patients. Visitors, patients and staff greatly enjoyed the evening!
On a visit to Larga the following week, Emily Roberts of Fort MacPherson commented to me “It sure brought me up anyway”. Rose Crapeau asked “When are you guys going to do this again? Play music.”
Our thanks to NorTerra Inc. for all the door prizes for both events, Bill Davidson, Larga Ltd., Christy Brewster and Jordin Tootoo!!
The newly elected president of the ITK tells us her plans to improve conditions for Inuit, her view of the M ackenzie Gas P ipeline Project, a nd how she keeps going (even when it gets to u gh)
T: Could you tell us about your experience at the ICC Conference?
MS: The ICC conference is a time when Inuit from all over the circumpolar region (even Russia) come together. This only happens once every four years; we discussed a great number of common issues. The declaration, and the decisions made at the conference are important. Sometimes people find it very expensive to get together, but it’s worth it. It provides an international voice for Inuit, and it shows the heritage and culture of Inuit as one people, even if we live in different countries. I’ve never missed an ICC conference. Each one’s very different, but they are all exciting and enriching.
T: In terms of what we need to accomplish as Inuit, what are the priorities ITK and ICC have?
MS: There’s a lot of overlap in the issues prioritized by the ICC (international oraganization) and the ITK (national). For the ICC, it ranges from environmental concerns such as contaminants, climate changes, and development in the arctic; the economy, and employment for people at the community level. These are always big priorities for ICC, as are topics such as culture and the way of life; hunting, fishing and gathering, the spiritual aspects of living off the land and what that means to our people.
We also had a youth conference, where resolutions were made. The issue of young people needing jobs was raised. Often jobs are not available in the communities. Most of the time the solution lies in education. We need to create more educational and training opportunities, and to improve service conditions in our communities. There are communities where we don’t have doctors. In some communities, there aren’t enough counselors, and those working are under a lot of pressure. So we need to not just improve physical wellness, but also mental
wellness. We need to look at this in a holistic way, there are a lot of linkages between mental and physical health.
T: What are some successes of the ITK, and what is in the way for more to be accomplished?
MS: At ITK, we work with the regions and provide the national voice for Inuit. For instance, we’ve been working very hard to get more money into health services. Our work is based on what the regions tell us their needs are. There’s been a very strong emphasis on physical health, but we need to balance that with the need for resources for mental health. So we’ve helped the regions work with the federal government to get the funding needed.
One of ITK's achievements is the settlement of land claims across the arctic. It all started with ITC (ITK’s former name), we used to get together to address the concerns regions had about their claims. The Inuvialuit Final Agreement is an example. The regions took the initiative and we supported them.
Another example the Canadian Constitution’s recognition of us as peoples with aboriginal and inherent rights. I was involved at that time as one of the negotiators. There’s also been work in areas like housing and education. It’s really an ongoing process, and sometimes it takes a long time.
Now we’re working on getting the new government to agree to the commitments made last November for aboriginal people, so that money can start going into housing and education. Some money has been announced but it’s still not enough for the specific areas.
T: Are you in favor of the proposed pipeline plans for the Mackenzie Delta? How can we strengthen ourselves so as to be able to deal better with the social and environmental impacts?
MS: When you look at development, it’s important to look at its different impacts and work from it. Not all development is bad, but you have to involve the people that are going to be affected by it. ITK is starting to be more and more supportive of it, that’s what more and more young people want. They may have an education and they want to have work.
A very balanced approach to development, such as the proposed pipeline can be a very positive thing as long as planning is done; plans about training, about the number of jobs available for the people who live there, about infrastructure to improve community life, and about how self-determination of the people can be improved.
In the Inuvialuit region, you have a land claims agreement, you have a corporation, the IRC; and you have a lot of institutions in place to negotiate on behalf of the Inuvialuit. When Berger held his enquiry, the people said ‘no’ because there were no land claims agreements. Now your leaders feel ready to take on the kind of responsibility that is needed, it can be used to strengthen your economy, as well as to deal with the social and environmental impacts. You have the tools and means to make your own assessment, and as long as the industry and the government don’t take over the situation…From what I’ve heard, your leaders are very involved in helping the Inuvialuit…
T: What is the significance of the government’s announcement to increase their military presence in the Arctic?
MS: The Canadian government has said they will beef up the military in the North, in terms of increasing icebreakers, building a port in the arctic, and increasing resources for the rangers. As Canadians, we have to support the security of the country. It’s our homeland and Inuit have helped Canada assert its sovereignty with
our presence in the Arctic. The bottom line is, there will be more opportunities for Inuit in the North in terms of jobs. If the Northwest Passage becomes ice-free there will be a lot more shipping taking place, we want to be informed and consulted a lot more over these activities in the arctic.
T: You also said, “We have to keep playing our game…to make the same case over and over again until they finally get it”. How do you keep your vision and hope, how do you recommend youth prevent themselves from being overwhelmed?
MS: In my teens and early twenties, I really tried to define my priorities. What do I believe in, and how much do I need to do to get change? One of my early realizations is if you want to see change in your surroundings, you have to do it yourself. A lot of people depend on others to do it, but the best way to address the concerns is to get involved.
At first I worked at the Hudson Bay, then the CBC. Later on I began getting into the politics of my region in Nunavik. It was a slow process, but you learn from your work, gain experience, keep going and when you get to my age, you have all this experience behind you (laughs). I know there isn’t a lot of support behind every youth sometimes, I was very lucky to have a family that raised me to believe I’ve to become involved to make change in the Inuit world.
As adults we have to be role models. We have to learn how important it is to maintain our culture and our identity. I emphasized that I will be working very closely with the regions, because I have to base my work as president on the priorities that are being expressed by the regions. It’s really a lifetime of work when we get involved. I’ve my ups and downs too (laughs). I got a bit discouraged when the Charlottetown Accord fell apart in the 80s, but I picked myself up and kept going. I’m optimistic and when you have a good team, it helps to keep the hope going.
Maureen Elias and her daughter Caroline preparing maktak at their ‘stage’.
Roy Ipana’s camp is a picture of calm at the point of Baby Island.
Smaller p hotos L-R: 1. A schooner from the ‘old days’ (ICRC picture) 2 M aktak hanging to dry 3. Maktak being cooked 4. Maureen Elias’s grandchildren get on a speedb oat 5. Stefan Allen 6. Julia and Carmen Rogers, and Peter John with their wooden toyboats 7. Children playing in a tent frame.
Right page (Top to Bottom): 1. Roy Ipana’s grandson, Stanley chopping wood 2. Kyle Conley helping trim maktak 3. Carmen Rogers having some whale heart and flipper stew.
It’s summertime! That brings to mind the rich possibilities of berry picking, char fishing, and of course whale hunting. To learn more about this traditional hunt, Tusaayaksat went to Baby Island. The look of Baby Island change as the 24-hour sun travels continuously around it. At turns, there is mist, dew, fog, blue skies and golden light that deepens the color and detail in the flowering tundra and the contours of surrounding islands. It looks like paradise, complete with opportunities to see nesting goslings and watch Belugas spout in the water.
Maureen and Walter Elias were the first to move there twenty-one years ago. “We landed right on shore here and saw some tent rings , so we thought this area wouldn’t flood. We used to wait for at least a weekend before we could see whales at the Kendall Island Camp, but we saw whales right away here.”
Maureen remembered that as children, “We used to stay in the tents, we were not allowed to play on the shore or make noise, so as not to disturb the whales. Now it’s different, men help with cutting the maktak. In the old days they just pull up the whale.” In fact, a lot has changed about whaling, and Roy Ipana, whose whale camp is at the point of Baby Island agrees.
“When I was a young lad, most people were at Kendall Island, Big James Roger’s family had their camp there,” he said. “We all lived together, and went out to hunt together. We shared everything.” To get to Kendall Island, “most of the time we were all piled in a schooner called the Keevik (Old Harry’s), and another called Sea Queen (Papik’s).”
Roy recalled the sight of flags on the mast of schooners. “You could tell how many whales they got from the number of flags flying on the schooner’s mast. All I need now is one whale, if my brothers and sisters need maktak, then I’ll get two. There’s no use getting more than you need.”
“Nowadays people stay in different camps, and if you don’t get here in 6 hours, you took too long. It used to take 3 days! But we didn’t complain a bit then. We didn’t know any other life. We came out at the end of the residential school term, and were so glad to spend the summer here, to stay out all night and to hunt all day.”
“When I come here I feel completely free. It’s just a beautiful place to be, I wished I could retire here. Nowadays we rush here and rush home. That’s the part I don’t like.”
“With the price of gas now, and the lack of jobs in Inuvik, it prevents some people from coming down. I used to take my boat all over and show my kids the country. Now, we try to keep the gas for hunting whale, and for getting water and wood.”
Roy hopes to get a schooner when he retires. “A schooner can take six up to seven families if you do it right. The government (social services) used to help bring people down here.” He said it would be nice if the government or IRC can help provide schooners so families can hunt together again.
Other families with whaling camps on Baby Island include Rita and Colin Allen, as well as Victor Allen and his family. Freddie Rogers helped Dennis Allen put up a new maktak stage this year. Freddie told us how to get the whale camp ready for a hunt. “There’s a whole bunch of work you always have to do when you first come back. You have to prepare your stage, your table, and get your logs.”
know if whales have been spied, or just with banter.
Maureen prefers the independence of making decisions at her own camp, instead of being “bossed around” at the larger camps. She doesn’t miss the old times. “It was really hard. We used to have to get wood everyday and fetch water. Now we can have showers and we don’t have to use wood stoves only.” Most people have propane fueled stoves for faster cooking times.
Her cabin is built with plywood left over from abandoned oil rigs. It is roomy and comfortable, with a bedroom, storage room and outhouse. She made some delicious whale flipper and heart stew, which her grandchildren ate for lunch. Julia likes the stew, but Peter doesn’t. Carmen, her older grandchild, said, “I like cooked maktak, it smells yucky but it tastes yummy.” Maureen hopes her grandchildren will learn from watching her butcher the whales and cutting up the maktak.
“The first time I cut up a whale was at Baby Island. I didn’t know how to cut the head or the tail, but I had a sharp ulu
“The table has to be flat so you have an even place to work. After you dry fresh maktak on logs, you put it on the table and cut some of the fat off, cube the remaining maktak, and wash it. You hang up that maktak to dry on the stage for another couple of days, and after that it’s ready for cooking.”
“For drymeat (mipguk), it is good to have a cover made for the stage, in case it rains. Some people like their maktak raw, we call it weeluk. You make that mostly from the flippers and the backbone area.”
“And then you age the maktak to make uqruq. Some people don’t like it too much, but some people think it’s a delicacy. I tried it once and I couldn’t stop, and you know what happens after that,” he laughs, “You gotta find some place to squat!” His sense of humor makes visiting fun. When a boat is seen on the horizon, it is customary to put on a pot of coffee for the visitors. Roy said there is less surprise now that bush camp radios are widely used. These radios often cackle with announcements, letting hunters
and I remember from watching my elders.” She said the uqruq (oil) from maktak has the added benefit of keeping her hands soft! Her grandchildren and daughter assisted her; Kyle, who is ten, cut off the top parts of maktak and fed it to the seagulls. It keeps them full so they do not attack the maktak meant for humans.
Maureen’s husband ,Walter, is a whale monitor. He measures the whales’ jaw bones when they are caught. Marine biologists and researchers have a presence at Whaling Camps. Stephen Raverty is working on a project to discern the behavior of certain bacteria in the whales. He stays at a cabin next to Roy’s camp for about a month every year, and is also mentoring local youth in collecting biology samples.
Stefan Allen, twenty-three, is Colin and Rita’s grandson. He has gone to whaling camp with them since he was ten but
had moved away for the last three years. He helps them hunt and contributes towards the gas costs. He noticed a lot of change. “I used to see snow around here, and less soil erosion. On a clear day, we used to walk quite a ways out to swim and played baseball on the flats. Now there’s less land and a lot less young people.”
Roy Ipana also noticed global warming effects on the snow, which used to last past July. Maureen noticed change in the animals, “It used to be just seagulls, but now we’ve ravens and bald eagles too”. When you walk to the top of the hill, you can see one side of it has crumbled away. Roy knows that climate change will eventually affect whaling. Nevertheless, the hunt itself will always remain exciting and be a rite of passage for those who get to experience it.
Stefan said, “I shot my first whale with Uncle Freddie and Jerry Rogers. I got a big adrenalin rush out of it; my uncles told me to follow the flow, that I already knew what to do from watching them. I also learnt not to rush at whales as they could turn on you and bump the boat!”
Roy shares his years of experience. “When you see the whales pushing in the shallow water, it’s a good time to get one. Usually the hunters round up here and get out. We harpoon them first, that’s what I was taught, so that they don’t get away, then you follow it, shoot it, tie it to the boat with the float, and bring it back. It’s getting trickier around here. I’ve gone out 3 times already, but it’s almost like they know they’re being hunted, they went straight out to the deep water. We should do it like the old days, hunt together so that it's harder for them to get away.”
Some people think it’s tough to get through High School and get a diploma. Imagine trying to graduate while also being a new parent! Denise Okheena and Danny Taptuna of Ulukhaktok have managed to do just that this year, graduating with flying colors. Their two and a half year old son, Teegan, must be cheering for his parents.
Denise said, “I dropped out of school for a semester, and went back in the New Year. I wanted to finish school so I could get a better job, because I have a kid now.” Initially, both Danny and her were shocked to find out she was pregnant, but they adjusted to the news well because they had been “wanting one” for a while.
“It’s fun being a dad, but it’s hard to be in school, thinking about whether he’s being a good boy or not,” said Danny. “I just took it step by step, day by day, I kept trying harder and harder.” They both fulfilled attendance requirements and made their grades by helping each other.
“When we both took the same classes, sometimes there would be a session in the morning and another in the afternoon. I would go in the morning and Danny would go in the afternoon. We took turns to look after Teegan,” Denise said.
It also helped that their teachers allowed Teegan to come to class sometimes, if he was not too noisy or was sleeping.
“Some people told me I won’t make it, that I won’t last till grade 12, but others told me not to listen to these people, and to prove them wrong.” Danny is glad he reached his goal. “My friends kept saying, keep going, stay in school and don’t drop out.”
They encourage other young parents to do the same. It helps to “take it step by step, take the child to daycare or your relatives”, Danny said.
It’s been two months since their graduation, and the next challenge is to find jobs. Denise is working part-time at the Northern as she sends out resumes, and Danny is trying to get a job with Shoreline Clean up.
“It’s hard to find a job in the small communities, but I will find one eventually,” Danny said with determination. He is hoping to work for First Air one day. They want to stay in Ulukhaktok and be close to the land, “but if there’s no jobs here, we’ll have to find another community”, said Danny.
Denise wants to go back to school when Teegan is a little older, and learn how to run a small business. “I would like to open an Arcade in Ulukhaktok, the kids don’t really have any place to go these days.” In July, Danny and Denise took twelve youth out on the land as part of a HTC program.
Paul Voudrach, chair of Tuk HTC (Tuktoyaktuk Hunters and Trappers Council), updated us on a new Tuk HTC legislation on caribou hunting, which limits caribou hunting to 50 tags for Tuktoyaktuk this year, and the tags can only be used for community hunts.
Paul said, “It began last fall when they discovered caribou were declining in our area. Our HTC requested ENR to do more surveys with the participation of Inuvialuit individuals. On March 15th this year, a new legislation came in, where the area IBC/06 (an area where Bluenose Barren-ground Caribou are) could not be used by resident hunters any longer. WMAC also suggested that only 240 Cape Bathhurst caribou should be harvested annually.”
“During the HTC AGM in June, Inuvik and Tuk HTCs suggested tightening the numbers to be harvested. In July 2006, a resolution was made at Tuk HTC, indicating that only 50 Cape Bathhurst caribous are to be taken, using the tag system. The tags will be used for community hunts. There was a vote on this, 19 were against, and 21 were in favor. The motion was barely passed.”
A week later, Tuk HTC had another meeting and changed their caribou management bylaw, stating through a resolution that all tags be only utilized in community hunts. The resolution was subject to change after survey results for 2006 come out in “October or November”.
The results could increase or decrease the tags or even eliminate the system.
When asked whether food supply will become a source of concern, Paul replied, “It’s not a matter of ‘worry’, we actually have to use a deeper word, it’s ‘tragic’. It takes away one of the staple foods in the area.”
He also said that “One of the items suggested at the AGM or the HTC was for us to find an alternative food supply. Or, we could go beyond the Cape Bathhurst Herd, travel further out to hunt, but we will have to seek the resources to do that.” And with the rising cost of gas for travelling, this poses a further challenge for those affected.
Georgina Masuzumi, who is on the Board of Directors of Tuk HTC said, “It’s going to be tough going at first. Caribou is a major source of our traditional foods, it’s going to be hard for people not to poach if they need to feed their families. There’s lots of fish right now, but come wintertime, it will be hard for some people to survive, especially those whose only source of money is income support. It is hard for people to look at food they could be having roaming around, and not have it put on their table.”
National Parks have three main jobs to do: protecting the resources of the national parks; education and storytelling; and helping visitors have safe trips and great experiences in our parks. The work is carried out through the direction and advice provided by co-operative management boards and by the park management plans, which are the result of consultations with communities and Canadians.
In this summer’s activities in Ivvavik you can see examples of all three aspects of Parks Canada’s work.
Educational programs are offered each year at Sheep Creek. Science camps were held this year for students from Moose Kerr School in Aklavik and for the Biology 20 class from Samuel Hearne Secondary School.
Rachel Hansen and Melinda Gillis were hired this year to help out with providing visitor information and education programs. Providing trip planning and safety information for visitors planning to go to the park is a big part of our job in the Inuvik office.
Rafting the Firth River is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of the 150 people or so that do it each year. This year two young local athletes will take the Canada Winter Games Torch down the Firth from Margaret Lake to the coast, travelling in rafts with Parks Canada staff. Look for their story in the next issue of Tusaayaksat!
Lastly, protecting the resources within the park is a major part of the park’s obligations to Inuvialuit and to all Canadians. One main reason for the park’s establishment was to protect part of the home of the Porcupine caribou herd. Parks Canada participates in the Porcupine Caribou Management Board and is involved in caribou population surveys as well. This year Parks Canada is also doing an assessment of the old Stokes Point DEW Line station for contaminants, partly from concerns raised by people hunting and fishing along the coast.
in Ivvavik I feel like I’m in touch with nature. This place can not be described in words or with pictures, it is truly amazing and inspiring”.
“Ivvavik is a park that all people in the NWT should get to experience. It is one of the few places in Canada where the animals and their habitat are 100% protected from harm. We need to do more as Canadians to preserve wildlife and the environment that surrounds them”.
“This park is one of the most beautiful things in this world I have ever seen. The scenery just takes everything away and makes it all seem simple”.
“Out
9,750 km sq. Ivvavik means ‘ A Birthing Place’; Sadie Whitbread from Aklavik named this park.
Timeline: 40,000 years ago: The wildlife of the Yukon North Slope included mammoths, horses, bison and lions
23,000 BC: A woolly mammoth dies in the British Mountains. 25,000 years later in 2001 a group rafting the Firth River finds its tusk.
10 to 15 thousand years ago: The first people probably came to North America from Central Asia. People have been living in Alaska and the Northern Yukon for at least 12,000 years and possibly as long as 30,000 years.
6,000 BC: People camping at Engigstciak left projectile points to be found by archaeologists 8,000 years later.
1984: Ivvavik, then Northern Yukon National Park, becomes the first Canadian national park established as a result of an aboriginal land claim.
Together with Vuntut National Park and the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve in Alaska, protects much of the calving grounds and migration corridor of the Porcupine caribou herd.
Today: The park is co-operatively managed by Wildlife Management Advisory Council (North Slope), the Inuvialuit and Parks Canada, administered from Inuvik.
Photo by Vicki Sahanatien, Parks Canada
Water skimming is a controversial topic. Concerned parents would rather make this a taboo topic, because accidents during water skimming can be fatal, and the less youth that know about it or attempt it, the better. Yet there is no denying that water skimming has caught on as a major source of summer entertainment for youth, and like skateboarding, it is best to arm youth with knowledge about safety concerns than to not discuss it.
“Come quick!!! There’s water skimming by the water, they are starting!” An excited group of children who were seconds ago skipping stones and playing on the ice (another dangerous activity) urges us to join them. The news seemed to have spread really quickly, as there are about another 20 youth already gathered. The cheer as the water skimmers build up their momentum and take their skidoos across the open water, defying gravity and causing a wake of waves and spray along their path.
water skimming is popular with youth. Danny is considered one of the pioneers of water skimming. He said, “People like to come and watch. It’s fun, but you get cold and wet after that.”
He began water skimming about three years ago, when his brother and him saw some skidoos running on water one day. They were watching TV, and seeing the skidoos made them decide to go outdoors to give it a try. “A lot of young kids want to try, but we tell them to wait till they are older, till they get their own machines.”
“It’s fun,” said Kelly. He had learnt how to from Danny and Randy, and he said it is more fun when all the ice is gone. He stressed that he only began learning when he was “old enough for his family to let him”. He had watched Danny for three years before giving it his first try. Some adults think youth take risks more recklessly with skidoos they did not have to pay for. To Kelly’s credit, he is using his own skidoo. He works part time, one of his jobs being with GNME, a mining company, helping to unload cargo from planes. “You’ve got to go fast or you’ll sink and the skidoo will get water in it. Then you will have to clean that out,” he said.
Water skimming is just one of the activities that Kelly likes, he also enjoys going out on the land, fishing in the lakes and driving his skidoo on snow. However, given that there are fewer opportunities for youth in Ulukhaktok to go out of town for sports, he said, it is good that he has lots of friends and family to enjoy time with, and that they can amuse themselves with water skimming whenever they get a chance to.
youth from all over the ISR region came together for the 3rd IDC Leadership Expedition. The mission: To paddle 320 km of the Horton River within fourteen days. The rewards: Friendship, confidence, and even a trip to Edmonton, where they got a glimpse of career and educational opportunities by touring companies and universities. Their teachers at school chose these youth in recognition of their leadership skills.
The trip was led by two instructors, John Lyndsay and Ginny Mainville. John said the youth was “a fantastic group to work with. There was lots of fun, laughing and games. When it came time to work hard, they were able to canoe for a few hours without taking a break, doing as much as 60km/day.”
Frank Wolki, the oldest at 18 years old, showed leadership qualities right from the start. He said, “The trip was all good, we learnt how to paddle through the rapids, and to work as a team. Amos here always starts the fire, he’s a hard worker.” He has plenty of experience from being on the land around Paulatuk, and guided others with the maps.
Frank said, “The first couple of the days were hard, and then it got easier. At first, we didn’t know how to paddle properly or how to go through the rapids. Amos Teddy
said, “ Johnny Kaglik and I paddled around in circles for the first few days! I always told jokes to keep everyone’s spirits up when they felt down.”
Sherry Ruben said both the girls and guys worked well together. Jenna McDonald, who was nicked “The Boss” because she let her opinions be known, whether she was hungry, tired or cold, was appreciated for being the “mine canary” of the group. She said, “It wasn’t something I was used to. I’ve been on the land every year, but not as long as this experience has taken.” She does feel more confident, as did everyone else, as a result of this trip.
Virginia Kudlak too missed her family. “But it was fun!” she said, “I’ll always remember the paddling and the rapids. Make sure you go out there!”
Charmaine Elanik saw wildlife such as “a grizzly bear, muskox, ten caribou and a couple of goslings. It was pretty cool.”
Dolly Loreen kept everyone’s focused on the brighter side when things got tough, “I tipped quite abit but it was still fun. If there were lots of mosquitoes, I would say, well at least there isn’t a lot of sandflies.” She is excited to go to Edmonton, and happy that she’s “met quite a few new people!”
Tony studying at Strings Across The Sky Fiddle School held in the Parry Sound Friendship Centre, Ontario.
from Ulukhaktok traveled in July to Parry Sound, Ontario, where he performed at the Stockey Center to an audience who were so moved, they were teary eyed. He was one of the participants of the Strings Across the Sky Instructor Training program, and was in Parry Sound to help First Nation Students hone their skills at the beginner level. Fellow performer and SATS (Yellowknife) student, Shaun Russenholt from Edmonton even learnt to play the fiddle brilliantly despite the obstacle of Cerebral Palsy.
Strings Across the Sky is a national organization dedicated to teaching youth the art of fiddling. It began in remote northern communities, and has now “spread like wildfire” all across Canada, to Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Regina, Northern Ontario and Northern Quebec, according to founder and music director Andrea Hansen. Andrea first taught Tony to fiddle when Paul Bennet, the principal of Helen Kalvak School at that time, heard about her project and invited her to teach at his school.
“The 2nd time I went to Ulukhaktok, Tony was already trying to help teach the kids from what I’ve taught him…He was a perfect candidate for the teacher training course.”
Now, Tony has garnered his certification (at the age of 24) as a music teacher. What’s more important, talent or enthusiasm? “Both”, said Andrea. And Tony has both.
The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC), Canadian North, and Aklak Air sponsored Tony’s 4 day trip from Ulukhaktok to Parry Sound. Tony has even traveled to the Orkney’s (Scotland) with SATS to help reintroduce Scots to their own style of traditional fiddling!
Andrea said she got the idea to start SATS when she came up to play in Inuvik with the Toronto Symphony in 1987. “It was the first time a big symphony orchestra played North of the Arctic Circle. I stayed at the home of Frank Hansen and his wife Sandy, and their daughter Andrea. He said it was so sad that fiddling was dying out up there and I said, let’s do something about it.”
Eighteen years later, SATS is going strong. “We’re going to try to make this an annual event. We hope we can keep reaching out and finding more people like Tony and Andrea from Sioux Lookout, because that’s what we need, for more young people to follow in our footsteps. Music is the rhythm of life, everybody has it, but some don’t know that they have it. When we wake people up through the art of fiddling, it’s amazing to see their eyes and heart open a little wider,” Andrea said.
For more information, please visit the website www.stringsacrossthesky.ca
nine children. Winnie is best known for her sewing. She was well known for her ‘delta braid.’ She taught sewing classes and passed on her skills and talents to many, including her children.
In the early 70’s Winnie set up her camp at John Keevik’s Point. A few years later she moved across the river where her camp is now located. Her children and many, many nieces and nephews, as well as children from all over the region have enjoyed staying there.
Almost every day we climbed ‘mom’s hill’ to pick berries or just to play on the hill. She always made sure that we children had a picnic at the end of each day. She was a great cook!
Winnie has been a member of the Catholic Women’s League since 1970.
(Lennie) was born at Pederson, Mackenzie Delta on May 8, 1922. Her parents were Lennie Inglangasuk & Sarah Kaye.
Winnie grew up in Nulluk with her family. She married Walter Cockney on July 3, 1945. They lived at Hershel Island, Komakuk Beach and Stokes Point, as well as many of the DEW Line sites, before moving to Inuvik in 1969. They had
We will miss our mother. When mom was in the hospital, we told her that we loved her; she always answered, me too, I love all you kids. She was a good teacher and protector. May she rest in peace and enjoy being in the presence of Jesus.
James (Kitty), Rudy, Jane (Noel), Turpin, Rosa (Gerry), Topsy, Cathy (Tyson), Rosalie (Stan) and Esther Semmler.
was born on June 26th, at 12:45 pm. His mother is Janina Gruben and his father is Jimmy Kalinek.
The 18 th Great Northern Arts Festival (GNAF) took place over 10 days in July, from the 14th to 23rd , and was an opportunity for Northern artists to showcase their work to the public, as well as exchange ideas and network with other artists. If you’ve ever been amazed by someone’s intricate beadwork, painting style, carving technique or a multitude of other talents, be it painting, photography, knife making or basket weaving, the GNAF provided a chance for you to take a workshop with these artists. Many visitors went home pleased with their handmade artwork, and were inspired to continue, “living the legacy of our elders” (theme of this year’s GNAF) through their own artistic interpretations.
Inuvialuit artists from the entire ISR were represented. From Tuktoyaktuk, there was the Nasogaluak family of carvers (Joe, Eli, and Emsley), Mary Ann Taylor with her “intimate carvings of women at their handiwork” and Verna Taylor. Julia Ekpakhoak and Mary Inutalik from Ulukhaktok brought artwork inspired by stories passed on by elders, Roberta Memogana and Mary Okheena made prints and wall hangings based on “stories and memories of culture”, while Inuvik artists Wayne Elanik, Jr. showed off his flash drawings and carvings, along with the work of carvers Pat Harrison
and Raquell Nuttal. Fred Trimble from Inuvik also had his “whalebone and soapstone carving chosen for 2005 image”. Brendalynn Inuk Trennert and Julia Pokiak Trennert came from Hay River to share their art of “moose and caribou hair tufting”.
The artists were pleased overall with the international exposure the GNAF allows them, and had rare opportunities such as websites and promotional materials created for them.
Sachs Harbour artists Edith Haogak, and Lena Wolki both enjoyed their time at GNAF, although they both said it was a “slower” year than usual. “It used to be really busy,” said Edith, “I’ve been here since they had the first arts festival!” At her workshops, she taught beading, “what kind of strout, beads and stitches to use.” She enjoys “passing on knowledge to the next generation” even back home, and creating beautiful embroidery work. When in Sachs, she spreads the word to look for buyers when she completes a piece; at the arts festival, she received so many orders that she had to work “overtime” to satisfy the customers who had fallen in love with her mukluks! Edith was also a model for the Arctic Fashion show! She really liked the watercolor paintings that MaryAnne Wettlaufer did, and enjoys being exposed to different ways to create art.
Lena Wolki kept busy at the arts festival spinning qiviuk and knitting. “I had lots of customers for the knitting machine workshop, knitting scarves and mitts with muskox wool, ” she said. “When I first learnt to use this
machine, I had to go away from Sachs to Calgary.” She exchanged a knitted qiviuk toque for a stainless steel ulu with George Robert, the artist who specializes in knives with ornate handles made of wood, bone, antler, stone and even fossilized mastodon!
Joe Nasogaluak showed us his carving-in-progress of a wolf dancer. “It’s called “Worn out mukluks”, he said. “It’s been a fun weekend for everyone, I am working in this tent with my son, my brother and my cousin.” He has attended most of the Arts Festivals ever since it began, and is in Inuvik mainly to work on a large scale sculpture commission. He also wanted to show Marnie Hilash, the show’s organizer, his family’s support as they have known her for many years from her work in Tuktoyaktuk. Joe and Eli took first prize at Canada’s Snow Sculpture Competition in 2002, with a spectacular carving called “After Ragnarok: A New Beginning,” and enjoy international fame, creating works that evolve continually in artistic expression and integrity.
Joe shared his rise to recognition with us. “I’ve been carving full time since 1985, and now I only do two or three sculptures a month. It used to be a lot of backpacking, taking my sculptures into galleries, getting turned down, then one day I met a gallery that took on my work, and I kept going to span
out from there. I had to move down south to get world recognition; I used to live in Calgary and made 30 to 50 sculptures a month. Now that I’ve built a clientele of collectors, I can send out emails of my work and get the word out about them.” He also recently began his own outfitters business, performed at GNAF with the Tuktoyaktuk drummer and dancers and enjoyed getting gigs for the Beaufort Sea Boys, a band that plays at old time dances and square dances.
He recommends the arts festival as a place to share skills. “You see more people working together sharing tools, lending a hand, sharing ideas; with some of the younger guys, we give them a hand. We’re not here just to make money but also to help give the younger people confidence so they can keep going.” He gives them “shortcuts” because “when I first began, I had no one to watch, so I had to learn the hard way. Often, as a carver, you create habits that are hard to change, so we try to help them develop other ways to move forward.”
Joe also recommended carving as a good job to “bring to school”, if you are going for further education. “A lot of people who move down south for school need a job, and you can carve anywhere,” said Joe.
Did you win a GNAFee this year? Not sure what that is? Then read the following interview with Dennis Allen, founder of the Top of the World Film Festival!
T: Congratulations Dennis! This first film festival in Inuvik was an absolute success. Did you expect it to turn out so well?
D: I didn’t know what to expect. I knew there’ll be a lot of people on the opening night - the cast and families supporting the first three student films, and people at the GNAF, but at around 6:30pm, I was actually getting nervous, because there were only 3 people hanging around the venue. When we opened the door at seven, people just started pouring in, there were 60 chairs in the room, and we had to add more chairs so more people could sit in the hallway. That really blew me away! There were also a larger audience than we had expected for the rest of the films, especially for the last few films from the North, like Being Caribou, it was full house again.
T: It was a good chance to expose people to films they normally wouldn’t get to rent at the video store. How did you and Jennifer Bowen come up with the concept?
D: It was Jennifer’s idea really. When we went to the film festival in Norway, Jennifer was inspired because it was such a good festival, strongly centered on their Sammi culture. She said we could do a film festival in Inuvik, and run it with the arts festival. She knew there were people I could call to get some films.
The other part was the workshop. I’ve been to lots of film festivals and I’ve always thought, wouldn’t it be cool
to if all the filmmakers there could make a film together? Because we couldn’t invite any filmmakers to Inuvik, we thought we could give a workshop and make our own filmmakers. We could incorporate the community as actors, directors, and crew. It would really fire up the community, because it was something new!
T: We had expected to see really amateur films, but the films came out pretty polished, and even had some good acting in it! Was it hard to put together the Shooting from the Hip workshop?
D: Not really. I knew everyone was excited about doing the workshop, and when they showed up everyday and on time. I knew everything would be good. For me, wherever I hold a workshop, if people show up and sacrifice four evenings of their lives, then we’re more than halfway there. 95% is attitude.
I met Will Belcourt from NFB (National Film Board) at a similar workshop at Fort Good Hope. He offered to help me out. It’s in the best interests of the NFB, because they want to have more filmmakers, especially from the North.
First off, I gave participants a workshop on drama, how conflict is the inciting incident for drama, and talked about tools like characterization and the three-act structure. They came up with many ideas, and we kept pulling them back to how you need a good guy and a bad guy, even if it’s the same person, and how to have an inciting incident that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.
T: These films seem to encapsulate a lot of local flavor, dealing with issues of humanity with humor. Do you see a lot of hope for future filmmakers from this region?
D: I think so, because each community…in fact everybody, has their own stories. And they are all interesting, whether they know it or not. It’s just a matter of giving people the tools to tell the stories.
T: We loved the GNAFEE Awards. Why did you decide to give out these awards? Was there a particularly moving acceptance speech?
D: We gave an award for the best soundtrack, and Dave thanked all the artists he ripped off (filmmakers brought their favorite CDs from home), for me that was the funniest thing. Everybody who came up to accept awards said they didn’t realize how much fun they’ll have, how much they were going to learn, how much they will get so drawn into the process…
I have been to a lot of festivals and have gotten some awards, it’s really good for your self-esteem. The awards also encourage you to do more work. I wanted to give participants the whole experience of a film festival. We got the participants to make posters and invite all their friends, to make a big thing out of it. An artist (Gilad Katz) carved the awards out and put them on little pedestals. We called them the GNAFEEs, we just wanted to have fun with it. A lot of people voted, the awards were split up pretty evenly among the three films…some got more creative awards, and others the technical awards.
T: We also enjoyed the variety of films chosen. What were your guiding principles for choosing the final line-up of films?
D: The theme was 'Our Home and Native Land', so I wanted films that reflected the North, and our relationships to the North. We had a really good variety of films, dramas, short documentaries…My favourite
film is Inuk Women City Blues. An Inuit woman from Greenland made the film. It’s about women from there who end up on the streets of Copenhagen, because they cannot escape their alcoholism.
It’s very similar to issues in the North, about people who leave the north to go south and cannot escape the lifestyle. It’s a sad story but those films motivate people emotionally to do something, about their own lives or others. It starts dialogue and dialogue is really what makes change. People might start talking about the film, or their family, or they might begin a path towards acceptance, so it doesn’t eat away at them.
T: Would you do this again next year? Is there anything you would do differently?
D: Absolutely. We’re going to do it again next year. We’d probably start a little earlier, ask for more help, do a little more work on the website and raise some money, maybe even get a bigger venue. It was a good first year collaboration with the GNAF but we might get a big tent and do it outside next year. We’ll also throw a wider net out for more films. People who made films, even home movies they want to submit can show it to us, we’ll take a look at them.
Many came out on Parks Day in Paulatuk, to enjoy the canoe races and a good feast!
Once again, hello to all readers! First of all, I’m thinking of all my brother and sisters, nephews and nieces, because our dad, Obe Anikina’s death anniversary is July 27th . We really miss you dad, even after all these years. Every season we picture you getting ready to go out and hunt for us; we had everything with you, and all your love. Love you, Dad, and love you too mum!
The weather in Paulatuk is beautiful, but already the days are getting shorter and there are fewer mosquitoes. Fall is getting near, seems like everything is two weeks early this year. We had a very short spring, but we harvested enough geese and lots of caribou. Even now, there are some for harvesting.
A lot of people are still out camping at Egg Island and Brock Riverside. Last week, four whales were caught around Sukvak and Billy’s creek. There’s lots of maktak around town, and also lots of char and whitefish! Ray and Bella, Garrett and Olga, Liz, Annie Illasiak and their families have been at Egg Island since June and they are still there, making dry fish and waiting for whales. There’s been no luck yet, the men have gone out towards Cape Parry to try but we haven’t heard any news of them getting whales. Good luck to you hunters! Day after day people are coming in from traveling and the gathering of food for the winter, such as siksiks or other living creatures, either from across the bay or the ocean.
Aboriginal Day went well, there was a lot to eat! A whole caribou was cut up for cooking, and there was smoke tea, hamburgers and hotdogs. Another event was Parks Day at Water Lake. We teamed up, and had canoe races, Parks trivia contests, and of course, more to eat! Social worker
Sandra won a nice green fleece jacket with the Parks' logo, she was thrilled. It was a going away gift too, as she’s leaving at the end of the month. Lucky lady!
The Jamboree is scheduled for August 11th to the 14th . The barge is due around then too. School starts August 9 th ; we’ve already hired a new principal, and are still looking for two more teachers. There’s not much time left, but we’re trying our best. Time is flying. It seems like the children just got off school. In the coming year, we need to get the help of parents to improve the children’s attendance. We would like to know how other schools deal with the situation. We need to get parents, teachers and students to realize you NEED education nowadays, we will never survive with just on the land knowledge. There is too much technology! The younger generation will have to get their act together and make sure they go to school. We even have pre-school for younger children, and we sure can notice the difference with them.
We had a major fire earlier in July. The fire siren awakened us around 3 a.m., when the old vacant store caught fire. The fire was in a couple of compartments so it burned till morning. It’s located right in the middle of town right by the beach side. I think that’s where the jamboree events will happen. There’s a lot of room now where it used to be.
There was a Parks trip for August 1st to the 4th . Children will be taken out by plane and will be in a park with chaperones for a few days. What a good holiday for the children, and a good break for the parents too! The children will get to enjoy the great outdoors and the good weather before school begins.
We gave Peter Malgokak, Mayor of Ulukhaktok a call, to find out the latest news in his community. “There’s really not too much going on until the barge comes in,” he said, “it’s arriving in two days, and the community will have their supplies topped up then, it’s a good way to save money.”
“It has been really good weather, really dry with hardly any rain, so it was great for the Billy Joss Golf Tournament. The ice is all gone.”
As for hunting, he said, “Hunters have been going to Prince Albert Sound for mainland caribous, they are pretty fat this year. There is also lots of fishing, we’ve got good char now.”
“There was a camp for youth and elders, organized by the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, for those who found it hard to go out by themselves on the land. There was also a language camp for older and younger kids, funded by the IRC.” Rangers were also in town for a week in August, training out on the land. GNME is about to wrap up their mining activities for the season. They mine for copper and nickel. Peter said they provide good employment opportunities and the local wildlife monitors help keep the environment safe.
for
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and with the fresh char that’s in Ulukhaktok right now, there’s plenty to feast on too!
We asked Joanne Eldridge to give us an update on Sachs Harbour. She told us the following:
The barge just came in recently, so everybody’s getting their supplies. There’s another barge that they are bringing in for the first time, and I guess it’s for the tank farm , they’re changing the tanks at the gas station. We’re busy all over Sachs Harbour right now. The power is out right now because Northwestel is working on powerlines right now. Lois Harwood of DFO has a seal project going on up here, it’s going well. and there will be a char study in the next month or so. There’s also a lot of caribou coming closer down, and they are nice and fat. We don’t know what’s going on, if the numbers are going up, but it is nice to see them so fat and healthy.
There are animals everywhere; we haven’t seen rabbits for a long time, I guess they come around in cycles, but now we have them everywhere, we see them even running around the shops and the powercorp. There are foxes galore too. Wolves, lots of people are sealing and fishing mostly, and Parry caribou hunting.
At the community corp we have been busy with meetings.
Andy and Winnie Carpenter, my parents had their 50 th wedding anniversary on the 30 th August. We had a big feast for them.
There was also a torch run for the Canada Winter Games. School starts early for Sachs Harbour, on the 7th August. Students are back in school, but most of the younger kids are still in Inuvik for the swim camp, they are escorted by Doreen Carpenter. School’s going well, we’re still two teachers short. We just boosted the positions to two full time jobs (from 1.8), so the school’s using mostly substitute teachers. The recreation department has lots planned for the summer too, it helps keep the youth entertained!
A film about an image conscious teenage girl, who is one day forced to run to school in sneakers, instead of wearing her heels and driving her mother’s car. Her mother spoils her, but when she meets a cute guy on her jog to school, she has a change of heart and decides running is not so bad after all.
A silent comedy about a woman who’s always in a rush. Her rhubarb patch at the greenhouse gives her some solace, but even that doesn’t help on an extra bad day. She suspects her rhubarb is stolen by a fellow greenhouse member, and flattens his truck tire as revenge. When she realizes she had made a mistake (an elderly couple had picked her rhubarb to make jam for her), she goes through a comical series of efforts to make things right before it’s too late.
Two artists unknowingly sketch the same subject, an Inuit elder, and they discover this coincidence at the Arts Festival. They start insulting each other's artistic abilities. Their subject, the old Inuit woman sees them and tells them to smarten up and leave their egos at home. The artists have an epiphany and even begin a budding romance.
Southern
Saturdays at 5:30pm
Northern
Wednesdays at 9:30pm
Sundays at 5:30pm
Southern Feed Tuesdays at 8am and 12pm Thursdays at 4:30pm
Tuesdays at 9pm Fridays at 6:30pm
