Dechinta Bush University

I had another wonderful day today.  The sun was shining.  The rocks, the muddy terrain and the juniper bushes which grow just along the ground are appearing out from under the snow.  Every time you go along a path, it looks different because the snow is evaporating into the air.  Jonathan spent a couple of days chopping away at some of the paths so that we don’t slip and fall.  There has been very little runoff yet as it has been cold but sunny.

Rajeev and Leanne gave us another lecture this morning  – this time about Community Health Promotion. Health promotional strategies and programs should be adapted to local needs and possibilities of the individual communities, regions and countries.  Some programs might take too much time and effort to be of any use.  They should take into account differing social, cultural and economic systems to be successful in the communities involved.  Leanne gave us a couple of interesting examples about health promotions which had gone very wrong!  We had heard about one of them as it got into the media, but not the other. 

We then had a discussion about the photovoice project.   We are not really going to “finish” the project and present it to the world at large as it is just an example of how this research method works.  We are all taking photos which will represent Our Dechinta Experience.  We are to choose 10 each, which we will discuss and then I would assume chose one from each of us to represent our collective Dechinta experience.  I have chosen my 10 and did my little SHOWeD blurbs to go with each.  Nice to have one assignment finished.

This afternoon I wanted to make sure that I went along with Modeste to pull the fish net.  Several of us wanted to go so Lesley brought her skidoo also.  She and Kali were sailing along over the snow behind us – It is so warm that Lesley had on only her poncho and no snow pants!  We went with Modeste, Daniel, Fred and Lena. 

We began to pull up the net … one whitefish, two whitefish, a HUGE 35 lb trout, another whitefish, a small 5 lb trout and, last but not least, ANOTHER HUGE 35 lb trout.  Wow!  What a catch.  We reset the net and hurried back to camp.  I think we had been gone only about a half hour.  Before we left the hole, Modeste and I filled our water bottles with the ice cold water… an extra treat from this expedition.

Our resident elder, Terese, came out to the smoking tepee to show those of us who had not seen what she did yesterday how to prepare the fish for smoking.  It is an amazing, well thought out process which has, of course, been working for thousands of years.   It was interesting to see the “division of labour” during this process.   Fred filleted the large fish because they were heavy, Lena cubed the trout flesh for chowder from those fillets and Terese cut up the whitefish for smoking.  Melaw did one – and did a great job too.

 Terese and Lena were very careful to clean off the blood from the flattened cardboard box on which they were working.  All the scales and guts were collected carefully and put tidily into a green garbage bag.  She cut the fish in one piece so that, when it is hanging up to smoke, neither side is too heavy.  You must also, like the dry meat, ensure that the skin side is placed down on the poles first so that the flesh has a time to “harden” a bit before the fish are flipped during the smoking process.  She also very carefully removed the tail of each fish.  The tail is like our legs, she said.  The fish need the tail to swim so we must not eat the tail or cook it as the next fish to grow will need its tail to be able to swim.

Terese also told us that the whitefish scales can be washed, bleached and dyed to be used in making pictures of flowers.  I have never seen that.  Kali and I thought that you might be able to make some interesting earrings.  They would certainly be light.

Terese and Fred each cut the gills out of the large trout heads and then cut them down the middle so that they would lie flat on the grill over the fire.  While they were cooking, Fred cooked the belly of one.  Terese also wanted the tail portion (from the trout which had already been filleted) cooked.  That part is nice and tender.  Melaw, Kali and I devoured half of one of the fish heads.  Modeste had the other half.  The cheeks were the size of large eggs.  I was surprised at how tough they were compared to the rest of the flesh.  They are the small delicacies on the whitefish. 

So, here I am, writing in my room on my new “desk” which Josie made me yesterday.  I am satiated with trout and a wonderful afternoon sitting around the tepee in the sun, watching, learning and eating.  What a way to spend my time here!  I think I am having so much fun learning these new things on the land and sitting in the sun, talking with every one, that my studies are falling behind.  I am glad that I am keeping up with these journal entries.  Otherwise, the days would be running together, one by one, and I would not recall what had made me so excited each day.  I would just have the “feelings” and they would not be enough when I have to do my assignments!  J

I have no idea what we are going to do this evening.  I feel like rolling into bed and napping while I digest all that fish!

Cristine

I had a wonderful morning today in the tanning tent.  I began cutting the hair off the hide but was not doing it very successfully.  Melaw took over for me and I watched her for about a half hour.  Keenan and Sam were sharpening knives around us.  The “snick snick” of the sharpeners on the knives was soothing.   I tried the scraping again, after asking Melaw some pointed questions  like “I guess it is easier to get the hair off in one fell swoop rather than in bits and pieces.  Saves time I think.”!  Duh!!  J  Seemed like a good question at the time!

                Rajeev came in while Keenan was taking about his songs and music – so there ensued a discussion about what kind of music is good to listen to… The only thing we could agree on, I think, was that Bob Dylan’s music is great!

                Keenan had brought his binder of Governance course readings with him.  We suggested that maybe we should listen to someone reading out loud as we could not agree on what music to listen to.   I volunteered to read as Melaw was “de-hairing”.  We began where Keenan had left off his reading. 

I found that it was also soothing to me to be reading aloud.  I had already read the article but had forgotten some of the points in it.  It was good to hear it out loud.  We were able to discuss some of the “big words” the author used – we had to remember that this is a “scholarly” article, written for the academic environment, rather than the “common man”.  We had an interesting discussion about Karl Marx.  Sam has read his Communist Manifesto.  In some of these scholarly articles, you have to understand some of the references which the author makes and does not explain.

                We also had to remember that the author is a geographer so his slant when writing will always be geographical!  He likes maps and numbers and statistics.  He is also quite a name dropper, as Rajeev said! 

                In the afternoon we had another lecture with Rajeev about Popular Education which encourages cooperation rather than competition, community rather than individualism and the fact that everyone can learn something from each other.  It reduces the dominance of the facilitator of a group meeting,  encourages listening and non-judgemental support for the participants in the group.

One of the slides in the presentation included a quote from Martin Luther King: 

 “This hour in history needs a dedicated circle of transformed nonconformists.  Dangerous passions of pride, hatred and selfishness are enthroned in our lives; truth lies prostrate on the rugged hills of nameless Calvaries.  The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.”

As Rajeev said, we have to find a way to energize and engage the nonconforming minority into the circles of compassion.

                Rajeev then showed us a moved called Indigenous Digitais which is about the Indigenous peoples of Brazil learning to use computers and the internet to fight for social and political recognition.  They have found that if they post onto the internet, the global world hears about their plight faster than any other media can get the news out.  This is an interesting use of technology today.  It helps to break the isolation of these people from the other parts of their country – and the world.  Even the older people are learning about computers.  One woman said that the first letter she wrote on the computer was to the president.  There are, apparently, many organizations around the world using the computer and internet technologies to assist in their political and social development.

                I missed going out to check the fish nets after the lecture.  They got several whitefish and some trout.  Some of them are being smoked.  The rest just got put onto the fire to be cooked and eaten right there.  I can hardly wait for the smoked fish.  I remember going to the Fish Monger in Dundee, Scotland in the summer of 1968 with John and his Great Aunt Sue to get smoked kippers for our breakfast the next day.  The woman came to the gate when we rang the bell.  Her eyes were all bloodshot from the smoke house – she did this smoking all day long, every day – in her backyard! 

                Later I took some more photos for my photovoice project .  This will be an interesting exercise – we are all at so many different levels of expertise with our cameras.  Half the time, the sun is too bright and I cannot see anything on my digital camera’s screen – it is just a fluke if I get a photo which looks like what I saw or wanted to see!

Cristine

After our Sunday day of rest yesterday, we were all ready to get back to work.  The dynamic of the Blachford/Dechinta group has changed again.  Sharon Firth, who arrived Friday, left yesterday as did Julia and Adeline, Amos, Kyla, Maslyn and Sadeha.  We will have to continue the moosehide tanning without our three experts as Stephanie left on Friday on the plane which brought Sharon.

Sharon came out as part of our health course.  She gave us “her story” about how she and Shirley went from the trapline in Aklavik and Inuvik to 4 Olympics as cross-country skiers.  What an amazing story – lots of sacrifices.  She takes her story all around the NWT – encouraging young people to follow their dreams and to never give up. 

Leanne and Rajeev, his wife Monique and their baby, Ahea, arrived on the plane which took the others away on Sunday.  Monique is here for the holiday.  Leanne and Rajeev will be our instructors for the Health Promotion course.

Frankie got out of her sick bed to ensure that our Easter ham and scalloped potato lunch feast was ready on time.  Chris did a great job preparing everything.   This stomach flu is really nasty – people are getting it differently.  Those who got Wade’s cold seem to be missing the flu…  I think I am glad that I had the flu, rather than the cold, as both days, it only lasted 12 hours.  Natalie has been sick also today, as was Melaw yesterday.  Doris` mother sent out some caribou ribs so Jonathan boiled them up and fed himself, Natalie and Melaw the broth.  They all recuperated quickly.  We should have fed some to Frankie!

Sunday is the students’ day to cook and clean up… we had yummy pizza – at 7:30.  I helped Eli and Lesley with dishes.  Eli has figured out that if you rinse the dishes before they go into the soapy water, it is really nice for the person who is soaping!  That was me!  Not much guck in my water!!!

We had a drum dance after supper to celebrate Easter.  Jonathan was our drummer.  I think that he used one of the `decorative` drums on the wall as I remember him saying earlier that he wished he had brought his drum. 

Today we had our first lecture for the Community Based Health Research and Promotion course.  We are focussing on the photovoice method of doing research.  It was developed by Caroline Wang for her research which she did with women in China. 

Participants are given a camera, a topic/theme for the project is developed and agreed upon and the pictures are discussed after they have been taken.  Then a photo gallery is presented to the public and policy makers to see if the exhibit and the research can change policies.  This method works well with women and youth as it is empowering and enlightening for them.

The topic for our photovoice project is Our Dechinta Experience here in our little community and what we see in relation to our health here.  Keenan wants to look at the setting of the fish nets and fish as food in relation to our health

We are to take photos and come up with 10 to show to the group on Thursday for discussion.  They can be positive or negative.  Erin said that they used a lot of what the pilot project feedback was from last year to set up this year’s program.

After lunch Modeste was going out to set the fish net.  I went along with Fred, Modeste, Eli, Keenan and Daniel.  (Melaw and Erin were using the skidoo to return the moose hair to the land.  It must not be put into the lake – but I cannot see why anyone would do that — as it affects the fish.  It is just common sense.)  The weather was gloomy – cloudy and a bit windy.  But, with the big parka, I was quite warm.  I took a lot of photos of setting the fish net.

Modeste and I stretched the fish net out along the ice while the others drilled 6 holes with the ice auger – very close together – as we did last week.  They then chipped the large section of ice away when all were drilled and scooped out the slush.  See photos - if I can figure out how to get them uploaded!

The jigger was tied to a piece of long blue top cord.  Fred pushed it down through the hole and Modeste started it along under the ice.  I cannot describe the jigger itself very well as I don’t know how it really works.  Suffice it to say that it pulls itself along under the ice somehow as Modeste gives a short tug on the top cord.  There is a little clicker on it which makes a sound which you can hear – even under the 3 feet of ice.

We attempted to follow the sounds.  The boys dug into the snow trying to see it as it crawled along under the ice.  We never did find it along the way.  Once Modeste had come to “the end of his rope”, the boys and Fred began digging away the snow to see if they could see it.  I did not see how we would be able to see it under the ice.  When Fred could not find it, he took the ice chisel, scraped the top layer of the ice away down to the clear ice to see if he could see it.  And. after a half hour, we finally found it.  The sound of the jigger is very deceptive and it is hard to pinpoint its location.  When we did find it, it looked like a very, very faint little orange sausage under the ice.

The boys and Fred drilled one hole.  As the water slopped up the hole, it spread across the ice and —- low and behold, the jigger appeared, bright and beautiful, as if it was just 6 inches under the ice.  The water had smoothed off the rough ice to make it appear like glass.  What an amazing sight!

They drilled 5 more holes and scooped out the slush and ice.  Unbeknownst to us, while we were listening and looking for the jigger, Modeste had pulled the fish net back behind the first hole, ready for it to be pulled under the ice.  Two stone anchors were attached at each end.  Modeste and Keenan fed the net into the first hole as Daniel and Eli pulled the top cord through the second hole after Fred had pulled the jigger out.  (You need to drill 6 holes right close together (3 beside 3) because the jigger is about 4 feet long.)

And then, just like that, the net was set.  A 4 foot long spruce log is placed across the holes and the forked birch stick to which the anchor stone is attached is put down the hole and hooked onto that log.  This way we can retrieve the net tomorrow.  There will only be a thin layer of ice to chop through so we can pull the net out.  I wonder how many fish we will get.  I think that the idea is to smoke most of them with Terese.

We had a short sharing circle tonight after our supper of BBQ steak with a fruit dessert and ice cream – we have not had ice cream since we arrived – so this was a special dinner.  We had the sharing circle in the large tepee so that we could heat up the rocks for the sauna.  Erin assured us that the rocks had all been heated up before and, therefore, would not spit out anything at us.  The only things to be spit out were sparks.  One of Melaw’s boys fell asleep – a long day playing and in the hot tub just before supper was a bit much for him tonight.

I also had a hot tub soak tonight.  They really are nice, but it is boring by yourself or without a book.  Moses and Daniel pushed the lid back for me as I was all ready to go out the door and then realized that I could not get into it by myself! 

     Everyone is preparing their applications and IDs to vote in the election by special ballot.  Moses is organizing that.  I am glad that I voted before I came

Cristine

Today we had another tanning session.  The weather was quite cool when we walked down to the tent.  It took a long time for us to “get started”.  The hide had to come down to the tent from the basement.  For the Fort Good Hope tanning method, Amos had to construct a 3 pole frame to hold the spruce pole which formed the long part of the triangle.  This pole is to hold the half rounds of poles on which we scrape the hair from the hide.  We had to clean off the frozen bits of flesh from yesterday from the orange tarp so that we would have something to keep us “clean”.   Sam and I started the fire while others were doing other chores. 

                Stephanie had a lot of difficulty remembering which angle to hold the long knife at while she was scraping but she managed to remember.  We moved the hide so that she was scraping the hair “against the grain” and that also seemed to work better.  The knife is held almost at the same angle as the board is – which seems strange to me – but it works.  It is hard to get started and not to make “stutters” as Amos calls them when the knife blade skips along the hide and makes “bumps” by not removing the hair in one full swoop.

                In the meantime, outside Daniel, Lesley, Kali, Adeline, Lena, Julia and Eli were scraping the flesh off the other side of their hide.  They had removed all the hair and follicles from that side yesterday.  They have put a pole across the frame about halfway up and that way two people can be at the top of the hide with three below and two on each side – some who are taller can reach higher on the sides so sometimes we had two on a side. 

                They did a great job yesterday.  The “Dettah” hide is almost white now on the side which has been fleshed.  I was surprised.  As the flesh is removed from the inside of the hide, it almost looks translucent from the bottom when you go behind the frame.  I thought, because the moose is brown and the finished smoked hide is brown, that the cleansed, non-tanned hide would be brown also.  But it isn’t.  Interesting revelation!

We had another outside lecture around the middle fire pit after lunch.  Stephanie’s lectures are really thought provoking.  She is using the tanning processes and how we interact with each other and the tanning work as examples of how we as people interact with individuals and our communities. 

One of her discussion topics today was the issue of being connected to the land.  She used the example of Uncle Jonas (who killed “our” moose and gave us the hide).  He hunts in an area called “Edejey” (sp??)  which is near Fort Simpson.  It is a traditional hunting and sacred area for Melaw’s people, the Liidlii Kue.  It has been protected by the federal government from exploration but recently this ban on exploration has been lifted.  The feds went in to see if the land is being used and by whom and why.  Uncle Jonas told his “story” about how he uses the land and what it means to him.  If he and others from the community and the surrounding area had not been using the land, the feds could have said that, since no one is using it, then we can open it up for exploration.  The people would then have had no say in what was to happen.  But, now they do have a say, as they are still “connected to the land”.

Tanning hides and being at Dechinta (even if we do have internet access and our laptops!) makes us feel connected to this land here.  It is hard work but the two different methods we are using to tan hides have been used for thousands of years and have proven that they still work.  We may be using metal tools some of the time, but it is okay for activities to evolve and take technologies from other cultures if it makes the work easier.  We need patience and strength to do this tanning, but telling stories and talking and laughing together makes the work go faster.

Today’s world of IPods and laptops and Facebook is creating the culture of “being alone together” as the younger students are realizing – they sit side by side each on a laptop, conversing with others miles away, but not talking to the person sitting beside them.

The question asked was “will the internet access at the Lodge be a barrier to this experience we are having here on the land at Dechinta”?  The problem is that part of our course work is to interact with the larger world community on the internet – with people who are not here and who are interested in what we are doing and experiencing.  Therefore, we need to use the internet – but we must also have a level of consciousness about, and be aware of, this problem so that we can discuss it and reflect on it.

Stephanie asked us why is being connected to the land so threatening to the government.  As we saw with Uncle Jonas, the less you access the land and don’t use it, the easier it is for the government to allow industry to exploit it.  A general spiritual connection is felt by all Indigenous peoples (and even some non-Indigenous people who live here!) to this land.  Being on the land and using it makes the land “vibrant” – the land needs people to be on it also, just as we need to be on it.  “If we mix ourselves up with the land without our earphones on, we become different people = we are transformed”.  One of the students said that he is so happy not to be wearing his earphones all day as he does in the city as he is taking the time to listen to the birds and the spring animals in the bush.

Indigenous scholars today are looking at the ways of decolonizing – socially, spiritually and through relationships with the land and their people.  The continuation of Dene land practices (what Dene do on the land) connects them to the land in a way which then connects them together as a group.  This strengthens the communities and their nations.  This “renewal of being Indigenous” (the concept of Indigenous Resurgence) is really about Indigenous people reconnecting with their cultural values of peace, harmony and balance.

Dechinta is embodying Indigenous Resurgence – we are all on a personal journey here to figure out what we believe when we have certain experiences.  “Once we learn about how we are colonized, then we can start to decolonize.” 

Put your burdens into the tobacco which you put into the fire, as Francois told us yesterday and let them “go up with the smoke” so that you can be released of these burdens and lifted up.  Stephanie says that we have been discussing some very difficult concepts this week.  As the hide gets closer to being its finished product, we will also be getting closer to understanding these concepts.

Cristine

April 18, 2011  #1 journal entry:

Yesterday, before he left, Wade Carpenter gave us his final lecture about the program he runs for the GWNT.  Wade, who used to be a science teacher at Sir John (he taught Katherine and Siku), works for the GNWT in the Department of Energy and Natural Resources (ENR).  He runs a program called the Alternative Energy Technologies Program (AETP).  He gives away money – and he loves his job!  He provides funding for alternate solar energy programs for communities, businesses and individual home owners.   (There is another man in charge of wind power project funding.)  He is really still a teacher by nature and wants to help anyone he can to understand about alternate energy sources and to assist them in taking advantage of the government funding.  He is very passionate about these alternate energy sources -  biomass, solar and wind power.  (He says he believes that biomass (wood pellets) alternate energy will be a significant part of our alternate energy sources in the NWT in the future.) 

Wade wants to encourage as many people as he can to start using these alternate energy sources so that they can save on their non-renewable fuel and energy use.  This is the only way we can create a world which will survive what we are doing to it today – we need to change our lifestyles in the developed countries, let the underdeveloped countries catch up to our level of technology and then even us all out so that we are all living sustainably.

In the northern communities the non-renewable fuel used is usually diesel fuel oil, which has to be trucked, barged, shipped or flown directly into the smaller communities.  He encourages the communities to look at their fuel consumption of each of their public buildings – schools, band offices, their maintenance/storage buildings, etc – to see if solar panels on the buildings would generate much of the energy used in them.

Wade usually recommends putting in solar power as the alternate energy source in the communities because there is very little maintenance related to it.  You need to clean off the panels once a year and look after the battery bank which most of the community maintenance people can do.   And sometimes, even if people think that their community is windy, when they do the overall analysis, there is not enough wind to make wind generation economical.

He gave us lots of examples of projects he has funded in the communities in the time that his program has been running.  This may be the final year for it, but he is hoping that, since it seems to be so successful, that the GNWT will keep it going for longer.

One example he gave us was of a man in Tuktoyaktuk who has a hunting camp outside of town.  Every weekend he would be carting out jerry cans full of gas to run his generator there.  He put in a $4000 solar system (one solar panel, an inverter and, I think Wade said, 2 car batteries plus all the wiring and installation).  Wade’s program gave him a one-third rebate on all those costs.  The payback period for this system will be TWO YEARS.  After that, except for a bit of maintenance, he will not be spending any more money for gas for his generator – except in the winter when it is dark for 2 months of the year!  Even so, a two year payback period for that expense is amazing.

We discussed what I might do at my house in Yellowknife.  I have always been interested in solar and wind power but have not really had enough information or known where to get it nor who would install the final system.  Now that I know about Matt, the solar guy, and his company, that problem is solved.  He supplies and installs everything.

Wade says that there is a “power buy back” program with the NWTPower Corp so that, if I do decide to put in solar power (which seems the best for me as there is little maintenance involved), I would be able to put excess power back into the grid since I am now hooked up to the power lines.  Also, if you are hooked up to the grid, you don’t need a battery bank as the excess power flows into the grid.  That then saves room in your house.

If you are generating too much power (as in the summer we would be because we have so much sunlight) using your solar panels and you are off grid, you have to have a “power dump” otherwise the batteries get overcharged and can burn out.  Wade, who lives on a houseboat, has developed a “one man hot tub” (an old freezer from the dump!) on his deck.  He will use that as his “power dump” for his excess power so that his hot tub will always be hot.  His electrical/solar technician said that if there is still too much power, he will have to dump the excess power into a larger body of water.  I wonder what that will be!!

Cristine

It’s Sunday today – our day of rest – and my day to do laundry.  I figured that, if I got it done early, I wouldn’t forget and leave the wash in the washer or the drying in the dryer.  Even so, I forgot the last load and had to rush down to see that someone had needed the dryer!

                Erin and Mike put out a cold breakfast – cereals, toast, fruit salad and yoghurts.  Nice to have a small breakfast.  Frankie’s breakfasts are so yummy that I want to eat everything. 

                Frankie and Chris, because it is the staff’s day off, prepared a brunch of waffles and sausages and bacon at noon.  I think I did dishes with them afterwards, but I cannot remember.  Maybe that was last night!  Are the days starting to run together?  Good thing I am writing this journal.  J

I spent a lot of time today, summarizing and thinking about Stephanie’s book, Finding Dahshaa.  We start her Dene Governancecourse tomorrow.  I read the book through once about a month ago and did a little summarizing then.  I am finding now, since I have already read it once, the differences in the concepts of social suffering and dysfunction are clearer to me.  I also seem to be remembering about the government’s legislative “history” – the White Paper and the Inherent Right Policy – more than I have before. 

                I still don’t understand the Dysfunction of Theodicy clearly yet.  I assume that once Steph lectures about this, it will be clearer.  It is an interesting concept, to relate it and apply it to the “political and social suffering” of Indigenous peoples (pg 31).

                Since today is Frankie’s and Chris’ half day off, it was up to the rest of us to put on supper.  I volunteered to make stir fry veggies.  Erin made brownies.  Kali made salad.  Lesley and I peeled umpteen potatoes to mash and had ‘way too many.  But Frankie assured us that you can never have too many mashed potatoes.

Keenan is an expert at washing dishes.  What took me ¾ of an hour the other night, took him about a half hour tonight – and he did all the pots too.   

 We had a large beef roast and the moose meat Kyla brought out on the plane today from Melaw’s dad, Jim Antoine, from Fort Simpson.  He shot the moose about 2 weeks ago.  He is saving the hide for her to tan when she returns home in May.  We have been told by our moose tanning expert, who also came in on the plane today, that the moose shot in Jan/Feb/March/April have very thick hides.  She said that the hide on Jim’s moose will probably be about an inch thick around the neck. 

                Melaw said that she knows an elder who is getting too old to scrape the hides well so she has been using a sander to even the thickness of the hide out….  I guess you need to use the tools you have to get the job done.  And if you are unable to scrape a hide really well, you “invent” the tool to do it with.  Necessity really is the mother of invention. 

                We are all stuffed and slowing down for the evening.  The children who have been here for a week are playing with Maslan and Sadeya who arrived today with Kyla and Amos.  I have not seen Sadeya since she was a baby I think and she will be 3 in June.  I was telling Amos that I remember  when he and Kyla were born – he is now over 30 years old!

                We start tomorrow with the moosehide tanning.  The hides are still quite frozen – they have been in the freezer – so we will have our work cut out for us.  They are currently thawing in hot water which will make them smell apparently.  Maybe this is the time when I am glad that I have very little sense of smell.

                I am off to bed to dream about tanning moose hides.

Good Night from Cristine.

April 15, 2011.

We have just come back from a wonderful afternoon out skidooing – we went to check the rabbit snares.  The first was empty.  The second was “full”.  The third was empty.  So, we might have a bit of rabbit stew tomorrow.  On the rabbit skin, the white fur is falling out and the brown fur is coming in – when Modeste was taking it out of the snare’s noose, bits of fur were flying all over.  I don’t think I will be getting new fur for my slippers!

We then went “hunting” for fresh spruce cones for Terese’s tea.  Her stomach has not been well – maybe she is coming down with the flu which has been working its way through the Lodge.  We were looking for the cones which did not dry and open last fall.  She says that they make good tea for the stomach. 

We helped her get birch paper from the birch trees for fire starters in the morning.  She told us that the orange “stuff” below the birch bark is good for your heart when brewed as a tea.  She fed it to Modeste last year when he wasn’t feeling well and now he is better.  We also went looking for spruce gum.  Modeste says it is good to chew – like chewing gum.  We found a bit, but maybe not enough for all of us to try it.  I did notice that Modeste was chewing some later on, though!

.  I am enjoying working with and learning from Terese and Modeste, the Dene elders-in-residence.  It is nice to be on the land again – especially with someone who has grown up on it and knows how to survive here. 

Terese came in at lunch with some of the finished dry meat for us to try.  She told me how she puts the dried slabs on the floor on a cotton tablecloth.  She folds the meat up in the cloth and, if her grandchildren are around, she gets them to walk over the meat to “flatten” it so it can be torn apart easily.  She will send the rest back to town for her children and grandchildren.  What a treat to have dried caribou again.  Matt, the solar guy, agreed that it has been a long time since his family (his wife is a Zoe from Bechok’o) has had dry meat also.  The caribou are just not very plentiful anymore here any more.

The ladies spent the morning with Wade up on the roof again.  We had to remove some of the bolts and put in lock washers and larger other washers.  We had some difficulty because some of the bolts were not long enough with the added “height” of the two new washers.  Wade had to go searching in the tool shed in “Geezerville” to find some longer ones.  The joys of trying to do work in the bush when you don’t have a store to go to to buy the part you need!  Then we found out that Matt had anticipated this and brought some longer bolts.  Should have asked the expert!

It is good to be working on outdoor projects again with lots of helpers.  I have a hard time getting off the ladder onto the roof and then back down again.  But there are lots of willing hands to help these old bones.  When I fall down (it’s getting slippery), there is always someone there to help me up and make sure that I am okay.  The “kids” (the students) are greatKatherine missed out on most of the things my older children experienced when we built Moraine Point Lodge on the west shore of Great Slave Lake.  She did a lot of other things though  – lots of boating and camping on the Big Lake which the older ones did not get much of.  She also went to Aklavik and went up to Shingle Point and Ptarmigan Bay with Annie and Danny C. Gordon – crawling up to seals along the spit of sand in her bright yellow cotton pants (which we had to buy at the Bay when we arrived because it was over 80F), gathering eider down among the lichens, beluga whaling with Katie and Boogie Pokiak out of Tuk to Kittigasuit, with Melissa (who REALLY did not want to be there as a young teenager) and Tim, who was fascinated with the butchering of the whale.

That’s the thing about families.  All the children in families have different experiences.  There are young children here at Dechinta from ages 2 to 5.  They play in the sun, hug the snared rabbit, worry over young 2 year old Natalie when she is crying in the sled.

It is nice to have the children here.  It reminds me of spending time in the bush with my own family as the children were growing up.   It makes us more aware of the different generations and how they are needed to help each other on the land – and back in town.

                I am SO happy to be here, even if the memories make me sad sometimes.  I have been missing the bush and all that it gives to me.  It is good to be here in such a safe environment, with such loving people willing to share with all of us.   I do hope that Frankie’s dog, Finnigen, turns out to be a good bear dog and none come into camp!!  J

Good Night to All   —  Cristine

April 16, 2011.

We had a sharing circle in the sun at the middle fire pit today to welcome Lena Drygeese, her husband, Fred Nita? and Moses Hernandez who has come in to babysit the kids while we are in class – he was a student here last year and wanted to come back for a while.  He is good with kids so he was a natural choice.  Lena is a T’licho (Dogrib) translator and Fred grew up in Snowdrift.

                Terese brought me a gift at lunch time – the rabbit skin.  It has dried out and she had it turned right side out.  She showed me that it was very brittle.  She kneaded it a bit to see if that would strengthen it somewhat.  Modeste was shaking it down at the cabin to shake off the loose fur and the head fell off… The head is still a bit wet inside so I have it “stuffed” with Kleenex to see if it will dry out more.

Terese showed me how to turn the skin inside out or right side out – you start at the head and turn it to the inside – rather than folding to the outside – because the skin is so thin, it has to be done this way.  It may be the way you do it with all skins… I did not ask.  It was very nice of them to give it to me – but I don’t think I can use it as it is too brittle.

                After lunch, we planned to take an hour, divide up into two groups to drill fish net holes in the ice or set up the moose hide tanning tent.  Poles had to be cut for the tent.   But Modeste said that he needed an extra person to help with the ice hole cutting so, even though I was not dressed in the big coat or snowpants, I volunteered to go on the skidoos with him, Fred, Eli, Jonathan and Doris (with Natalie).  Luckily, it was not too cold and we only had to go not too far away across the lake behind one of the islands to where he set a net last summer.

It was really interesting watching the whole “drilling the hole in the ice” process.  First a large circle of ice was shovelled clear of snow.  Then Fred decided where to cut the first hole.   I never did help John when he was cutting holes in the ice for the dog poles at the beginning of winter – Why didn’t I?  Probably because I had a small child in the house to look after and dinner to cook!

The Lodge has a gas powered auger so it only took about 5 minutes to drill through the ice.  The crushed ice piled up and piled up before the auger got through to the water.  The ice is about 3 feet thick and the water just gushed up over the men’s boots.  They drilled three holes one after the other close enough together so that they were touching.  Then they drilled 2 more beside them.  You could see down into the ice to the “core” of the holes filled with slush.  Beautiful.   Jonathan was thirsty and drank from the slush.  I was thirsty but could not bring myself to get my hand so cold from the icy slush.

Eli and I were the shovellers after the hole was drilled.  We had to shovel all the slush off the ice onto the snow.  I went around and shovelled the slush onto the ice.  Behind me, I realized that Modeste was quietly flattening the snow in one spot where I had thrown slush.  When I finished, I realized that he did that because you need a spot to get onto the ice that is not rough with frozen slush.  Lesson learned!   After the next hole was drilled, I did not throw slush onto that flattened snow!   J

We ran out of gas for the auger before we could drill the last hole so we returned to the Lodge after about an hour.  The fishnet is still in Yellowknife so we cannot put it into the water anyway.  We will do that on Monday.

 Erin and the tent pole group snowshoed somewhere across the lake to cut down trees for tent poles.  Keenan took the skidoo to bring the logs back.  They were too short and green trees so were very heavy.  Modeste said that the tent “would be small” because the poles were short! 

 The Language lecture with Lena Ddrygeese started after dinner.  It was fun learning the new T’licho (Dogrib) words and typing them out phonetically so that I would be able to remember the vocabulary.  Keenan was quite keen to know how to say “beautiful” and “girl” and “I love you” … who knows what he is planning!!!  J

He gives me lots of hugs which I need sometimes, especially after the sharing circles.  He really is a sweet boy.  I hope that he can get as much as he is able to from this school work.    He worked really well with Matt the solar guy and seemed quite interested in Matt’s business and solar energy options.

Tomorrow we are to be cooking dinner as it is the cooks’ night off.    Frankie says she is looking forward to having traditional foods cooked the traditional ways on her Sunday nights off.  We shall see.

Good Night.    Cristine

It has been a whole week since we arrived and begun our Dechinta course. We have discussed Climate Change, Alternative Energy, Tar Sands, watched the village of widows and shared our stories backgrouds our concerns for our communities and the World. It has been wonderful being here learning and working on the land.

melaw

I awoke to feeling hungry this morning so that was a good sign.  It is amazing how well – and hungry — you can feel after 24 hours of feeling lousy after stomach flu!   

We began the day with the installation of the solar panels.  Matthew from Yellowknife is here to organize us and tell us what to do.  Under the supervision of Wade Carpenter, the men began with removing the old batteries from the basement and installing the new ones.  One old one leaked slightly so there was a panic in case it had leaked on people. But it was just coming out of the overflow on the top.  They were moving them with a dolly which was tipping them slightly.  So, Erin got some long poles and four of the men were able to tote the rest of the batteries out of the basement with ease. 

In the meantime we women were up on the deck, helping Matthew measure and cut the metal slats for the frame on the roof.  He never cuts and measures before he gets on site in case something is wrong with the roof and he has to change his design.  So we had to drill all the holes in the metal framing today.  Then the framing and the solar panels had to be carried up onto the roof.  Sam does not like heights.  I don’t mind heights… it’s getting off the ladder 20 feet up that bothers me.  The others were very agile and had no problem. 

After lunch Erin and I helped Modeste make loops of wire snares as he was taking us out to show us how to set rabbit snares.  I was interested to see that the pole to which the snare is “tied” is only about a ½” to 1” small tree.  It is stuck into the snow at an angle beside a much larger tree.  The snare wire is wrapped around the angled pole, with the large loop a hand’s height above the snow.  Then smaller twigs are taken from the spruce trees, denuded of their tiny branches and stuck in the snow, making a trail up to the noose. 

Modeste says that the rabbits run around fast when it is cold, but in “warm” weather like today (at about -10C), they hop around slowly, watching out for where they are going.  So, in the warmer weather, it is harder to snare rabbits.  Therefore, we may not be lucky!  Modeste says that he has brought his fur stretchers.  I may be lucky and have new rabbit fur trim for my slippers and mitts before I go home!  One of the men said he saw a rabbit this morning.  Its coat is turning from white to brown already.

At one of the spots where we set a snare, there was a large rabbit track.  The feet were about the size of a small child’s hand or Taco’s foot.  You could see the fur around each paw.  On the way back, at both ends of one of the lakes, Modeste pointed out two beaver lodges poking up out of the snow.  There was also a low dam at one end of the lake – it wound around the shoreline for over a hundred feet – as Modeste said, just to keep in the water so it would not drain away.  I have never seen such a long, undulating dam before.  Interesting. 

Just where the dam meets the skidoo trail back into the portage, we stopped so  Modeste could point out some very strange tracks.  They were two otters who had been playing  —  running and then sliding in the snow; running and then sliding.  You could just see the fun they must have been having, sliding along beside each other. 

Modeste also pointed out some wolverine tracks but did not slow down for us to take a photo.  I have photos of the otter and large rabbit tracks though. 

We arrived back at the Lodge to more solar panel installing.  Melaw, whose name means “Little Hand”, lived up to her name today.  When we had to modify the design of the frame a bit, she had the small hands necessary to screw in the bolts into the new hard-to-get-at spots.   

The frame is made.  The panels are installed.  Tomorrow we will have to connect the panels up electrically.  I am hoping that Matt gives us girls a “battery” lesson as we missed that this morning.  Erin says that we will be able to calculate how much diesel fuel we save after tomorrow to our departure date.  We can line up the fuel barrels and take a photo of all of us – showing what our installation of the new solar panels have saved the Lodge.  She says that the old solar system has not been functioning for more than a year. 

We are having a “night off” tonight with no lectures.  We are all tired from the day in the sun.  I am hoping that the wind does not come up tonight as the back part of the solar panel frame is not yet screwed into the roof.  Matt is not worried.  I hope that he is right. 

I am very excited to learn all about these solar panels.  I was anxious to have them at my house about 4 years ago.  When I got the estimate for the costs, it was too expensive compared to connecting the house to the power grid.  Now, Wade tells me that his solar panels are on the walls of his houseboat so that the snow does not cover them.  There is enough reflection from the snow and, in the summer, from the water, to negate any disadvantages of not having the panels angled to the sun.   

Since I have been back in the house, living by myself, I have not been using much hot water.  I have been considering turning off the hot water heater and just turning it on when I need to do laundry or have a bath.  If I had a solar hot water heater, in the summer, I probably would not have to have the hot water tank on at all.  I have not talked to Wade or Matt about this idea, but it is intriguing.  I don’t know if the system would work in the winter, or if it would have to be dismantled in the fall if it freezes.

 We ended the evening with a fabulous sharing circle.  Amazing stories from some amazing people.  Good night everyone.  Sleep well.

Cristine

Hello wandering soul that stumbled upon my blog ! my name is Sam Jr. Mantla and so far we have been here at Blachford lodge for about four days i believe, it was an excellent plane ride over here, although i did sleep in and missed the Ski-doo ride at 8:30 am. the people come from different backgrounds, and we all have some really enjoyable stories. Our classes are fun filled with discussions afterwards, there is so much to do here, it’s hard to choose at sometime to study or go skiing, hopefully the next couple of weeks we don’t turn into savages and lose being civil. i guess until next time?

This time tomorrow we will all be at Blachford.  I am packed and getting ready for bed.  I am looking forward to meeting all of you.  I wish us all a safe journey and joyous times …

Cristine

Hello everyone! My name is Eli, I’ll be joining the group from Victoria, BC. I am excited to meet all of you, see the land. The furthest north I have been before is the Caribou Region, so this will really be an experience for me. Hope I brought enough gear!

Looking forward to the land-based projects, getting my hands dirty, and discussing these books and readings. Very interested in the sustainable living ideas so far, it’ll be fun to work with some solar panels and wind turbines.

I hope to take a lot of photographs while at Dechinta. Have a look at my tumblr if you’re interested. I often use toy cameras with black and white film, but will be bringing equipment with me to take more colour pictures. I want to combine something written with my images after returning from this journey.

See you all on Saturday, very excited for the snowmobile trek!

Hello to everyone, looking forward to meeting the group.  My name is Lesley, and I’m happy to be sharing this experience with you all.  I’m interested in learning how different types of knowledge can be honoured and harmonized, especially in the context of the North, which has been my home for the past five years.  I’m especially excited to be doing land-based activities while we’re out.  My course of study will be a bit different, but will be blended with the core courses and the context of the learning environment. 

Fingers crossed I can get my skidoo running today.

my family and I are excited to return to Dechinta for the Spring. I am looking forward to being on the land and learning. My name is Melaw Nahkehk’o I am from Fort Simpson Nt, born and raised in the north. I am very blessed to have this opportunity again to see the evolution and growth of Dechinta meeting and working with new students, work my moosehide tanning skills.

Hi, my name is Kali .I am honored to attend Dechinta.  I am looking forward to learning more about traditional living and self governance. I hope to be able to start the proccess of healing and decolonization. I am excited to be able to share knowledge during this process and after.

I went looking for my gear list today and could not find it.  So I searched and found the email whcih had the list as an attachment.  I had completely forgotten what the email had said as I re-read it and realized that I had missed something. 

I just finished watching the 1 1/2 hour video with Glen and Erin.  Answered some questions, posed some others which you then answered…  Why can’t people SEE the advantage of land based pedagogy or are we too blinded by the eurocentric Western ideas of education?  I can hardly wait to get started next week.
Cristine

I seem to have a Size 6 pair of snowboots.  I was wearing them today to walk the dog and they are a bit snug.  Does anyone need a smaller pair and could trade me for a Size 7 Ladies???

Cristine