I thought it was time to get back to my blog. This summer when I was home so many people mentioned my blog and were disappointed that I hadn't continued to post my story. Even my daughter said I had better start again!
So here we go...
We finished our ten months in Lutsel K'e. We met so many great people and I really loved (and miss) the students. But it is such a sad and sort of hopeless place that we just couldn't face another year.
In May I applied for and was offered the job of Instructional Coach at Harry Camsell School in Hay River.
I will end this post and shall once again post regularly in the coming days and into 2015.
Ever since the lake started to freeze there have been people out fishing. We knew that a net was set between two holes. We just didn't know how they got the net under the ice between the holes. When we asked the local people they would start to explain and then say, "we will have to show you". It is simple but it is too complicated to explain. On Friday the high school students set a net under the guidance of Herman and James. David and I were invited to come along and watch (and learn). This is the goal,
So I will try to explain through pictures and videos and diagrams. We were out on the ice for two and a half hours and nine high school students helped out and learned as well. James and Herman are seasoned fisherman and patient teachers.
We all trooped out onto the lake. Herman wanted to set the net about a quarter of a mile out.
This is James and David. James is a teacher at the school. He is a fisherman and he also is a trapper.
We chopped and chiseled a hole in the ice. The ice was about 6-8 inches thick in most places. Herman told us to spread out. That didn't make me nervous at all!
We pushed a 15 foot pole under the ice and then pushed it with a stick. It had a long rope attached to it. We then looked through the ice to see where it was. It was easier than it sounds. At that point we chiseled and chopped through the ice again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqE_zC7eya8
These are Herman's mitts. They are older than him and he is older than me!
Once we pushed the pole along hole by hole we were ready to set the net. We put holes in the ice about every 20 to 25 feet. I keep saying "we" but really the kids and Herman did most of the work.
The nets were tied at the first hole and the last. They were weighed down with rocks.
This is David and James. James was looking up at a lowing flying Dash8. We never see planes like that around here. I'm not even sure they can land on the LK airstrip.
It wasn't all work and I love it when 17 years still make snow angels. We set off for home and Herman asked all of us to come back at one o'clock the next day to check the nets.
The next day,
We had to recut the two holes. About 2 inches of ice had formed over them.
Only two high school students turned up to help. This is Sweetgrass and Honey Rain. Lovely girls and good workers. We all look frozen but really we weren't.
This is what is looked like when we pulled up the net. I couldn't get over the number of fish we caught. We have to untangle the fish before the net froze to them. Herman was the only one good at this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONeTdwcJfPw We caught forty fish. 33 trout and 7 whitefish.
What a crew!
Herman and David pulled the sled part way home and then Sweetgrass hauled it the rest of the way home behind her skidoo.
The fish will be shared throughout the community. Even the dogs will get some of the fish. A net like the one we set can provide fish for an entire family for the winter (including the dogs and ravens).
For my post today I would like to take you on a trip around LK. I have taken these pictures over the last few weeks. I will start at our house and take you straight into the community and then back up over the hill. This our house as we leave the driveway.
Now we are heading down the road to LK. It is about a 10-12 minute walk to the end of the peninsula.
Here some of the houses we go past. Many of them are empty. Many of them are damaged. Some of the houses here are owned by the band and many are owned by GNWT housing. Because the GNWT Housing homes are expensive and require an acceptable credit rating, they are empty.
The following houses are occupied by families.
This is the chief's house
This one is really fun. It is surrounded by 'caribou'. Most of the houses have tepees too.
This is the health centre. There are always two nurses available. One nurse has been here for 4 years and the another nurse comes and lives here for 3 to 6 weeks at a time so there is a constant turn over of nurses.
Now this is the main part of town, kinda like Downtown LK.
The Co-op
Our first house
The community hall
The community hall logo
The church
Our friend, Edwaurd's house. (Brother Prince)
David and Edwaurd
The band office
Nice tepee
The Elders' (old folk's) home
The rink
Typical sled for the dogs or a skidoo to pull
Some more houses
This one has the truck, the skidoo, the quad and the snowshoes
This is the school secretary's house.
This road leads back to our road
The brown house is called the 'Project' house and it is used for our sewing/beading classes, for Addiction counselling, for mothers and tots programs and for sheltering women in need. These are all programs that are run by the band and the social/wellness agencies in the community.
This is Chewy and Mindy who walk with David everyday. They are still alive, thankfully and so far have survived the winter dog culling.
