Thanksgiving Thanks

It's time like these when I can't believe how great God is! It is so true that when He closes a door, He opens a window.

Greg has had several difficult days in a row, and has come home and been very depressed.  It is difficult to see him like this, and it made me sad and depressed too.  The kids noticed, and they have been concerned too.  It's not homesickness...it's just life biting us in the butt.  However, just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, Greg received a very happy phone call and things are looking much much better.  I'll be able to blog more about this later on in the week, but suffice to say, the spark is back in Greg's eye and he is laughing again.  The Greg I know and love has returned, and that has boosted me, too.  Thank you to our Prayer Army, our Guardian Angels (who must be working overtime these days), and to God!!

Tonight there was a Thanksgiving Feast at Kitti Hall, the Community Centre here in Tuk.  While we did not attend the actual supper at the hall, we did go to watch the traditional Inuvialuctin drumming and dancing.  A few students of ours were taking part, and we wanted to see them in action.  The dances are short, and tell stories about whale and caribou hunting as well as other particular stories passed down through the generations.  There are both male and female dancers.

In order to drum or dance, you have to be in a good state of mind both spiritually and mentally.  I relate it to sin-free Christians receiving Communion.  The boys are all teenagers or young men and they wear a white homemade shirt with a hood over their regular clothing and handmade traditional mukluks when they drum.  The drums are about two feet in diameter, and covered in something white, probably animal hide, and about 6 inches deep.  To me, they resemble large embroidery hoops, just a little deeper.  They bang them with a wooden stick, and they all look the same.  While they are banging their drums in sync, they also sing/chant.  During each song, they get to a point where instead of banging the front of the drum, they hit the back of it too really hard and the beats are closer together than they are when they are beating the front.  The songs are short, but each one definitely tells a story.

As for the dancers, the boys wear what they have on to drum but they add a pair of traditional animal hide gloves trimmed with fur and embroidered.   The dance moves for a guy involve a stepping from side to side and then when the drumming gets louder and the beats are closer together, they bend in a partial squatting position while pounding one foot to the ground, and the other leg is turning them around.   It is quite complicated but really neat to watch.  Their hand gestures all look like they are holding a harpoon or hunting weapon and throwing it.

The girls wear a traditional handmade shirt, usually made of a cotton floral and colourful trim, or a dress, again floral cotton with a square neck, short puffed sleeves and a ruffle at the bottom of the dress, which goes to their mid shin.  The ladies, too, wear mukluks. When the ladies dance they move from side to side and their hand gestures are much more subtle and vague.  There is a lot of side to side movement and twisting the hands, which are held open with fingers straight, back and forth. The females' dances are usually about helping on the hunt, skinning and traditional female activities that occur around hunting.  Sometimes you will see a girl drumming but most of the time it is the males who drum.  Occasionally there will be a dance for both boys and girls, too.

There is one boy in Grade 7 whom I taught and who Greg currently teaches who was drumming and dancing tonight.  He doesn't have much to say or do in class, and he defies all the rules about no hats in the school.  He attends school semi-regularly but he is not interested in classroom learning.  He is, however, an avid dancer, drummer and hunter.  He is a proud Inuvialuctin and I have never seen that made more clear than tonight.  He was incredible!  It was amazing to see him dancing, singing and drumming with his piers, a smile on his face and looking relaxed and confident, a true and proud young man.  I also watched a lot of the younger boys watching him and the other drummers and dancers and you could see the admiration in their eyes.  It was inspiring.

Toward the end of the drumming and dancing, there was an announcement that the last dances were for everyone to enjoy.  Before I knew it, this student, who for some reason calls Greg 'Mike', was in front of us, handing a pair of traditional gloves to Greg.  He said, "Hey Mike, will you come and dance with me?".  It took Greg a nanosecond to accept the gloves, and go to the dance floor.  Apparently, when a man wants to invite another man to dance with him, he hands him his gloves to wear.  It's a pretty big thing.  Greg knew this and was humbled that this student thought well enough of him to ask him.  Before long, all the other staff, including me, were called by name to come and join the women dancing.  It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed hearing the drums behind me while I moved to the beat, watching the female dancers like a hawk!  It was also neat watching this student show Greg the dance moves and going slow and deliberate so that Greg could get the hang of it.

After it was over, Greg looked at me and said, "How many people do you know who are invited to dance the traditional dances of the Inuvialuctin people?  Wow!!".  This student said he was really happy that Greg took up his challenge and hoped that he would dance with him again at the Christmas feast and Greg was most pleased to be asked already.

Later on, we were at the local grocery store, which is open until 10:00p.m., picking up a few items, and this student and his friends walked in, baseball caps securely fastened on their heads again.  I thanked them for inviting us to dance and told them how incredible it was to hear the drums and listen to them sing and chant.  I asked them if there was a way to know what stories or legends they are re-enacting when they dance, and they said that when we come to their practices, all we have to do is ask and the leaders will tell us.

We were really sorry that we didn't have our camera with us, especially because I now know that it is okay to film them.  I haven't had the nerve to ask them before because I felt like an outsider, but now I know they don't mind, and I look forward to posting some pics about them.  They are quite a sight and the drumming goes right down into your soul.  It is quite a spiritual experience.

Anyway, for as many challenges as we have experienced over the last few weeks, this evening has really shown me that we DO have much to be thankful for celebrating Thanksgiving up here in the North.  As we left Stanton's, there was a whole crowd of people in the front of the store who all shouted out "Happy Thanksgiving Mr. and Mrs. Wilson!" and we shouted the same greeting back.  We knew the majority of the people in the store, and it was an incredible feeling.

Before I finish up, I want to express how grateful we are for all your prayers and support, because without them I don't know if we would be experiencing some of the eye-opening things we have, and your love is what spurs us forward when we want to turn and run.

Sometimes it's really difficult to express all the love and gratitude we feel for you, but please know that we truly are grateful for your love and support.

Thank You.

On the Outside Looking In

We sent Greg out to Yellowknife last Sunday, along with all the other permanent teachers in Tuk,  who joined 800 teachers from throughout the Northwest Territories at a three day conference.  He was busy going from session to session and listening to the keynote speakers, and he surprised a few vendors and speakers who were there, too.  

You see, First Nations Education is a small and intimate circle in Canada, and for as large as Canada is, the leading experts and people 'in the know' for First Nations/Metis/Inuit Education collect a lot of air miles with the travelling and speaking engagements in which they participate across our fair country.  Several people's eyes popped out of their heads when they saw Greg.  "What on earth are you doing HERE?" was uttered/stammered/exclaimed by them, and when Greg told them the quick and dirty version of how we came to be in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, they were amazed, but they understood.  Sadly, it is a story that we are hearing more and more often about teachers in Ontario.  No jobs means you go to the place that will give you one!

Anyway, Greg met up with some old associates from his IEC days, not to mention some vendors.  Nelson Publishing was there flogging the books that Greg helped to get published that are legends from the Muncey Reserve, which is the reserve on which he worked outside of London.  These levelled readers are available from the Kindergarten to Grade 6 level and were designed to teach children about some of  their traditional stories and legends.  Nelson was there to show other First Nations what they can do with their own legends to help carry on their culture. Greg had been telling some staff members about these books recently, and was able to pick up a copy of them and say, "See? Here's what I was telling you about!".  That was pretty cool for Greg.

The other thing that happened is that everywhere Greg went, he saw quotes from and textbooks by a woman named Sharon Friesen.  She is a professor at the University of Calgary and she has helped to developed the framework that the Ministry of Education in the NWT is using to improve education over the next ten years.  Anybody in the field of education here in the NWT knows her and uses her name in hushed, awed tones.  She also happens to be Greg's thesis supervisor for his doctoral studies.  When various VIPs discovered this, their eyes bugged out of their heads!  This means that Greg must speak with her on a regular basis - and he can soak up as much knowledge from her as possible.  Wow!!  Greg has really enjoyed working with and learning from Sharon over the years, but he had no idea how much influence she has in First Nations Education!

Greg has pretty well felt his whole life that he has been an observer, always on the outside looking in.  He realized this about himself at fairly young age, and by his adolescence had come to terms with it.  It is one of the reasons he is such a good listener and deep thinker.  When you are always watching, it gives you time to think.  (Incidentally, the name Gregory means Watchful.)  When Greg was working with the Indigenous Education Coalition, IEC for short, he became very involved in First Nations Education, despite the fact that he was already working on his thesis which was about FNE, and he had taught on a few different reserves.  The IEC, however, exposed him to various First Nations Organizations at both a provincial and federal level, and he had the opportunity to meet several people who are important in the field of First Nations/Metis/Inuit Education.  He was aware each time that he met someone of substance, but he didn't realize that he was memorable to them, too. When the IEC had to cut Greg loose due to loss of funding, Greg figured his days of being on the edge of First Nations Education were over, so imagine his shock and surprise when he not only met some of these people, but they recognized him!  

Greg has realized that when God closes a door, he always opens a window, and now that he is no longer affiliated with the IEC, he can build these relationships and further his career.  Greg is memorable; he is worth knowing; and perhaps he is more on the inside of his chosen profession than he realized.

A Tour of Tuk - Part One

A Tour of Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories

by James Wilson  (photographer),

Patrick and Charlotte Wilson (van passengers),

and Jen Wilson (driver of the van)

Hello Dear Friends and Family!

Welcome to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories!  Today it is snowing and it's a balmy 1C.  It is a grey day, as the fall days tend to be up here, and since we are out of school for the week, I thought we should take a drive and introduce you to our community.  We took pics of several buildings and landmarks but we decided to portion them out over a few blog postings.  James became very interested in taking the pics and getting  'just the right' shot, and Patrick and Charlotte sure did enjoy driving around and listening to Weird Al Yankovic while James and I worked on our project.  James also learned how to download pics from the camera to the Apple Desktop, so that's cool too.  It's always good to learn!

So...here is our house.

Nah.  Just kidding.  This ramshackle old thing is the pretty little eyesore at the corner to our street, though. We don't think anybody lives in it, or at least we hope not!

THIS is our house...and some people you may recognize. Patrick insisted on standing right behind Charlotte, but all three of the Wilson Kidlets are there, along with our box of groceries placed on the railing of the deck. Can you see the yellow box?  A giant box of  48 Eggo waffles was on sale for $12.99!!  That is an incredible price for up here and since we FINALLY have a deep freezer for the first time ever in the history of our family, we bought a box.

All the buildings are built on pilings, as you can see, due to the permafrost.  This means that everybody has a deck or front porch at the front of their house to accommodate the stairs to get to your front door!  We have a lovely front deck, but we can't figure out why because it just means that we have to shovel it in the winter and nobody wants to sit outside in the spring or summer because the mosquitoes are the size of small birds.  Oh well.  We have a generous front deck.

The house was built by the current owner's brother about 7 years ago. Shortly after they moved in, his wife wanted to go back to school so they moved to Inuvik and they've been there ever since.  They sold the house to the current owner, his sister, who lived here happily with her boyfriend and two kids until she decided she wanted to go back to school.  She was an Educational Assistant at the school and is going to school to be a Teacher, so she decided she wanted to rent the house to somebody in the education field.  All that was available in Tuk were one bedroom apartments suitable for the typical person who comes to Tuk to teach, a young single at the beginning of his/her career, or an older, experienced professional who wants to try something different at the end of his/her career.  This second type of person may bring a spouse with them but all their kids are typically grown.  It was quite unusual for a teacher with a family to be headed up here and so townsfolk were most impressed and curious about us.  It also worked to both our advantage because we needed a three-bedroom house, and our Land Lady needed to rent one in order to attend school.

The red box in the front....in case you missed it....is our garbage box.  Every house that is occupied in Tuk has a red box placed near its stairs.  When your garbage is collected the lid is left open and you leave it open until you have something to put in it, and then you close the lid.  Garbage is collected every couple of days. We think the white boxes are for dirt so you can use it for your own driveway, but we are unsure.  We will ask soon, in case there is something we should have in there to prepare us for the snow, which, as you can see from the first picture, has begun to arrive.

That is all you are going to see of our house for the moment.  We will devote another blog to our house and give you the grand tour.  I want to hang up all our pictures and finish unpacking our last few boxes before you get to see the inside...unless you Face Time us....then I'll give you a personalized grand tour, and I'll just steer you around the remaining moving boxes.

Moving onward.  Here are some pics of the centre of our universe, Mangilaluk School. The picture to the left here shows the ramp leading to the main entrance of the school.  The big yellow part off to the right of the door is the gymnasium. When you turn to the left there is the rest of the school. The school forms a rectangle, and where you walk in is one of the short sides, with the office and bathrooms.  Down the one long hallway as seen below, is the primary wing.  This houses Junior Kindergarten (a new addition this year...up until this year children started school in Senior Kindergarten) all the way to Grade 4.  The other long hallway houses Grades 5 to 8. 

The final side, the second short side along the back of the school houses the high school.  Up here high school doesn't actually start until Grade 10, but the Grade 9 classes are in the high school wing because there's no room for them elsewhere.  The library is in the middle part of the school toward the back.  It is small, but well stocked and is open to the community from 4-7 four nights a week.  I don't think it is open on the weekends.  There are bathrooms in the high school wing for just the high school students, along with Shop and Family Studies rooms.  The school is full to bursting and they badly need more space.  I have heard that there is talk of building a new wing for the school but I'm not sure when or how it is going to occur.

The playground is outside the front of the school and it is a pretty cool one as playgrounds go.  The primary kids have a separate recess from the junior kids so everybody has ample time to play on the equipment.

 This red building is called Stanton's.  It is a grocery store owned by the Hamlet of Tuk.  The Manager of the store's name is Marius, and he is one of our Go To people for all things Tuk.  His wife works as an EA at the school and they are from Newfoundland.  They are wonderful and some of the warmest and most welcoming people I have ever met.  This store has your typical groceries, but some of their goods are sold at a lower price than the Northern Store, the other grocery store in town.  This is to help supplement the cost of living in the north.  If you are going to do a proper grocery run, you would typically visit both stores because there are items sold at one store that aren't available at others, and one store will sell something that is less expensive at the other store and vice versa.  We have learned this lesson ourselves, and when we mentioned it to other staff members, they laughed and said, "Oh you've figured that out already? Good for you!".  I will take you on a tour of Stanton's and the Northern Store the next time we go grocery shopping so you can see what prices are like.
 The Northern Store has the post office in it, and so we also took a picture of the Canada Post sign.  We figured you'd get a kick out of seeing the syllabics for Tuk written underneath the name.  There is also something whimsical about seeing the actual name of Tuktoyaktuk on a Canada Post sign.  Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.  Yes, Friends and Family, there is a Tuktoyaktuk!  A few other things about the Northern Store worth mentioning...they sell more than just groceries.  They have a small clothing section, a baby section, housewares, hardware, toys, furniture and more.  The building isn't very big, so it's all crammed in there. I also think they have a catalogue from which you can order all kinds of stuff.  I'm going to ask about that.  When you are on medication, the Northern Store in Inuvik fills your prescription and flies it to Tuk.  You can pick up your prescriptions at the Northern Store here.  I am quite happy about that, considering I am on a few different regular medications.  You will notice the ramps coming from both stores.  I thought it was for grocery carts, but that is not the case.  Grocery carts do not leave the store, and they do not use bags up here.  You get cardboard boxes a la No Frills and use the cardboard to burn in your wood burning stove. How convenient!

As this is running a little long, we will save the rest of our pics for another blog in a few days.  However, James said to me, "You HAVE to show them a picture of the Arctic Ocean, Mom!" so, here you go....some pics of the Arctic Ocean, which we can see from our house.  James took this picture as we were driving by it on our way back home.  Notice all the driftwood?  This gets pushed up the McKenzie River and winds up being deposited all along the shore line of the ocean.  Pretty soon the locals who supply firewood for a living will be hauling the wood off the shore and storing it on their yards under tarps to cut for next year's firewood.  It's pretty saturated, so it needs to sit for a year to dry out.

Since it is so cloudy and snowy out in the fall and the snow clouds are so dense and dark, our daily life occurs in shades of grey, as you can see from these two pics of the ocean.  The clouds are heavy, although lightening.  We are hoping the sky will clear and we can enjoy some sunshine before the sun sets.  This morning the clouds were so dark, the streetlights were on until about 9:00.  Currently the sun rises around 8:30 am and is setting around 9:30 p.m.  Over the weekend the sky was clear and the Northern Lights were dancing in the sky! One night the Lights were green, yellow, pink and purple!   I will experiment with the settings on my fancy camera and see if I can get some decent pics of the Northern Lights.

 Some things, however, just have to be seen in person to appreciate.