Miller, Anne-Marie

Canadian Woman Studies / les cahiers de la femme (E-Journal, York University)

Courtesy Yukon Archives, Claude Tidd Collection CANADIAN WOMAN STUDIESJLES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME Conversations with Our Elders by Anne-Marie Miller Cet amrtrc& contient ais passages tirh d'entrevues avec trois ai:nt(e)s de certaincs communautCs du Yukon. I have interviewed Elders from the Kwanlin Dun First Nation in Whitehorse and from the Ta'an Kwach'an from Lake Labarge. I have also travelled to the communities of Haines Junction, Dawson City, Mayo, and Pelly Crossing. The First Nations Elders I have interviewed have contributed immensely to the teachings and knowledge of the tra- ditional way of life. They have shared the experiences of their traditional upbringing and how changes throughout the years have affected them and their roles as women. Mary Hager is an Elder from the Na-cho N' Yak Dun First Nation in Mayo, Yukon. She is from the Wolf clan and was born in 1907. Growing up, Mary lived a very traditional life- style. She was taught by her parents and spent her childhood sewing, tan- ning hides, assisting her dad trap- ping. Mary speaks Northern Tutchone, and is also fluent in the Gwitchin dialect. She enjoys meeting people and loves to share her stories and knowledge. She brings laughter and good feelings to everyone she meets. She especially loves to make bannock and always has a welcoming smile for everyone. W%ere were you born? Way down my grandfather coun- try, they call Dagou. That's the place I born, I born 1907. I'm really old now. And now we just stay here, use to be when we go move somewhere, we got to go with a dogpack, that's for our food, long time ago people do that. And now this time, everything just easy, everything, camping too. Easy life now, this time. That's why some of the boys, young people lazy, don't want to do anything. Use to be just kid, even kid, he set snare. Now this time, it's so different. When the highway come through, there was a lot of changes. Yeah, lots ofchanges. And the high- way, they bring cow and pig and they bring to here, that's the moose for Mayo. MarthaTaylor is an Elder from the Dawson First Nation. She is from the Crow clan and will be celebrating her 94th birthday in May. She was born and raised in the Dawson area. She has a good sense of humour and enjoys meeting and visiting people. Martha has shared much ofher teach- ing and knowledge. The kindness, warmth and sense of humour Martha bestows onto others is a strength that is not forgotten. She spends her past time doing occasional beadwork G2n you tefl me where you were born? At the mouth of Klondike, other side, where that slide there. And that's where we all born there. My mother and my dad they come from Alaska. We got nothing to do with it us. We stay there, we born over here you know. Oh, talkabout you don't know nothing. Look at what they got for needle, we just try andmake mocassin, everything. Did you go to school? No, we don't know, we don't know what school. How were you taught? My mother. What things did your mother teach you? Oh, lots of things. The way they got to be it. Not like this girl run around all over the place, we gotta stay home, do work. Irene Adamson is an Elder from theTa'an Kwach'an First Nation from Lake Labarge. She is from the Wolf clan and was born in 1923. She spent her childhood in the Lake Labarge area. Irene lives in Whitehorse with her husband John, but still enjoys going to Lake Labarge whenever time allows. This helps her to maintain her traditional lifestyle of hunting, trap- ping and fishing. Irene is an inspira- tion to all who comes in contact with her. She has contributed immensely to the teachings of traditional living and is quite active in offering sup- port, guidance and direction to indi- viduals, groups and organizations. You were raised down in Lake Labarge, can you tell me was there an Indian namefor thatpkzce? Well, Lake Labarge is known as Ta irn. Well, Lake Labarge we use to when I was growing up all my aunt and uncles and we were hunters, all the Indians are hunters. That's our livelihood, we're hunters, we're fish- ing, I guess a long time ago, that's what our ancestors were doing is fuh- ing and hunting. So we still do that. When I was growing up, that's how we use to make our living. We use to trap in winter time and then we sell our h r .  I seen a lot of changes here since I was growing up. I want to ask you a fnv questions about education. I didn't went to school. There was no public school here, I mean there was no school here for the Indian children. I was taught how to read and write by my uncle, Frankie Jim while we're out in the trapline. That's how I learn how to read and write but other than that, I haven't got no education. Anne-Marie M i f k  was born andraised in the Yukon Territory. She lives in Whitehorse and works as a researcher on the E h '  Documentation Project at Council fir Yukon Indians. She is j%m the Tairm Kwachirn First Na- tion. Anne Mark ir the mother of three children, Owen, Becky, and Jeremy. She has a diploma in social work and enjoys working with people. VOLUME 14, NUMBER 4 

Conversations with Our Elders

https://cws.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/cws/article/download/9541/8658

Conversations with Our Elders

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Canadian Woman Studies / les cahiers de la femme (E-Journal, York University)