For those of you who don’t know, that is the greeting of “Hello” in the Dene language. Churchill has always been well known for its nature. From polar bears, to belugas, to the beauty of the northern lights, it has been well known for many years. But what makes the town of Churchill deep down, is its aboriginal culture and their contributions to our history, which we got to experience full on today.
Shelves full of traditional Aborginal sculptures greeted us at the Eskimo museum. Some told stories of success, some of history and some... well... read for yourself:
Polar Bear Kills Walrus
“The bear surprises the sleeping walrus on the ice. Picking up a piece of ice he crushes the head of the walrus. If the piece of ice is too light to kill the walrus the bear will dip it in and out of the water until the size is increased.”
We don’t know about you, but we always thought that a “bear kills walrus” situation would include more teeth and claws. You really do learn something new every day.
Are you the kind of person who follows the “three second rule” when you drop your food on the ground? How about the “couple of weeks, probably stepped on by a bear” rule? That’s the way they do it up here.
Seaside Sandwort. Sounds disgusting... tastes like beans.
Kelp on the other hand... looks disgusting and tastes like plastic. We didn’t try it, but kudos to Jolene for trying.
Who knows how long that’s been on the beach?
One of Doug’s old friends, Caroline, a Sayisi Dene, came in to share her stories. She described what it was like to grow up as a Dene, and the culture of her elders. But the part we enjoyed most about Caroline’s memories was how nothing was ever wasted with the Dene tribe. Every part of the caribou could be used for food, clothing, bags, and toys. Who knew that a game made out of old caribou bones could be so much fun?
Sarah & Megan
No comments:
Post a Comment