Day: 13

A Visit with Oliver

Temperature: -20

Location: Lutselk'e, NWT

Latitude: 62deg 24' 13''

Longitude: 110deg 44' 13''

Distance Traveled: 0 Miles

This is our second day in the village of Lutselk’e, our last day here. We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock. We did a school talk today, with about 85 kids from first to tenth grade. We did a presentation with the tents and the sleeping bags and the dogs, who were an especially big hit. The whole school went down to see the dogs, and we had kids climbing all over the dogs. The dogs are very well rested, and were a little rambunctious today, snapping at the ravens that were trying to take their food.

I have a special guest here tonight, Oliver, a Frenchman who has spent many years in Lutselk’e with the elders, and he is going to say a few words:

“Hello, this is Oliver. I am originally from France. It is a little noisy right now with all the Ski-Doos, as usual. I’ve been living in the north and especially in Lutselk’e for a few years, just learning the old ways, the traditional ways, from the elders. Some ways are disappearing, and pretty fast. This world is changing pretty fast.

“Lutselk’e is a village of the people of the caribou. The caribou are not far from here, so everybody is happy. It is a very good place, lots of fish, lots of caribou. Really good country. Anyway, have a good time everybody. That’s all.”