Gwichya Gwich'in Googwandak The History and Stories of the Gwichya Gwich'in As Told by the Elders of Tsiigehtshik —revised edition— Michael Heine, Alestine Andre, Ingrid Kritsch & Alma Cardinal Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute Tsiigehtshik and Fort McPherson, NT © 2007 The Elders of Tsiigehtshik with Michael Heine, Alestine Andre, Ingrid Kritsch & Alma Cardinal Gwichya Gwich'in Googwandak. The History and Stories of the Gwichya Gwich'in, As Told by the Elders of Tsiigehtshik. revised edition © 2007 Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute. Tsiigehtshik & Fort McPherson, NT. ISBN 978-1-896337-11-1 All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute. Brief passages may be quoted. Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute P.O. Box 46 P.O. Box 30 Tsiigehtshik, NT X0E 0B0 Fort McPherson, NT X0E 0J0 Canada http://www.gwichin.ca The maps on pages 44 and 49 are reprinted by permission of the Handbook of North American Indians from, June Helm (ed.), Sub-Arctic. Handbook of North American Indians. Vol. 6. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, © 1981. The illustrations on pages 74, 103, and 115 are reprinted by permission of Yale Univer- sity Press from, Cornelius Osgood, Contributions to the Ethnography of the Kutchin, Yale University Publications in Anthropology, 14 (1936). © Yale University Press. All other rights are acknowledged in the source captions. The photo on the front cover shows a Gwichya Gwich'in woman preparing to leave the Flats; photo cour- tesy of the Roman Catholic Diocesan Archives, Yellowknife, NT. The photo on the back cover shows Edward and Joan Nazon’s fish camp in the early 1980s; photo courtesy of the late Joan Nazon, Tsiigehtshik, NT. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Gwichya Gwich'in Googwandak : the history and stories of the Gwichya Gwich'in : as told by the Elders of Tsiigehtshik / Michael Heine, Alestine Andre, Ingrid Kritsch, Alma Cardinal -- Rev. ed. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-896337-11-1 1. Gwich'in Indians--History. 2. Gwich'in Indians--Social life and customs. I. Heine, Michael K. II. Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute E99.K84G84 2007 971'.004972 C2007-902655-9 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents i List of Illustrations xi List of Tables xiv List of Maps xiv Introduction xv Chapter 1 The Earliest Days of the Land 1 Why Raven’s feet have only three toes 1 ThestoriesofGwichyaGwich'inhistory 3 Ts'ii deii days — When people and animals were equals 3 Daii dhakhaii — When things began to change 4 Astoryforthefuture 5 The story told in this book 6 Chapter 2 The Stories of Gwichya Gwich'in History 7 Ts'ii deii days — When animals and people were equals 7 Ts'ii deii days — the adventures of Raven 8 The colour of Raven and Loon 8 Raven and the Grebes 9 Raven recovers the sun 11 Chii t'iet — why Red Fox runs with a slight limp 11 Ts'ii deii days and after — chijuudiee: ‘Giant’ spirit beings 12 Gyuu dazhoo 13 Nehtruh tshì' 13 The Giant Caribou of Vàdzaih van 13 The Giant Bluefish of Khaii luk 13 Giant Beavers 14 Unknown Chijuudiee 15 The Hungry Giant 15 Nanaa'ih 16 Ts'ii deii days—the great leaders and travellers: Atachuukaii and Ch'ii choo 17 Chii choo chases Atachuukaii up the Mackenzie River 17 Atachuukaii starves Chii choo to death 18 Ts'ii deii days — the great leaders and travellers: Atachuukaii and Naagaii tsal 19 Lete'tr'aandyaa 19 Tseenjoo kan 19 The battles continue 20 Lete'tr'aandyaa saves Atachuukaii 20 A winter without fire 21 Kwan ehdan 22 Searching for Naagaii tsal 23 i Freeing Lete'tr'aandyaa 24 The wars come to an end 25 A story for the future 26 Ts'ii deii days — the great leaders and travellers: Dinìizhok the medicine person 26 Dinìizhok’s medicine power 26 The fastest hunter 27 Rescue mission in the Fort Yukon area 27 Helping the people from up the river 29 The death of Dinìizhok 30 Ts'ii deii days and after: Fights and friendly meetings with other groups 30 Ahts'an veh 30 Ahts'an veh’s escape 31 Return to the Eskimo camp 32 ‘Indian Headband’ 32 Places where Gwichya Gwich'in and Eskimo met 33 Guudee diitr'iniizhit chi' 33 Njoh—the lobstick at Chìi chyah tshik 34 Tr'iinjoo kak gijaataii 35 Ge'atat dilee 35 Diighe'tr'aajil 36 Lèth kak van tsal 36 Chapter 3 The Land of Gwichya Gwich'in Stories 45 Many names 45 The Athapaskan peoples 46 The Dene 47 Gwich'in regional groups 47 Dihaii Gwich'in 50 Neets'aii Gwich'in 50 Dendoo Gwich'in 50 Gwichaa Gwich'in 50 Draanjik Gwich'in 51 Vuntut Gwitchin 51 Dagudh Gwich'in 51 Teetl'it Gwich'in 51 Gwichya Gwich'in 52 Neighbours 52 Chapter 4 Knowing the Land: Names and Stories 54 The many meanings of names and stories 55 A tapestry of names 55 Learning about the land 56 ‘Even if I were half blind, I’d still remember’ 56 ‘The old people, they are willing to tell a story anytime’ 57 ii Chapter 5 Regions of Gwichya Gwich'in Lands 61 ‘We always travelled in a group’ 62 Different regions — different lifestyles 63 Ehdyee Tat Gwich'in 63 Tsiigehnjik Gwich'in 63 Khaii luk Gwich'in 64 Nagwichoonjik Gwich'in 64 Setting a course 65 Following the trails 66 Chapter 6 Going up the Red 69 Up the Red in the fall: ‘You want to go upstream, you track’ 69 Camp sites: ‘You thought of all those ready fireplaces’ 73 Chii choo juu'eii — Rock Cove 73 Lèth jithakaii—Ernest Cabin 73 Daats'it k'adh chii hidh chuudlaii — Sucker Creek 73 Daazraii van k'adh tshik — Swan Creek 74 Eltyin choo chihvyàh k'yit — Jackfish Creek 75 Nehtruh tshì' — ‘Wolverine inside a rock’ 75 Martin zheh — Martin House 77 Tateih sheii — ‘Mud flat with willows’ 78 Hehnjuu deetl'yah tshik — Bernard Creek 78 Parting company, for a time 79 Teetshik gwichoo — Weldon Creek 80 Liidlaii — The Forks 81 Chapter 7 Travelling in the Mountains 83 Gisheih jiikaii — ‘A Gravel Slide’ 83 Nihtavan diniinlee — Fish Lake 83 Tsit davàn — ‘Tsit’s Lake’ 86 Gyuu dazhoo njik — Snake River 86 Naatsàk 87 Ddhahzhit gwitsal — Cranswick River 88 Ddhahzhit gwichoo 89 Chapter 8 The Life-style of the Tsiigehnjik Gwich'in 91 Hunting in the mountains 91 The hunter’s tool kit 92 Snowshoes 93 iii Stone axes 94 Spears 95 Bow and arrow 95 Medicine power 97 How medicine power was obtained 97 How medicine power was used 97 What medicine power was used for 98 Women and medicine power 100 ‘Partners:’ Families helping each other 101 Hunting sheep 101 Caribou fences 102 Shelter 103 Setting up a caribou skin lodge 104 Inside a caribou skin lodge 107 Down the Red in the spring 107 Mooseskin boats 108 Waiting for breakup 109 Travelling into summer 111 Chapter 9 Khaii luk Gwich'in 113 Mooseskin leg sleighs 114 Pack dogs 114 Dog teams 115 Looking after dogs 115 Training dogs 118 Equipment 119 Trails in the Khaii luk area 120 Ts'ii deii taii 120 Chidaltaii to Khaii luk 120 The Eight Mile Portage route 122 Chidaltaii to Vadzaìh van 124 Khaii luk: ‘People used to live there maybe 500 years ago’ 127 Teelaii 128 Teeddhaa 128 Vidi chu' 129 How the Khaii luk Gwich'in used to live 129 Chapter 10 Trail’s End: Shelter and Camp Life 133 Shelter 133 Nee kanh 133 Nan kanh 134 Skin tents 135 K'aii zheh 135 Snow shelter 135 Ahdr'ee kanh 136 iv Making fire 137 Looking after food 138 Storing food 139 Using what the land provides 142 Chapter11 Camp Life: Women’s Work 145 Lookingafterthecamp 145 Moose and caribou hides 146 Tanning moose hides: ‘I saw mom sitting there all day’ 146 Using hides 150 Decorations 152 Rabbitskin snowsuits 152 Healing: Plant use 153 Black spruce 154 Red willow (alder) 155 White birch 155 Juniper berries 155 Willow 155 Prickly Rose 155 Licorice root 156 Northern Ground Cone 156 Crowberry 156 ‘It just healed up like nothing!’ 156 Chapter 12 The Delta and Big Rock 159 The ocean at Srehtadhadlaii 161 Ehdyee Tat Gwich'in during ts'ii deii days 161 Nichìitsìi diniinlee 162 Ratting in the Delta 163 The fur traders 165 Chapter 13 Life Along the River: Nagwichoonjik Gwich'in 167 Fish camps 167 Islands 170 ‘The story of the Mackenzie River’ 170 Working for the fur trade 172 A ‘highway’ of the Gwichya Gwich'in 173 Trail heads 175 The importance of Nagwichoonjik 176 v Chapter14 Explorers and Traders 179 Explorers 179 Fur traders 180 Meeting the traders 180 Fort Good Hope 181 Trade goods 182 ‘Beads like diamonds, kettles like gold’ 182 Flour and tobacco 183 Muzzle loaders 183 Trading at Herschel Island 184 Repeating rifles 184 Red combination underwear 185 Silk 186 Working for the fur trade 186 The trading post at the Flats 187 Working on the boats 188 York boats 188 Steamships 189 Cord wood 190 Other trading companies 191 Traders on the land 193 Up Nagwichoonjik and up the Red 193 In the Delta 195 White trappers 196 Chapter 15 The Oblate Fathers and the RCMP 205 A competition 205 TheOblatefathers 206 Father Séguin 206 Building the mission 207 The mission station at Arctic Red River 209 ‘Big days’ — a new calendar 209 ‘A hard journey’ — The mission school 212 The RCMP post 216 Special Constables 217 Joe Bernard 219 Louis Cardinal 220 Closing the RCMP post 221 Chapter 16 Gatherings and Celebrations 223 Meeting friends and relatives 223 vi Visitors 224 ‘There will be a dance!’ 225 Tea dances 225 Drum dances 226 Fiddle dances 228 Old-time games 229 Stick gambling with the Slavey 229 Playing football with the Eskimo 231 August 15 232 Playing for the drum dances 233 Chapter 17 The Trail to Town 235 Oil at Norman Wells 236 The signing of Treaty 11 237 Chiefs of the Gwichya Gwich'in 237 The terms of Treaty 11 238 The Chiefs: ‘Caveat!’ 240 TheDeneNation 241 The Dene / Métis Agreement In Principle