200th post! - Waskaganish, Volume 4 -

Wachiya!

Whoa - 200th post! Pretty remarkable! It seems like just yesterday I was reflecting on reaching 100 posts and lamenting turning 25 (ok, ok, I won't complain about being the ripe old age of 25 when everyone still thinks I'm 20).

This last week has passed just as quickly as the last. I always seem to have something to do - I have yet to be bored here. The fantastic weather has been holding out since I last wrote and the past couple of days have been insanely humid. There is currently a huge forest fire blazing about 100 km from here because the conditions have been so hot and dry. We can see huge clouds of smoke in the horizon. We haven't had much rain at all in the last 2 weeks, apart from a quick shower on Tuesday morning. There was almost a big thunderstorm a couple of nights ago, but it passed right over us - we got about 15 seconds of rain, some thunder, a bit of lightning, and finally the sun came back out for yet another spectacular sunset. The bugs are also out in full force. During the day, huge flies buzz around my head and are generally loud and annoying. In the evening, the little black flies come out and attack. At sunset, the mosquitoes make their appearance. Without any sort of bug spray, you are doomed. I've learned my lesson - I do not leave the house without spray.

This past Sunday was Aboriginal Day, an annual party that celebrates traditional Cree culture and the first day of summer. It was a scorcher that day, so the event only really got started in the late afternoon. We set up my poster and information pamphlets in the wigwam and then wandered around the site to talk to people because it was too hot inside. I did manage to find a couple of people who are interested in being interviewed and I also may have a translator (he agreed but whether he'll actually come and work is another matter. I have already considered this).
The biggest crowd of people arrived just in time for the feast, which the elders spent the whole day preparing. Plates were made up beforehand, so when the feast started, we all filed into the Miichiwaahp (I spelled it wrong last time, this is the big teepee where all the food is prepared) and picked them up. The main offerings were goose and fish (walleye), but I wanted to try more, so I went to the table where they had cut up bear and moose. I got to try bear (delicious) and moose head (which I wasn't as crazy about) along with my goose (also very good) and fish, topped off with bannock, pudin (a steamed pudding made with spices and currants, delicious), an Indian donut (also delicious) and mashed potatoes.

After dinner, we went to the main stage to check out some of the games and activities taking place (a wood-carrying contest and no-laughing contest where among some of them). As the sun started to set, the fiddler came out and so began the fiddle-dance competition. I was under the impression that there was going to be an open dance, so I stated many times that I couldn't wait to dance. I soon learned that there was no open dance scheduled as it was already getting late, and one of the girls I met there decided she would sign me up for the competition. In fact, she had her son ask each of my friends what my name was (she couldn't remember and I didn't want to tell her) until one of them kindly slipped up - next thing I knew, my name was being called and off I went to perform a 30 second solo of fiddle-dancing. Do I know how to fiddle-dance? Absolutely not. Did I make a complete fool of myself? Quite possibly. However, everyone clapped and cheered when I was done (thankfully, I had a number of friends cheering me on - the same ones that sold me out), and one of the Elders said he was impressed. I suppose I have lived up to my reputation of being a pretty good dancer for a white girl.

The rest of the week has been relatively quiet. I had two people forget about their interviews with me, which is both frustrating and discouraging. On Tuesday, I went out to visit the archaeologist that works here and he showed me his very extensive library and shared some stories about work that has been done here in the past. I also expressed my interest in the community garden, and then he brought me to two houses with huge, beautiful gardens. Although the growing season is quite short, you can grow some great stuff here. The soil is quite fertile and the warm temperatures is definitely helping things along.

I also spent two days this week sitting by the river, enjoying the sun and getting some reading done. Lots of kids are hanging out at the beach now that school is out. Yesterday, an 8 year old boy came to talk to me and he even asked me to marry him. How sweet.

My new roommate has arrived and she is very, very quiet. If I don't ask her questions, she'll just sit there in silence. This is such a difference from my old roommate, who was very outgoing, and, well, fun. This girl is so timid. I'm hoping she'll warm up a bit as time goes on.

Today has been my busiest day so far this week, and it has involved a lot of running around. I am holding focus groups to talk about using traditional medicine for diabetes and our first session with the health care professionals is tonight. I am hoping for a decent turnout. We have two elders making tea and bannock for the event, so I have mentioned this as an incentive for people to show up. People will do (almost) anything for free food. They will also do (almost) anything if they are getting paid (which they are). I am also holding a similar session with people in the community next week, so I've been putting up posters, making arrangements for food, and I even made an announcement on the radio (and yes, I spoke slowly so that people could understand me. I also had my community contact translating everything I said). Oh, and in between all that, I'm still trying to get people to do interviews with me.

All for now!

Waskaganish - 3

Wachiya!

This past week has been busy, busy, busy! This is great because time has just been flying by. The weather has been stunning since last week - sunny and H-O-T! Some days there is a nice refreshing breeze blowing off the water, such as today. It's absolutely wonderful. Who knew that I would I could sweat so much under the northern sun? The only disadvantage to this hot weather is that the bugs are out - in full force. It's pretty bad.

Anyway, on to some updates. I believe I mentioned that we were on bear watch as of last week. There were 2 bears caught wandering around town. On the weekend, my roommate and I went for a long walk in the woods, and she saw one when we took a path towards the water. I couldn't see it, which is unfortunate, because I would have taken a picture, then backed away slowly and then ran for my life. It turned out that this bear was in the middle of eating because when we walked along the shoreline later on, we noticed a puddle of blood where the bear had been spotted. Walking in the woods has been a really fun experience. There is so much vegetation that I've never seen at home and the forest smells so fresh because of the abundance of spruce and fir trees. It's a smell that even the best air freshener can't reproduce. That night, we went for supper with some of the health care workers. It was a potluck of culinary delights brought here from the south. Jumbo shrimps, smoked salmon rolls, cheeses that are not cheddar or mozzarella, and pasta drizzled with a fresh-basil infused olive oil... it was delicious. We also may or may not have had wine... but seeing as the night ended with a Karaoke sing-a-long, courtesy of youtube, I'll let you figure that out for yourselves.

On Sunday, it was another beautiful day, and we managed to get a ride down to the rapids, which are about 24 km outside of town. They are incredible. I found a rock with some moss on it and just sat there, watching the water churn and froth as it tumbled downstream. There is no other noise but the sound of the water. My roommate and I ended the day with a 10 km run - with a long break in between at the pumping station. We decided to sit by the shore and dip our feet in the water, which is pretty darn cold. Of course, after spending a good half hour sweating under the sun, it felt great.

Since Monday, I have been hard at work with the project. I finally met with the Chief Monday morning and he gave me the okay to use my interview guide. And so, the last couple of days have been spent interviewing. I've done 3 so far, with 2 more scheduled for Friday and Saturday and a couple more next week. In between interviews, I have been wandering around town to meet people. There are a lot of people here doing various forms of research. I met two filmmakers who are working in a documentary about the effects of the hydro dams on the communities. Together with my community helper, we went on a boat ride Tuesday evening (hence my facebook status if you saw it - and yes, I had "I'm on a Boat" stuck in my head the whole time, I kid you not). We rode out to the end of Rupert Bay and made it into James Bay. We stopped at a little rock island out in the middle of the water and enjoyed the sunset before heading back to town. Once you're out on the water, the wind becomes pretty intense. In fact, it was a good 10 to 15 degrees colder out on the water than on the shore. Luckily, I dressed appropriately for it.

Yesterday I sat in on another Aboriginal Day planning meeting so that I could meet the Elders who came in for it and get them to participate in my study. Two of them very kindly obliged, and I learned a lesson in being prepared. You see, at lunch (we all went to the Lodge), they decided that they were interested in being interviewed. Right away. I didn't have any of my stuff, so I had to run (literally) back to the house to get all my materials and run back to the Lodge, where they were waiting to start. From now on, I'll have a copy of everything with me at all times - because you just never know.

After the interview, I was once again recruited to take photos of another cultural activity - this time for the building of a wigwam (I was told the proper name in Cree, but it's a long word and no one knows how to spell it). I ended the day with a fish (walleye and pike - yum!) and bannock dinner (and blueberry jam!) with the filmmakers and my community contact at the rapids. Oh, and a run because I hadn't been in 2 days.

I've spent most of day getting my poster ready for Aboriginal Day, since I'll be running a booth with information on the project. I have some other materials to finish and have printed tomorrow as well. Hopefully I'll get everything done on time! I'll have an assistant to help me at the booth on Sunday, as one of my friends from the project is coming up for the weekend. This is good timing because my roommate is leaving tomorrow (sadly, because I've had a great time with her) and then on Tuesday I get a new roommate - a medical student! (Actually, I almost got kicked out of my house because two of them are coming, but I managed to charm the transits lady into letting me stay here. Go me!)

And now we are back to the weekend. I'm off to find the community garden.

peace.

Waskaganish - Beautiful weather

It is so incredibly beautiful out.

There isn't a single cloud in the sky. The sun is warm and the breeze is refreshing.

All I'm missing is a margarita.

Yet there is no place I'd rather be right now.

Waskaganish - 2

Well, I’ve made it through my first week in Waskaganish! I can’t believe how fast the week has gone by. The weather here was unpleasant – and by unpleasant I mean windy, rainy, and COLD (think: 2 or 3 degrees as a high)! up until Monday afternoon, when the sun finally came out of hiding. On Tuesday, it was sunny and – finally – warm. The temperature is still hovering in the low teens now, but that’s ok because there are no bugs, yet. As long as the sun is shining, I don’t care.

So, when I last wrote, I mentioned that I was invited to a “cultural event.” My contact was very vague with me on the phone. So I wandered down to the Meechuwap (a traditional building of sorts) where there were a couple of men gathered around a pick-up truck. I was handed a camera and told that I could document the “processing of a moose” (which I think is much nicer than saying I watched a freshly killed moose be chopped up). It sounds horrifying, but it’s really not. These people have a tremendous amount of respect for the animals they hunt. The animals are not mistreated, and they are tended to with the utmost amount of care. The best part of the experience was that I was invited to taste some of this moose. They always cut off a piece of the meat and test it to make sure that it is good to serve at a feast (which is coming up on June 21st). Well, it passed the test! Moose looks like beef and tastes very similar to it, but much, much better. It has so much rich flavour in it that it needs no seasoning. Paired with a piece of bannock and I was in heaven (all you meat lovers out there - I know you would have loved it too).

On Saturday, I tried my hand at pottery (ahem ... pun intended). There is a potter who comes up here a couple of times of year to teach the students at the elementary and high schools how to do pottery. He currently has a “studio” set up in one of the classrooms, which is technically open for anyone in the community to use. However, since he is not around all that often, there are two teachers who “run” the studio in his stead. I made a cute little bowl on my first attempt, so I’m very proud of myself.

My roommate and I ended the weekend by going on a little adventure in the woods near our house. We ended up in the middle of a clay bog, so we had to turn back because the stuff is like quicksand. The trees protected us from the violent winter-like wind which made the walk very pleasant. I look forward to many more adventures around here. I’ve heard that there are some wicked rapids that I need to check out before Hydro diverts the river and all of its power disappears forever.

It was back to work on Monday, and I’m pleased to report that I’ve made some progress with my project. My interview guide is being reviewed by key members of the Band Council (including the Chief, who I am supposed to sit down with at some point in time). I’ve also got my first interview lined up for next Monday morning! And ... I've just managed to invite a few community members to participate as a couple of people from the Clinic just stopped by our house to bring presents! (stainless steel toaster, a coffee maker - which means I can pick up some coffee at Northern - and some stainless steel mixing bowls!)

In other exciting news, we were on bear watch yesterday. A black bear was spotted wandering around the Lodge yesterday morning, so some bear traps were set up around the town, including along the path my roommate and I usually run along in the evening. We didn’t want some bear stopping us from getting our exercise, so we brought along a bear bell to jingle as we made our way along the path. I think it worked, because the bear did not make an appearance. I haven’t heard whether they actually caught him or not yet.

All for now...

Game 7, here we come!

Meh. Whatevs. They threw the game so that they could win the Cup at home on Friday and make their owner even richer.

Go Red Wings!

Waskaganish - 1

Waachiya!

So where in the world am I? Well, this handy map below will help: I am staying in Waskaganish (pink box), where the great Rupert river (which is in the process of being diverted by Hydro-Quebec) meets James Bay. It's about 1100 km northwest of Montreal. This means the temperatures are significantly cooler (by a good 10 degrees) and that the sun doesn't set until about 10 pm.

I arrived by plane (once again, a little propeller plane, which is really noisy, so thanks to mon chum for giving me some earplugs so I could sleep). The airport (a one-room building) is conveniently located about 5 minutes away from the village by car. The first sights in Waskaganish are far from appealing - we passed the Band Garage, where scrapped cars and random pieces of car equipment litter the yard. On the other side of the street, you see a construction company with all of their equipment lying outside. Once you get past this ugliness, you're in town. There is a good mix of older and newer buildings here. The Band Office is a shiny new building with lots of windows that look out on the river. You have to take your shoes off when you go inside. The Lodge (hotel and restaurant) is one of the most popular places in town. It's bustling at lunch time and again at tea time (3 pm). I went there both times. The food there is decent, but not what I'd call super healthy. Most people were eating poutine or fries and a burger. I suspect that this is what they eat on a regular basis.

Anyway, the purpose of me going to the Lodge was to meet my contact in the community. He kindly gave me a tour by car after lunch. We visited a place called Smokey Hill, which is located about 15 km outside of town. It's a kind of "retirement" community for Elders (or even full-time hunters/trappers) who want to return to life in the bush. It's really nice and quiet and it's located on the southern banks of the Rupert river. The cabins have no running water or electricity - so it's very isolated. It's a good place to go to get away from the distractions and problems "in town" (and there are no shortage of them - in fact, I got to experience first-hand a confrontation with a drunk community member. It was uncomfortable, to say the least). Anyway, Smokey Hill is a good place for the traditional way of life to be promoted and taught to the younger generation. I anticipate spending more time down there to talk to the Elders.

Now I'm sure some of you are wondering what my accommodations are like in comparison to my trailer in Mistissini. Well, let me start by saying it is infinitely better. I'm staying in a semi-detached located right across the street from the Clinic and day care centre. It has 3 floors - an unfinished basement with a washer/dryer, a main level with a living room, dining area, and kitchen, and an upper level with 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. I also have a roommate. She's a physiotherapy student doing a stage here. She's actually leaving in 2 weeks, which means that I will get the master bedroom. The second bedroom is quite tiny and not well-designed at all. I have about a foot and a half between the closet and the end of the single bed. However, I'm not complaining because we have a TV, a microwave, and internet, all things I was lacking last time. This place feels a lot more homey, though it does have tacky 80s/early 90s furnishings.

The food here is crazy expensive. For example, Ocean Spray cranberry juice costs a cool $8. One orange pepper was $3, a head a lettuce, $2.50. I spent $77 on a handful of groceries - and I didn't even buy any meat or milk. My roommate says she's been spending at least $200 a week on groceries - for herself! What makes this even crazier is the fact that many people here rely on social assistance so they don't have much money. They can't even AFFORD to eat well from the grocery store.

I'm slowly getting myself involved in the activities taking place here. There is some event happening at the cultural centre this morning, which I'll be checking out. There is no better way to overcome shyness or awkwardness than throwing yourself into the mix. I'll let you know how it goes.

Eeeeek!

In 24 hours, I will be leaving on a (propeller) plane.

As usual, x-ine has waited to the last minute to get shit done. 

I will be around these parts more frequently once I have arrived at my destination, so stay tuned for the Waskaganish blogging series! (WHOOO!)  

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