Wekweètì lights up December with daily festive events

Wekweètì is wrapping up a December push to pull off a different festive event every day for weeks.

The tiny Tłı̨chǫ community’s government planned a holiday event each day between December 2 and 23.

Senior administrator Fred Behrens said past winters weren’t as busy. This time, he wanted to find a “fun way to celebrate the spirit of Christmas” for the community of 140 people,

“Wekweètì is a very tight community, and these events are meant to bring everyone together,” he told Cabin Radio.

Behrens, formerly the senior administrator for Aklavik, said that hamlet had similarly planned a festive season with multiple events. Attempting to recreate the same kind of lineup for Wekweètì, he looped in recreation coordinator Clarence Nasken.

“In the past years, we usually had a feast. They would give out the gifts and there will be just one day in December,” Nasken said, “and then everybody would scatter.”

While the feast is a big deal – there’s a gathering, plenty of food, a prayer, and maybe even a visit from Santa with gifts for individuals and households – this year, new events on the calendar have included hand games tournaments a concert at Alexis Arrowmaker School, karaoke and poker nights, bingo, and a comedy magic show.

In the past, Nasken said, there had been “nothing like this” – and the community turned out, to the point where the karaoke crowd wanted to go long into the night, past the event’s scheduled shut-off point.

Organizers now want to keep planning more events to help people showcase their hidden talents and come together.

Behrens said planning so many December events “really is helping residents overcome loneliness, as well as provide cash prizes and merchandise to help each family and household.”