Jean Marie River visits Délı̨nę for community hunt

Eight Jean Marie River residents set off on a community hunt in the Sahtu. The group returned with fish – and friendships.

People attending the hunt included Elders Rufus Sanguez and Angus Sanguez, youth Zaiden Sanguez and Keegan Menacho, and experienced harvesters Richard Sanguez, Tyrone Sanguez, Fred Menacho and Jonas Sanguez.

Chief Melanie Norwegian Menacho said the experience was an opportunity to pass on knowledge to the youth, build relations between northern communities and promote residents’ well-being.

“It’s a social thing,” said the chief. “The wellness is getting out there and getting active.”

The group arrived in Délı̨nę on March 8 and took part in a fishing derby the next day at Great Bear Lake, then returned to Jean Marie River the following day, fish in hand.

Jonas Sanguez, one of the hunters who visited Délı̨nę, said: “It’s always nice to see some old friends and chat with them and laugh together.

While in Délı̨nę, the group attended a special hockey game, drum dance and community feast with retired hockey players from the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, Sanguez said.

The youth also participated in a hand games tournament.

“That was something they didn’t experience before so, when it comes to going into another community, they felt really good about that,” said Norwegian Menacho.

“They felt good about themselves and they felt good about the community of Délı̨nę, how everybody was so kind to them and how everybody was willing and ready to give them a hand.”

Sanguez said on-the-land trips like this, with multiple generations in tow, help transfer knowledge to youth who might otherwise be more connected to devices than the land.

While in Délı̨nę, Sanguez enjoyed teaching youth about fishing, although he didn’t catch anything at the derby. Still, he called it an important opportunity for youth to try new experiences.

“A lot of our Elders are passing on and there’s no one out there that will sit down with them, teach them these kinds of skills, and talk to the younger generation,” said Sanguez.

“When they get a chance to go in the bush, they don’t know anything about this kind of lifestyle … We want to do something with them before all the knowledge gets left behind and nobody is there to teach them to do these kinds of traditional skills out on the land.”

“A lot of times in smaller communities, we don’t go outside our community and go hunting elsewhere. We just stay within our territory,” said Norwegian Menacho.

“I believe that having good relationships with other communities, other regions, is very important.”

Sanguez says the visit exposed youth to traditional skills in another community so they could see other people’s lifestyle and hunting style.

When the group returned to Jean Marie River, they brought with them fish from the Délı̨nę Got’ine Government, which they distributed to residents.

These activities have long been a part of northern life. Sanguez recalls a time when his late father, uncle and Elders operated a sawmill in the community that processed local logs for homes all along the route toward Inuvik, including Délı̨nę.

With a decades-long land negotiation in process between the Dehcho First Nations, territorial and federal governments – the Dehcho Process – Norwegian Menacho says now is the time for northern Indigenous communities to remember these connections and strengthen alliances.

She says this visit was a good example of activities that can help build bridges.

“Now we have a government that’s trying to tell us how we’re going to manage our lands,” Norwegian Menacho said.

“I think this is a good time for us to rebuild relationships so our voice stands stronger together. We need to somehow still be able to voice our opinion as one.”