Hunters, Elders and youth are organizing a fall moose hunt and will be filming the expedition with the help of a cash injection from the Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP).
'Wisdom from the Water' was awarded $30,000 during the May 13 AIP ceremony in Ottawa, one of 12 teams to receive a prize from the overall $3.7-million annual charitable event.
"It's still sinking in," said Tetlit Gwich'in Chief Elizabeth Wright. "We're very excited.
"The youth will have this documented for further use, so that other youth who are not on the trip will be able to see it."
Wright said the idea came out of last year's fall moose hunt, where a group of 15 youth joined hunters, Elders and other mentors as they sourced their quarry over a five-day excursion. The adventure was so popular organizers decided to build on it.
Now, the plan is to not only harvest a moose, but for the youth to film the effort. But more than that, they will also document how a warming climate is transforming the Peel River canyon and will interview Elders about the changes they have witnessed over their lives. Wright said the goal is to not only help youth reconnect with the land and their culture but to also acquire some modern work skills in documentary film-making.
"We're going to do a documentary talking about the impacts climate change has on the land and the wildlife in the Peel watershed," she said. "The Elders noticed over time the caribou don't go into certain areas anymore and birds are coming earlier.
"We want the youth to do the whole documentation. They'll be taking pictures and video, but also they're going to be learning about climate change. We want the Elders to share what they've seen that's different. Whether its the landscape, whether it's the channel in the Peel river or the migratory routes of the animals we depend on."
Planning is still at an early stage, but Wright said the goal is to do an eight to 10 day trip in September, to allow for more people to get involved if they have scheduling conflicts. She said the outing is open to as many youth as are interested and participants from other Mackenzie and Beaufort Delta communities are also welcome. The trip will be by motorboat going up river.
She expressed her gratitude to Margaret Gordon for sponsoring the bid for the Arctic Inspiration Prize and thanked the project's support staff, as well as the Gwich'in Tribal Council.
"It's very humbling," she said. "It was a community project SA国际影视传媒� and it was the community that won."
