CHRISTOPHERCOLIN
Christopher Colin (1886-1980) told many stories of his time and travels up Teetł’it Gwinjik (the Peel River). We haveagoodseriesofrecordingsofsomeofhisstories,as he told them to local radio hosts on CBC in Inuvik in the 1970s. Christopher Colin’s stories, along with the stories from countless other Gwich’in Elders, were told in own our language on the radio on a program called “A Long TimeAgo”.Therearecopiesoftheserecordingsavailable freelyontheNWTArchiveswebsite.
In support of the designation process for a new national park in the Gwich’in Settlement Region, the Department of Culture and Heritage has been writing the Gwich’in history and natural history of the area, using Christopher Colin’s stories as a framework. In these stories, Christopher describes times when he hunted caribou and moose up the Peel River, travels he undertook on the water and across the land, people he visited and stayed with, and stories about the love and lossesheexperiencedinhisownfamily.
I will tell you a story. I story.
Using Christopher Colin’s recollections to help us tell the story of the area ensures that anyone reading this report, which is a public report that will be available before next March, can learn about the area through a Gwich’inlens.
A story I remember—from when I was 12 years old. story I remember—from when was years
People from Old Crow, Dawson and Fort McPherson used to always go moose hunting together. Me and my mother and some of the local people (among
People Old Dawson Fort used always go moose Me my mother some of the (among
People Dawson Fort Me them were Big Simon and Big Francis); we used to go and do some fishing. At that time, I was a little boy. I made a bone arrow and used to shoot little them Simon Big Francis); used go do time, I was little I a bone and to little to little birds. When everyone used to return from hunting, they all would meet down at Chuu Tr’idaoodìich’uu (Peel Canyon). At that time, the food was very birds. When used return hunting, they all would meet down at Tr’idaoodìich’uu (Peel Canyon). At time, the was very used Tr’idaoodìich’uu the plentiful. No one would ever want to waste food. Plenty of dried meat was made. No would to Plenty of meat was made. would
Christopher Colin: A Long Time Ago Part 5 (1973) Christopher Colin: A Long Time Ago Colin:
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