Naokah Mistaken- Chief

WORDS BY TYSON MISTAKEN-CHIEF

Naokah (Ny-O-Ka) Mistaken Chief was born on November 3rd, 1979 in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Her parents soon moved to Yellowknife, NT, where she was raised by her parents (Les Roth and Irene Roth). Naokah had a fairly normal childhood in Yellowknife but had frequently gone on the land with her parents. She said some of those memories of her on the land were the best. From junior high to the end of high school, she played volleyball. A year after she graduated, she spent a year in Spain for college. After that, she moved to Lethbridge, Alberta to finish off her college diploma in general studies; she also got a certificate in travel, tourism, and print journalism. That is when she met my dad (Dickie Mistaken Chief)—while she was attending Lethbridge College.

A few years later, my mom had her first child, which was me (Tyson Mistaken Chief). By then she was living in Edmonton, AB, where her dad was living at the time with his new wife. 7 months later, I was born. They moved to Inuvik, NT, where they settled down to raise their child. 3 years later, she wanted another kid, so she they tried to conceive one but were unlucky. After a couple of months they decided to adopt. Lucky for Naokah, one of her distant cousins was pregnant and was unsure if she wanted to keep it. In July 2006, they were able to adopt the child, and on the 19th of July they welcomed their new baby daughter (Tatum Mistaken Chief—my sister).

After she had children, she went to work with the department of lands as a lands officer (federal) in Inuvik. Naokah was married for around 13 years from 2001 to 2014. A few years later, Lands was turned into Territorial from Federal and her pay was cut. In 2017, she was offered a transfer to Yellowknife from the Lands Department, and in mid-summer of that year she accepted the offer. By September, she and her two kids moved into her mother’s house by Great Slave Lake. The transfer was two years, but they offered an extension the summer of 2019— and she declined the offer. She was given her old job back in Inuvik and is currently working at Lands again. She is also helping me—her eldest child—as I am graduating this year.

The reason why I did an interview with my mom is because she is one of the best people I know. I think her experiences of the North are pretty interesting. She is very active— going out on the land with her parents and kids. She goes visiting with people in town as much she can. When she is in a small town with a lot of her relatives, she does the most she can to visit them. That’s one of my favourite things about my mom—she tries so much to connect with the people in the communities and with the Elders to connect herself to the land. My mother is also very loving; she is never mean unless need be. This is why I picked my mom. She is very kind and respectful I could never ask for a better mother.

PROFILES WRITTEN BY ELA 30-2 STUDENTS AT EAST THREE SECONDARY SCHOOL