The latter half of July and the beginning of August have been a whirlwind of activities and experiences, this time period also included my one vacation home to Edmonton. As such I haven't had the opportunity to write, nor the time for the reflection required for a blog post. Now I am ready though and boy do I have a lot to say in this post, which will probably be, my last post of the summer. To start I will discuss, to what extent I can, TLE and how I have been offered the privilege of being involved in a process vital to the future of Beaver First Nation. TLE stands for treaty land entitlement and refers to the process of claiming reserve land which is rightfully entitled to BFN through treaty 8 but was not accorded to them due to misinformation at the time when their entitlement was calculated. This is a very big deal. This is something that took a while to truly grasp the significance of, I had always understood the concept of the importance of land to first nations but living on reserve has given me a much deeper, fuller understanding. Therefore with this significance in mind, it is evident how greatly missing a part of their land can affect the nation spiritually, culturally and financially. Living in a rural, somewhat secluded area, the financial benefits of the on reserve land is very important. Throughout July Lily and I have had the chance to become involved with the TLE land selection process through our supervisors and the TLE negotiation team. This has been a very eye opening and interesting process and I am very thankful to have been involved and to have helped out in any way, as well as it has offered me with some interesting potential applications for my degree in the future.
These TLE land selection workshops brought me to Grande Prairie and Edmonton to engage off reserve BFN members and allowed me a quick visit home. The first thing I noticed, returning to a city from my time here is I felt so crowded. I spent one afternoon waiting for the workshop to start in West Edmonton Mall and the noise and crowd, slow compared to usual as being a Wednesday afternoon, was still stifling and somewhat claustrophobic. I think cities are somewhat ruined for me after living in such a rural area. Regardless it was wonderful to see my family and catch up and do all the things I missed about the city. After living without many of the amenities of a bigger city though they hardly seem as necessary anymore. For example, I haven’t had Starbucks in months and was very excited for a fancy drink. I had idealized it in my mind so that the actuality, though refreshing and exciting, hardly lived up to my expectations, and the price for an expensive coffee seemed so wildly unnecessary.
I returned to Boyer alone from the TLE workshops and I returned with new books and some old CD’s I found at home as my truck doesn’t have any way to play my phones music. I had much to organize in terms of work as well as much to prepare for my trip home for my friend’s wedding. To prepare for my vacation I had to figure out what to do with our cat as well as pack and make sure the loft was ready to be left alone for just under a week. I finally made the decision, pending trial runs with the cat in the car that I would take it home to accustom my family to it, and to gauge its fit for my life after Engage North. The first trial run did NOT go well. Cats don’t like driving and it was a hilarious but stressful first try for both of us! Her comfortability in the car increased when I got her a nice carrier but she still seemed somewhat angry at me for the next day or two from putting her in that death trap! But finally, with my stuff packed, the cat ready to go, my bridesmaid dress and all my work and work meetings caught up on I was ready for a week at home and in Canmore for the most gorgeous wedding. My drive home was accompanied by the music which I had taken from my visit home during TLE. This included Disturbed, Mama Mia sound track, Grease Soundtrack, Disney soundtrack, Prince and old school Gwen Stefani. I think that variety says all it needs to about me. At my friend’s wedding for which I came home, some of the changes which I have experienced from my time in Boyer where abundantly apparent. I was much more relaxed about plans and open, my friends and family noticed a difference and when I took time to reflect so did I. This experience with such a relaxed, different way of life I have learned to relax more myself, something I have need to learn for a long time.
After my break I came back to work rejuvenated and ready to support the band in all I could get done in my last month of my placement. My last month here included one last trip with the other two fellows from Chateh, Lily and I up to Hay River. This was a great trip to solidify the unique bond which we share and to revel in the beauty and serenity of my new favorite town. We went fishing and cooked it on a beach populated only by driftwood, the only sounds were the crackle of our fire, the crashing of the waves of the greater slave lake and the laughter of friends.
Another two highlights of my last month in Boyer include the North Peace Tribal Council (NPTC) Annual General Assembly (AGA) which was held in Boyer and the DiscoverE science camp which came to Beaver First Nation. The AGA was exciting as since Beaver was hosting I was able to help set up, there was great food as well as it offered me a chance to meet some interesting people such as people from NPTC, INAC representatives, health Canada representatives and a local MLA. I had the opportunity and privilege to meet and talk about my experience with some amazing and knowledgeable individuals. Having DiscoverE come to Beaver was an amazing novelty for the children of the community as well as for myself. DiscoverE is a program which I really value and support, having volunteered with the program as well as worked with it I think it is an excellent program and was ecstatic to hear they were coming to do a camp in my current host community. Another reason it was such an exciting experience for myself is I ran an activity as a mentor, something after meeting many mentors while working with DiscoverE that I had always wanted to do! To come back and impart my knowledge through a program I believe in as a (semi)professional was very rewarding. Strike one more thing off my bucket list.
As this will probably be my last post I will sum up a few other points I have mentioned in my blog posts. First of all, I have officially read 13 books since the beginning of May, if anyone is interested in recommendations or reviews, don’t hesitate to ask! Next thing, the cat Lily and I received from our friend in the community had five adorable and healthy kittens which I am bringing back to Edmonton so if anyone is interested in a kitten let me know. Lastly I would like to sum up my experience. I have never felt or understood a sense of community as I have experienced here in Boyer. Some of the most generous and talented individuals I have ever met live here on a Beaver First Nation reserve. Reserve life is different from what I have ever experienced and I know I am a better Canadian and a better person for my time here, this has been eye opening and something I will assuredly carry with me for the rest of my life.
