Week 5
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Some things about here: Community | |
| Week 5 |
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Monday 21st November 05 -12°C |
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Loaded web material which seemed to take an age so only felt like I dealt with internet material today. Went out to do walk with Chris and her hiking club which she runs from the school. There was a full on blizzard happening so we decided to give it a miss. Mario, Meshell, Dan and Laurie's last night in Dawson for this year so Lulu cooked us a lovely mexican dinner at her place. She showed me how to make wraps because I obviously didn't know how to being English an all that - pa!
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Tuesday 22nd November 05 -15°C |
| Prepared for working in the school, making plans and putting together material for the students to work on. Met up for tea and cookies with Greg Hackonson to chat about his experiences in mining. One of the things he talked about was the misconcpetion that mining was detrimental to the environment. Him and some colleagues had commissioned some research to understand whether their mining practices were effecting fish populations. They found there were more fish than had been originally thought and the disruption of the soils and rocks actually made the ground richer for wildlife. He has developed environmental techniques of placer mining for his mines but has since sold his mine. Last part of the Big Bear film. Told story to son about a man wanting to live forever so the maker turned him into a rock. At the end of the film when Big Bear has died he returns to the plains and lies down and turns into a rock. Despite there being some real funny wigs again there were some really poetic moments. The sense of the Cree being part of the land was really highlighted and made some of the film very powerful. |
Wednesday 23rd November 05 -12°C |
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There is much news about the First Nation people throughout Canada being entitled to claim compensation for their time or their families time spent in Residential Schools. In the past it has been dealt with on an individual case basis but now claims are apparently available to everyone who were in the schools, although those effected can still file for specific cases of sexual and physical abuse in addition to this 'common experience claim'. The schools were also reponsible for the eradication of much cultural and oral heritage in disallowing the use of tribal languages and the practice of traditional ceremonies. It seems to be some kind of move towards recognising the psychological and physical abuse experienced by First Nation people. You have to question though whether it is too little too late. It will be interesting to hear what those effected think. Warm spell everbody is saying. Raining in Whitehorse which is bad and totally weird for this time of year. When it gets cold again everything will freeze up and get really slippy. Apparently the Yukon in Whitehorse hasn't frozen for 10-12 years. And Dawson is seeing sharp fluctuations in its winter temperatures. I guess if global warming is happening it is going to be most visible in places like this. Delivered session at Robert Service School with Grade 8 getting them to think about where they hang out and making a map of Dawson that just has the places they go, and the places that are important to them. Click on pictures below to find out more ...
Tried to sort out meeting a few more of the miners that are around but I think a lot of people have left town for the winter so this is probably going to be difficult. I decide that trying to interview the mining community is probably going to be too tricky at this time of year. All the miners have pretty much disappeared for the winter because it is too cold to work now so all the roads up to the mines are closed aswell. Went walking with the Chris and her hiking club. Just the girls today so it was nice and easy. Borrowed some snow shoes from Mike which were pretty tricky but once I got to grips with it were great fun. It was the best part of the day watching as the sun was starting to go down. We got to a high point over some of the trails in the forest behind Dawson and so could see all the lights in the town comming on. Rayne and Emile, the girls that were with us, talked about how from this high point Dawson looked like it was made from little ants and bugs scurrying around in teeny tiny cars and living in teeny tiny houses.
We slid down the path at the side of the power cable on the hill which was great fun - no sleds - just on our butts. I couldn't take any pictures or video at this stage because it was getting dark and very cold. Plus trying to slide and keep upright and film and keep equipment dry is not the best thing in the world to do - so I didn't bother. I was too interested in getting down in one piece.
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Thursday 24th November 05 -15°C |
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I recieved a very cool email from a lady who is related to William Scouse who was with John Wilkinson from Weardale when they came to the Klondike to search for gold. She lives in Vancouver so her research has been largely taken from over on the BC coast. Laundry day with a few photographs on the way.
Filming the sundown again through the forest until it went dark and batteries died. |
Friday 25th November 05 -20°C |
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Snow storm dark and dull outside again. Decided to get some reading material done from an autobiography that was written during the gold rush Two Years in the Klondike and Alaskan Goldfields 1896-1898 by William B Haskell. Fabulously funny because of the time it was written, the language that is used and the perspective of the man who is writing it. There is this myth that the gold rush was easy and much money was made but much of this book is about the hardships and difficulties. Some of the conditions must have been pretty horrible - inlcuding spending two months in a tent or shack that doesn't have good air circulation so that you keep warm in -72°C, all you have to eat are beans and you are sharing with loads of other blokes - that would most certainly NOOOOT be my idea of fun.
A few of us went to Peggys before dinner and bought some tickets for the Percy De Wolfe 50-50 fund raiser (whatever money is taken from ticket sales a winner gets half). Percy De Wolf was apparently a post man and he delivered mail up and down the Yukon via sled and dogs - I think this is what people were telling me. To celebrate him they organise a mushing event every year which they raise money for. Lulu was convinced that she would win - but ha ha it was I that scooped the money - (despite the fact that I shouldn't have been out because I was feeling rubbish with a big bad headache reading all day!!!) Miraculously my headache disappeared once I had won some money but I decided that I needed some food before I started to celebrate. Lulu and I went back home and made a wonderful supper of salmon, steak and roast vegetables and then made a little film about my winnings.
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Saturday 26th November 05 -25°C |
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| At Christmas Arts and Crafts Fair for more shopping with my winnings. Bought loads of really nice gifts for people back home. Beautiful but cold day again. Me and Lulu decided to rent a skidoo for Sunday to go to the Dome (really high point that overlooks all of Dawson) - if its this cold we will definitely die!!!! | |
Sunday 27th November 05 -30°C |
| Wise decision was made early on not to go skidooing because of the temperature especially since at the Dome temperatures get even lower. Beautiful day though so decided to go an do a little filming on the river. It is strange to think that when I arrived the Yukon river was thundering through the town and now people are walking across it. Did some filming for a short period but it was too cold and the camera did not like it so much unsurprisingly. Decided to go to KIAC to do some work and stay warm - soft as this may seem my hands from being still were really stiff even though I was only filming for half an hour or so. No messing about at -30°C. Found a caribou hoof with fur still attached whilst on the way to the supermarket. Apparently when people are cutting up the carcasses dogs sometimes steal bits. I brought it home to make prints or something - it is huge. At Mike, Gwen and Lila's for a hungarian supper which was great. Lila was more interested in the carrot cake I had brought whilst playing being a monkey and a shark than her egg and flour dumplings. |
