Personal Narrative: A Community In Canada

It may seem like Canada is the nation of independence, that everyone that comes here lives alone in the wilderness. To live in Canada takes survival skills, and the skills to live off the land. But it takes a community to make this happen, a community that relies on each citizen to play a role in providing for their community. This is the system that our village relies on. Since we live in the Northwest Territories and are located one hundred twenty-five miles East of the nearest town, Reindeer Station, we can’t depend on the outside world to save us. We have to take care of ourselves. All I can say is that it’s hard growing up in this environment. All my childhood, I didn’t play. I was taught to hunt and fish and live off the land. Now that I am eighteen, I have finished my training and now can finally be independent. The Elders of my community have supplied me with an old 1950’s

Are there any volunteers?” asked Maska. It was silent for a long while until someone decided to speak. “I feel this would be a great trek for Moki,” stated Nasha. The crowd all agreed to this statement, sending Moki out to find a new home. Somehow I was chosen to pursue this adventure. I don’t know what to think about it all. The villagers put me in charge of finding them a home. I suppose that means they trust me. I never thought I would be doing this, finding a new home. It still doesn’t feel real to me. It’s hard to think that one animal moving to a different place could destroy a community like ours. But our people depend on that food so much, we have to follow it no matter how far away they are. One of the downfalls to living off the land; you have to adapt to change. I study closely as I fly over a few caribou. I must be getting close now. I have been flying for a few hours and the sun is close to going down. I am thinking about how life will be in the new village and if it will be a struggle to survive or