Karen Lander
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 25/99) - George Diveky has many fond memories of his life in the North. Smiling, he described his experiences with pleasure.

Born in Budapest, Hungary, Diveky first came to the North in 1964 as a newlywed. His career over the years has included teaching, being principal, and finally, superintendent of education before retiring four years ago. Diveky has lived in many communities across the NWT before making Yellowknife his home in 1988.

Diveky got his first teaching job in Kuujjuaq, Quebec.

"When I got this teaching job in Kuujjuaq in 1964, the first thing that I did was learn the language," he said. "There were some older people that were previously in southern hospitals to have tuberculosis treated. It made it easier because they were able to speak English and we no longer had a language barrier between us. I often communicated with them."

Diveky said the students weren't allowed to speak their own language.

"My boss would say, they need to learn English to get through the modern world. Sometimes I would speak to them in their language, and, in turn, they learned to speak in English."

Diveky also remembered that in Kuujjuaq, there were almost no flights in or out. He said the only "kabloonaks" (white people) that were there stayed there. These includes some school teachers, Hudson's Bay Company workers, etc. Diveky said he can still picture the Christmas holidays like they happened yesterday.

"Every Christmas, the people gathered together for a feast and dance. The Hudson Bay Company provided food for the feast. Days before the event, the women were busy cooking, and preparing for the night of fun. Everyone was excited for the gala evening."

Diveky said everyone, satisfied with the food, would then get ready for the entertainment. Out came the accordion and there was jigging and square dancing. "Everyone danced until the wee hours of the morning," Diveky said. "After dancing, some people would throw themselves into the snow to cool off."

Diveky remembered one particular dance.

"Everyone was having so much fun. Suddenly, the whole place became silent. A man walked in, causing a disturbance, obviously intoxicated. No one spoke, but one man started to sing 'Silent Night.' Everyone started to sing along. Realizing that all eyes were on him, he left. The dance continued."

In 1965, Diveky went to the University of Toronto to take anthropology. In 1972, he attended the University of British Columbia to achieve his doctorate in anthropology. Diveky said he took anthropology because he wanted to learn about all the different cultures.

"I enjoy learning about other walks of life."

In 1966, Diveky relocated to Inukjuaq, Quebec, to take a job as a school principal. He said the majority of the people still lived on the land, and dog teams were used as transportation. Diveky said sometimes it took days or weeks to get from "point A to B." He said the Inuit would get their dogs to go for a run to keep them strong. They fed fish and seal to their dogs. People would bury fish and meat in the snow to prevent it from rotting, as there weren't such things as freezers back then.

That year, a hostel was built in town for children who attended school. Diveky said parents would visit every weekend. He recalled one humorous experience which he was "sure you don't see every day."

"My friend John lived about 25 miles away. I looked at this dot and it kept getting bigger and bigger. What was it, I wondered. The closer it got, the more visible it became. It was my friend John. He was hauling his house with his dog team, moving into town. It looked so funny."

Diveky said between 1967 and 1969 was when the first snowmobiles started coming around. He said a lot of people were still using dog teams for transportation at the time.

After 1972, when Diveky had finished his doctorate in anthropology, he said he and his wife, Janet, missed the North so much, they decided to move back.

"By the time we moved to Pelly Bay after I finished university, the policy had already changed for the education system," Diveky said. "I was so pleased to see local committees formed. Finally, the people had a say. I was very happy to teach the children, they were finally allowed to speak their language and I could talk to them."

Diveky said Pelly Bay was the most traditional community they lived in. He said parents told stories to their kids about the old days and a lot of Inuit wore caribou skin clothing.

"I had my first experience of seal hunting over a breathing hole. It was an adventure."

In 1974, Diveky moved to Kugluktuk and spent the next three years as a school principal.

"It was like the Garden of Eden," recalled Diveky. "The abundance of fish, caribou and lots of people going out on the land to hunt."

Diveky said Innuinaktun classes were just being made a part of the school's curriculum. Also, traditional camps were started. People of the community took children from the school for a week to give them a taste of what it was like to live in igloos.

"We stayed in igloos and hunted for wildlife," Diveky said. "The one hunting trip that I enjoyed most was when I went with David Katik. We had two Ski-Doos. It was spring, the sun was shining and it was cold. We wanted to go to Bluenose Lake. It was getting dark and colder. Katik stopped at 2 a.m. until I finally got caught up to him. The lake got lost, it went away. So we put up a tent and boy, after driving on the Ski-Doo for eight hours, tea and bannock was really good."

Diveky said the next day, he and Katik drove around looking for the lake. The two had hoped to see caribou, but only saw a rabbit. Diveky was wearing his quliktaq (caribou skin parka with pants) and said he found it so hot that he had to rest for a while. In the meantime, Katik went off to try to get the rabbit.

"I heard a few bangs from his rifle far away. For a long time I thought Katik wasn't going to come back. I waited for him, but, instead, the rabbit came back and I shot it. After that, Katik came back really sweating and no rabbit because I got it. He was really upset at the time. We had a really good laugh about that trip."

Diveky said the department of education and the people of the community were very happy. He said it was a great time for everybody.

"I'm so proud to see the changes. Schools are run by the community now," Diveky said. "The social studies curriculum and language was made for our children in the NWT. It was exciting to be a part of it."

Diveky said Janet was raised in a small community and he was raised in a city, so he learned a lot about what it's like to know everybody. He said living in a small community gives you a sense of belonging and when help is needed, there is always someone who's willing to help.

"I'd love to have been involved with Nunavut," he said. "The Inuit worked for so long for self-government, it's very intriguing and unique in the world. It's quite exciting. I'd really like to be there. I feel we helped a little bit. I hope it works out for everybody."

After leaving Kugluktuk in 1977, Diveky and his family moved to Yellowknife, where they spent the next three years. Then, in 1980, Diveky moved to Rankin Inlet to become the superintendent of education, a position he remained in for the next five years. By 1985, a divisional board for Keewatin was set up. Diveky said Rod Taylor, divisional board co-ordinator for Rankin Inlet, spent day and night working on setting up the board for the people.

"That's when I first really began to understand the political and social development of the people," Diveky said. "People guided me with the development of the Northern Studies Curriculum. It involved a lot of people all across the NWT."

From 1985-88, Diveky and his family lived in Rae-Edzo. He said a divisional board for the region was formed there as well. He added living in a Dene community was different, but the people were kind as well.

In 1988, Diveky moved to Yellowknife, where he began teaching at Sir John Franklin high school. He said that's when the Northern Studies course was developed for high schools all across the NWT. He said a lot of the kids that were resident at Sir John were from Northern settlements.

"Most of them, I knew their parents or grandparents, so that made it easier for us all. After 12 to 15 years as a superintendent, I went back to being a teacher. I had no idea how a teacher's job has dramatically changed. There are so many responsibilities. You have to be a counsellor, policeman, etc., but it's better for the students and the instructors. I learned that the more time you prepare yourself to teach, the better teacher you become. I really enjoyed working with them."

Diveky enjoys theatre and drama, writing and doing volunteer work. And he knows at least half a dozen languages. He is retired, but is looking for part-time work. Diveky and his wife Janet raised two children, Eva and Andrew. They also have a grandchild.

Diveky's wife, Janet was born and raised in South Africa. Diveky met her in London, Ontario, in 1963 when she was employed as a librarian. She eventually received her College Teacher's Certificate. After getting a job as a teacher, Diveky went to Ottawa for orientation.

"At that time, the federal government brought all the teachers together."

In August of 1964, a day after Diveky tied the knot, both he and his new bride went up North.

"When we lived in Kuujjuaq between 1964 and 1966, my wife taught cooking lessons. That time, oil lamps and soapstone pots were used. It was funny, because whenever the women dropped something off the soapstone pot, naturally, it would freeze because the floor was snow, and the igloo was always comfortably warm."

Diveky said his wife was also the Girl Guide Leader in Kuujjuaq. He said by selling popcorn at 10 cents a bag, she raised enough money for two girls to go south for a Girl Guides trip. He added Janet has volunteered for other organizations as well, such as Meals on Wheels.