Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 12/01) - Mabel English is excited to win her very first computer. "It's just great. I mean I'm just tickled about it," English said.

Ian Selluski, left, operations manager for Canada Post in Inuvik, hands Mabel English the Canada Post individual achievement literacy award. - Malcolm Gorrill/NNSL photo by Malcolm Gorrill

She won a computer system and a certificate after receiving the Canada Post individual achievement literacy award.

English is a program support assistant at Sir Alexander Mackenzie school. Since last year she has tutored children with special needs.

English had to leave school early to help her family. She returned to school after raising her own family.

"I felt all alone," English said. "I was in my 50s when I went back to school, after about 40 years."

English attended what was then called the Native Women's centre in Inuvik, now the NWT Training Centre, for two years. She took one year of an interpreter's course at Aurora College in Fort Smith.

"I didn't finish because they didn't have the Gwich'in language again that year," English explained.

She taught Gwich'in before assuming her current duties at SAMS.

English has big plans for her new computer.

"Once I start learning how to operate a computer, I'd like to make a children's book in the Gwich'in language and English."

She already has done one book, which covers numbers, colours and the names of animals in English and Gwich'in. She'd also like to write up stories in both languages, and is adding software to her computer which will include symbols in the Gwich'in alphabet not included in English.

"I'd like to continue doing that because I think we're losing our language, the way it's going. Maybe that will bring it back."

As an example, English said she could write about her fish camp.

"You get one big Mackenzie white fish right out and then they're just fresh. You cut the fish open and the guts is just white, the fish is so healthy and white. You split it open and you put it in the toaster, that's what we call it."

English said young people should understand the importance of education, and to think of it as an investment.