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Winners of the Renewable Resource Council (RRC) 2009 James McDonald Youth Harvester Award stand proudly with their certificates among council members, friends and family in Aklavik on Jan. 21. From left, Johnny Charlie Jr., Jeffrey Robert, P.J. Kaye, Georgina Vaneltsi, Wanda Pascal, Astrid McDonald, Prairie Dawn Edwards, Fanny Greenland, Freddy Furlong, Charlie Furlong, Georgie Blake, and Abe Wilson. - photo courtesy of Mary Beckett

AKLAVIK - Fifeteen-year-old Prairie Dawn Edwards is crazy about harvesting whale meat, drying fish and setting snares.

“I enjoy it; it’s in my blood and it’s part of my culture, I’m supposed to do it,” she said. “I’m going to keep it going; I’m not going to let my culture die.”

In fact, cutting whale meat with her grandmother Sheba Selamio is one of the Inuvialuit/ Gwich'in teenager’s most memorable childhood moments. She credits her grandparents and mom for instilling the skill and love of living off the land.

As often as possible, she goes to her family’s cottage about 50 km outside of her home community Aklavik or to Yukon’s Shingle Point where she traps and sets snares in the winter, skins rabbits or goes fishing. She loves to make homemade bread and doughnuts.

Her traditional food is always Grade “A.”

“It’s better than eating white man food; the store bought stuff,” she said. “Muktuk and dry fish are the best.”

It’s this passion and commitment to her roots that won Prairie Dawn the Renewable Resource Council (RRC) 2009 James McDonald Youth Harvester Award on Jan. 21. She shared the award with two other youths from the Delta region at a ceremony in Aklavik. The award is named in memory of the beloved Aklavik Gwich'in elder who was devoted to teaching the traditional ways of life and lived off the land. He died in 2007.

The award is given to youths that carry on the traditional ways of life, an honour Prairie Dawn admits is “pretty cool.” As a token gift the Moose Kerr school student received a gas lantern to help her along future journeys.

The award is a brainchild of both the Gwich'in Tribal Council and the RRCs in Aklavik, Inuvik, Fort McPherson, and Tsiigehtchic. Every year members from each branch are invited to pick at least one youth who best practises and teaches the traditional ways. Prairie Dawn happened to be on the Aklavik council as her school representative.

Nineteen-year-old Freddie Furlong of Aklavik was honoured and sent home with a gas portable stove. The avid outdoorsman and photographer recently took over his grandfather’s trap line and has caught more than 20 foxes and three timberwolves over the past year.

The other recipient Jeffrey Robert, 20, of Fort McPherson was handed a heavy-duty sleeping bag. Raised by his grandmother Eliza Robert, he’s recognized as, among many other things, a skilled outdoorsman, fishermen and a tireless student of the traditional ways.

Event organizer and Gwich'in Tribal Council vice president Mary Ann Ross says the three youth award winners give her hope that the traditional practices and values rest in good hands. As someone who’s currently trying to incorporate more of that into her own life, Ross says she envious of them.

“Despite all the distractions, they’re out there setting such a wonderful example for other young people and bringing the traditional ways into their current lives,” said Ross.

“I certainly idolize them because they’re doing something that a lot of us wish we could.”