.

Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Moses Hernandez has ventured from Yellowknife to Rovaniemi, Finland, to gain a new perspective on the North through an Arctic studies course at Lapland University.

Moses Hernandez rides a horse-drawn carriage through the streets of Rovaniemi, Finland. - photo courtesy of Moses Hernandez

The students are made up of people of all stripes, from all around the world, and the course teaches about Northern environment, aboriginal cultures, and other disciplines that focus on the North - centering mainly around Finland.

"The first time I heard about this program was through a professor in an international studies course that I took (at St. Francis Xavier University)," said Hernandez. "My main goal is to learn about the Sami, the indigenous people here."

The 27-year-old university student, whose father hails from Nicaragua and his mother from the Philippines, is not of Canadian aboriginal heritage himself, but he feels he can relate.

When he was 13, Moses set off to Nicaragua with his father to visit his grandfather and learn about his heritage.

"I met my grandfather, and how he lives was very inspiring to me," said Hernandez, "I felt for the first time in my life a real connection - I didn't have that when I was in Yellowknife."

While spending time with his grandfather, who recently died, he learned about the traditional lifestyle of Nicaragua.

"I felt like wow, I've been missing out on all my culture."

Nicaraguan culture was largely influenced by the conquests of the Spanish, and the integration of the Spanish with the indigenous peoples who lived there - the Mayans.

In Finland, Moses wants to learn new perspectives of how indigenous cultures are preserved, his short-term plan being to work with aboriginal youth in the NWT when he returns.

"Among the aboriginal youth (in Yellowknife), what I see in my own eyes is that there is something missing, it could be loss of culture or not really participating in the culture, and I have heard this from other people - elders are saying the kids are not getting involved or taking an interest in their culture."

In his off-time, Moses maintains an active lifestyle.

"I bike to school, and I train skiing three to four times a week with this Finnish guy on the trails. He's trying to learn English. I can tell he really wants to learn so I try and teach him a bit and we ski together.

"I think a lot more people are active here (than in Canada)," said Moses, "A lot more older people here are out skiing or sledding, or walking with ski poles. Very healthy people here. There's not a lot of overweight people here. They have very active lifestyles. The weather is perfect for it."

Moses said even in winter the temperature only drops to around -10 C. Though far away, Moses says many Finnish know a thing or two about Yellowknife.

"A lot of people watch Ice Road Truckers here," said Hernandez. "They actually know Yellowknife; I was surprised. It's a popular show here. Probably because it's about hardcore Northerners, and they consider themselves hardcore Northerners here as well."

Moses is doing a one-semester course, which will officially end July 31.