Stories from the land
Fruit of year-long photojournalism project documenting NWT communities to be displayed at the legislative assembly
Robin Grant
Northern News Services
Friday, January 13, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Stories of living on the land and water are coming to Yellowknife - all with the goal of protecting indigenous culture and the environment.
Pat Kane's photos from a year-long project documenting the relationship between people and the land around the southern NWT will be on display at the Great Hall of the legislative assembly until Jan. 30.
Kakisa Dene First Nation Chief Lloyd Chicot and his wife, Anita Chicot, boat on Tathlina Lake.- photos courtesy of Pat Kane |
Photojournalist Pat Kane's On the Land is a visual storytelling project told through a series of photos and short documentaries aimed at dispelling a southern myth that no one lives in the vast wilderness that is the Northwest Territories.
"My hope with this project is to showcase the culture and lifestyle of the indigenous people of the Northwest Territories, and most importantly, to point out how crucial it is for the land and water to be protected so that those who live here can sustain their culture, food sources and livelihood," Kane said.
Thirty-five photos from the year-long project, which was conducted in partnership with the national charity Tides Canada, will be on display in the Great Hall of the legislative assembly beginning Monday until Jan. 30.
As the On the Land website explains, the NWT is home to Inuvialuit, Dene, Cree, Metis and Inuit people for whom the land is a source of fresh water, wildlife, food, fur and shelter.
"The unique identity of the people here is linked to their use of the land for thousands of years and is passed on through oral tradition," states the website. "It continues into the future through cultural practices out on the land: language, stories, history and social and ceremonial practices give these places high cultural significance. The land nourishes the people spiritually, mentally, socially and emotionally."
In addition to Monday's photo exhibit, the entire project is currently available for viewing on the project website.
The site contains short documentaries with interviews with community members as well as video and imagery of a community harvest with the Ka'a'gee Tu First Nation of Kakisa; a hide tanning camp in Lutsel K'e and a youth and elder camp on Ekali Lake near the community of Jean Marie River. It also displays Kane's images of the Mackenzie River and the people who use it to live.
"All of these are places are important to the Dene people and the communities," he said. "They are protectors of the land, and I'm just sharing their stories."
