Dane Gibson
Northern News Services

NNSL (July 19/99) - In 1937, Mary-Louise Drygeese was born in a small cabin halfway between Wool Bay and Dettah. Since then, the Yellowknives Dene elder hasn't strayed from her land, or her people.

After working 27 years in Dettah as a nursing assistant, Mary-Louise retired last month. She was awarded an engraved plaque and painting recognizing the contribution she made to her people during her career.

Jan Stirling worked alongside Mary-Louise for many years. She was honoured to have presented the award.

"I've always worked closely with Mary-Louise. She's sweet and caring and has made a great difference in the communities of Dettah and Ndilo," Stirling said.

Sitting in her Dettah home, Mary-Louise smiles when she hears the praise. It's clear the fact that she retired hasn't set in and that she misses doing her weekly rounds with the public health nurse.

"I miss my job so much. I miss visiting the kids and elders. Of course, I still go and visit them but not as often," she says.

"Now, when the elders see me they get so happy and it breaks my heart because I feel I should have come by sooner."

Keeping an eye on the health of the community was a job Mary-Louise took very seriously. She translated her native Dogrib language for the nurses, comforted the children who needed treatment, and called health nurses in Yellowknife to relay to them the condition of those who fell ill.

"It especially hurts me to see our kids and elders sick, so I do what I can to help them be healthy," Mary-Louise says.

"Sometimes, the work made me sad. When the nurse was giving needles I would hold the kids tightly on my lap, which seemed to soothe them."

After brewing a pot of tea at her Dettah residence, Mary-Louise answers three phone calls, watches one of her nine grandkids tear through her house, then pulls out a large box of moccasins.

The moccasins are all sizes, from infant to adult. Some are decorated with flower patterns, others with beads and all are obviously of the finest craftsmanship. It seems Mary-Louise has been busy.

"I feel like an old grandma now but I'm still sewing good," she says picking up a needle and making a stitch through a piece of moose hide.

"Besides, I'm still busy teaching my grandchildren how to cook bannock and make dried fish and meat. I don't want them going hungry. Sometimes, I cook up a feast and phone around to get them to come over to eat."

She recently became a great-grandmother for the first time and she's not sure how that title sits with her just yet.

"When I saw my great-grandchild, I really felt old. But everybody tells me I don't look that old," she adds laughing.

Mary-Louise has three brothers, Jonas, Modeste and Eddie Sangris. She also has two sisters, Mary-Rose Maksagak, who lives in Cambridge Bay, and Josie Bishop, who resides in Hay River.

As the oldest sibling, Mary-Louise's caring nature was put to the test -- especially by her brothers. Modeste was the oldest boy, and she remembers how her parents couldn't keep him away from the lake.

"He just wouldn't listen, so Dad would sometimes tie a 10-foot long string to the back of his shirt so he wouldn't go in the water," she said.

"When Modeste went out on his first hunt and shot two caribou, my dad said, 'I won't tie him up anymore.'" "He ended up bringing lots of meat to dad."

Former Dettah chief Jonas Sangris was the middle brother. Mary-Louise describes him as "a handful."

"Jonas was a noisy boy. I had to chase him around everyday. He was in trouble all the time but really, I didn't have to look after him too much," she said. "I was glad to see him retire after being chief for so long. Maybe he'll rest now."

When she thinks of a story for Eddie, the youngest boy, she laughs.

"Once, when Eddie was very small, he was holding my dress and crying after me all the time. It was at a time I was busy serving guests that were over visiting," she said.

"I didn't know what to do with him so I locked him in the cupboard until I finished the dishes. He calmed right down. Boy, was that funny."

After finishing another cup of tea, Mary-Louise sits down and rubs her leg. The ache is a reminder from when she was a teenager working at a fish camp for 25 cents an hour. While on the job, she fell down a flight of stairs and broke her leg so badly that she was in hospital for eight months. Part of the bone was removed and a steel pin was inserted. She said it still "acts up" sometimes.

Much of Mary-Louise's character comes from her parents, Joe Sangris and Mary-Adell. Joe was Dettah chief for many years so the household she grew up in was always bustling.

"As kids, we were scared of the chief. It was like walking by a policeman or something," she says.

"When my dad became chief, my mom told me people would come from all over all the time. It was my job to ensure anyone who came to visit was treated well."

She credits her parents with keeping her grounded and close to the land.

"They taught me how to live in the bush. They taught me everything -- how to live when you're married, how to raise children," she says.

"You know, my mom was right about everything."

She said she's still infused with great hope when she visits with the young children from her community, just as she's still learning from the other elders in the community.

"I love kids for the energy they have. When I look at the kids and I think about what they're going to grow up to be, all I ask them is if they're going to be a good boy or girl. They always answer yes," she says.

"Many of the kids I helped through my work are married now and they have their own kids. They grew up to be good people, true to their word, and I like to see that."

The elders, a resource so valuable to a community like Dettah, are still very much a part of her life.

"When we go to a picnic by boat, the elders can point out each spot we pass and tell stories of where they set nets. They tell tales of memorable hunts and each spot has a special significance to them," she says.

"I feel proud when I hear the stories. They instruct me to tell my children the stories. That's what keeps our traditions alive. I'm teaching my kids and they are teaching theirs."

Mary-Louise laughs when she's asked about the future. After raising five girls and two boys of her own, she's pretty tired.

Right now, her husband of 43 years, John Drygeese, recently suffered a heart ailment that has slowed him down a bit. She's busy, but admits she wouldn't mind travelling a little when things slow down.

Still, her heart is in Dettah and in Dettah it will remain.

"It's growing big. When I first came here there was five houses," she says.

"I love this community and when I see it growing, I see it getting stronger. Our leadership is strong and I like that because they're working for our people."