"I know I can go over to the west and always have that family support over there, just put my bags down and be welcomed. And then I can come over here and I have family here too, which is really great."
Maria Canton
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (Jan 29/01) - A Northerner from the East and the West, Sky Wah-Shee has divided her time between the Kivalliq region, where she spent her formative years, and the Western Arctic, discovering her Dene roots and family.
 Sky Wah-Shee |
YellowknifeLife: What's it like living with your family again?
Wah-Shee It is very exciting and very busy.
YellowknifeLife: Does it feel the same as when you left?
Wah-Shee Pretty much, I find living in the East is more exciting now because Nunavut is in place and everyone is so eager to learn.
YellowknifeLife: What is it like having both of your parents being fairly prominent people in the community?
Wah-Shee It's pretty much always been that way, no matter where I go someone knows them. I could probably go to China and someone would know them.
I find it very flattering. I'm really proud that they are my parents, because I know that what they do comes from their heart -- all of them, my dad James, my dad Jack and my mom.
I really enjoy it because they are so supportive. They've always been very supportive especially where their kids are concerned.
I remember people coming to our door in Rankin and asking for food or diapers and my mom and dad would always be there to help out.
YellowknifeLife: What was it like when your family moved to Ottawa when Jack (Anawak) was a Member of Parliament?
Wah-Shee At first it was a pretty big culture shock because we'd always lived in Rankin and it wasn't the same as just going down for holidays.
YellowknifeLife: Was it hard on your family?
Wah-Shee I think the hardest thing was just getting adjusted to different systems -- the school system, the southern lifestyle -- but after the first year we were pretty well adjusted.
YellowknifeLife: What was it like moving back to Rankin after living in Ottawa for eight years?
Wah-Shee It was pretty different because all of my high school friends were settled down, married, had kids.
Even though living in Rankin was home, I still had to adjust to the change of pace and things being more community-based in the North.
YellowknifeLife: What led you to move to Yellowknife?
Wah-Shee The last time I lived with my dad James I was two-years-old and I wanted to get to know him and our roots and his background.
I was really happy to have that opportunity. It was really nice getting to know him one-on-one and I got to travel with him to the Dene National Assembly in July 1999.
YellowknifeLife: Being Dene yourself, did you feel as though you were in touch with the culture even though you had been living in the Inuit culture for so many years?
Wah-Shee I totally got the feeling that I did. That's one of the reasons I went back, to explore where everyone's roots came from and it answered some questions for me.
I think people always wonder why they are the way they are and in order to get those answers it was easier for me to go there and have coffee with my sister or go out with my dad.
All of my family there was very excited and wanted to meet me and they all welcomed me.
YellowknifeLife: Was there some sort of sisterly bond that you felt right away?
Wah-Shee Oh yeah, it was so nice just to look at her at know that we were sisters.
YellowknifeLife: You have such a large family spread across both territories, what does that feel like?
Wah-Shee Well, I know I can go over to the west and always have that family support over there, just put my bags down and be welcomed. And then I can come over here and I have family here too, which is really great. It's very nice to know that I have family on this side and on that side and they are all very supportive.
YellowknifeLife: Has your family's gracious ways rubbed off on you and the rest of the kids?
Wah-Shee Oh definitely, for the most part it has rubbed off on us and it has taught us so much.I remember switching high schools from Rankin to Ottawa and being so nervous because there were 1,200 students in my grade, but I would just think of my dad being in Parliament where he had never been before and what it must be like for him.
YellowknifeLife: Are there certain expectations you feel you have to meet?
Wah-Shee I get that sort of feeling from other people all the time. Even when I was at the Dene Assembly with my dad James, this man from Toronto came up to me and said 'You have big boots to fill' when my dad had just finished giving a speech. People are always saying that, but I don't really feel that pressure. It's really a matter of fulfilling my goals and doing things on my terms.
YellowknifeLife: Do you think you'll be settled in the East for a while?
Wah-Shee I think so, I feel really comfortable here and I'm happy.
