Kent Driscoll
Northern News Services

Cambridge Bay (Aug 29/05) - Lena Evalik was crying when she returned to her family's traditional camp last weekend, crying tears of joy and sadness.

Lena Evalik buries a Bible at her traditional campsite near Perry River. Inside the bag with the Bible are all the names of her family. She returned to the site for her 75th birthday.

She was happy because her family took her to where she used to spend spring and summer - at her camp near Perry River - to celebrate her 75th birthday.

She was sad because her late husband, Norman Evalik, was such a part of the camp for her.

Those sad feelings soon passed, and Evalik was back at home, picking up where she left off.

"She used to get rainwater in the rocks," said Rosie Kaiyogana, who translated for her mother. "She used to go up the hill with a child on her back. It was harder for her this time."

Evalik didn't have to go get water, she had a small army of family members to help her out. She had 14 children, and 12 of them are still alive.

Out of those 12, nine made the trip with her, with grand-children and great-grand-children in tow, for a total of 28 people.

"The kids loved it," said Kaiyogana. "I was so proud of those kids, they never complained. They didn't want to watch TV, they were on the go all the time."

Evalik was impressed with her grandkids, too. "She was so happy that they came along. She loves them all so much and they were really good campers," said Kaiyogana.

There are two secrets to the Evalik family camping area: one above ground and one below.

Above ground, there are very few bugs, making it a prime camping location. The camp has always been known for that and this year was no exception.

"It's still that way, with no bugs. There is a lot of gravel, no ponds for the bugs," explained Evalik's son, David.

David visited the camp until he was 11 years old, when he was sent to residential school. He helped host a special closing ceremony to the birthday celebration, which resulted in the second secret.

At Lena's request, the family buried a Bible under a rock where her tent used to be. In the Ziploc bag containing the Bible, there is a list of all the names of the family, putting some history under the soil for future Evaliks to discover.

The children were able to glimpse what the camp was originally like, because, according to Lena, "It is still the same."

As for her next big birthday, she hasn't made any plans yet. "She doesn't know yet, maybe nothing," her daughter explained.