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Lessons on life in the North

Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Thursday, June 28, 2007

DEH CHO - When people in Fort Simpson complained about the cold last winter it was nothing compared to what Jean Junior Montout was going through.

Montout is from Haiti where it was above 40 degrees in December compared to the -40C in Fort Simpson.

Jean Junior Montout, centre, a Beaver volunteer from Haiti, is surrounded by some of the students he worked with at Bompas elementary school in Fort Simpson. Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

Jean Junior Montout, centre, a Beaver volunteer from Haiti, is surrounded by some of the students he worked with at Bompas elementary school in Fort Simpson. Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo Dez Loreen/NNSL photo

"That was a big challenge for me," he said.

The difference in temperatures was just one of the experiences that Montout had to adjust to in the North. Montout was one of the Beaver volunteers from the Frontiers Foundation involved in communities and schools across the Deh Cho.

Montout arrived in Fort Simpson on Sept. 18 and volunteered at Bompas elementary school doing physical education and at Thomas Simpson school with the French class.

Coming to volunteer in the North has been a positive experience, he said. Montout said he was able to learn about another country, education system and people.

"In Haiti I didn't know about the native people," he said.

Despite being far from his homeland, Montout said that he found there are many similarities between the Dene culture and the voodoo culture in Haiti.

Here people give the river tobacco before they make a trip and in Haiti they feed the ocean before they travel to ask for a safe passage and for more fish. The two cultures also have drum dances although they are used differently, he said.

Despite having a hard time adjusting to life in the North, Montout said he wasn't looking forward to leaving on June 24.

"It's really hard for me to leave," said Montout.

Belisa Rathunde, who volunteered at the band office in Wrigley as a recreation programmer, said she's also dreading leaving.

"I love those kids so much. It's going to be hard to leave," she said.

Rathunde came to Wrigley from Curitiba, a city in the southern part of Brazil. She left a Brazilian summer to arrive on Jan. 14.

"It was one of the coldest days of the year," she said.

Coming from a city of two million, Wrigley's population of 176 was a shock but Rathunde said she hasn't minded.

"It was amazing to learn how a small community works," she said.

While in Wrigley, Rathunde said she learned as much as she could about land claims, self-government and the history of residential schools. The native people of Brazil are starting to work through some of these issues.

"It's amazing to connect things together and have a world perspective on people on the land," she said.

Rathunde said she feels people around the world have a lot to land from aboriginal people, especially their relationship with the land.

"I feel Aboriginal people all over the world know what they are doing," she said.

Rathunde wasn't alone in Wrigley, she joined Rebecca Rich from Burlington, Ont. who volunteered at the school.

With a degree in biochemistry, Rich taught science classes to all the grade levels and some health classes to the girls.

"It was an amazing learning experience," said Rich.

Rich said she enjoyed everything about her experience, even the hard stuff.

"The relationships I formed with the kids were the most special," said Rich who hopes to return and visit in the future.

Other Beaver volunteers who worked in the Deh Cho over the school year included Michaela Gray and Susanne Schmid at Deh Gah school in Fort Providence, Mark Lytle in Wrigley and Martin Pritchett at the Charles Yohin school in Nahanni Butte.