Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

INUVIK
An Edmonton-based film producer is documenting stories from the North this summer.

Tootsie Lugt, clockwise from bottom left, Millie Gruben, Rosemary Lundrigan, Triggie Stefure, Louisa Gruben, Patsy Yakeleya, Maureen Gruben and Eddie Gruben in the centre participated in a documentary. - photo courtesy of Maureen Gruben

Raymond Yakeleya, originally from Tulita, is a co-founder of Earth Magic Media. He spent some time filming in Inuvik last week.

"I was asked by my sister-in-law to record her father, Eddie Gruben," said Yakeleya.

Gruben founded E. Gruben's Transport Ltd., in the 1950s, and Yakeleya said today it's one of the most successful native-owned companies in the NWT.

"He started his company with a dog team," said Yakeleya. "He would bring mail back and forth from Aklavik to Inuvik. At the time sometimes people would only get mail once a year."

Yakeleya interviewed Gruben and people that knew him throughout his career.

While in Inuvik, Yakeleya also shot scenery, which will later be strung together with other footage starting as soon as September. The documentary will be released in 2013.

"We still have to find a broadcaster," said Yakeleya.

The producer has other film projects to his credit, which are now used as educational materials in schools across Alberta and Aurora College.

After starting his company by dog team, Gruben moved on to dump trucks and heavier transport and started helping the oil companies

"The young kids today, they have no idea what the elders went through to get them here," Yakeleya said. "It's an amazing story."

After interviewing Gruben and hearing what he had to share, Yakeleya now thinks a series on elders would be possible.

"Our stories are oral and we need to record them as so. We're making permanent records of our people," said Yakeleya. "I always spent time with the elders. They taught me."

Gruben is 92 years old, but Yakeleya said his memory is still like an encyclopedia.

As an orphan, Gruben was raised by many different people.

"He was so poor he never had two shoes that were the same," said Yakeleya.

"I was proud to be poor, because it taught me to be good," said Gruben.

Yakeleya said there are many lessons to be learned through Gruben's story.

"He went on to become a successful businessman," said Yakeleya.

"How do you face this, get by it and succeed? It will open their eyes and probably end up going into the school system and that's what the elders want. They have something to say about the fight for life," Yakeleya said.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.