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DEH CHO
As a young woman, Melaw Nakehk'o thought she would eventually learn the ins and outs of moosehide tanning from her grandmother, but the knowledge was lost to Nakehk'o when her grandmother died.

Jasmin Netsena of Fort Nelson dome-smokes her hide. - photo courtesy of Melaw Nakehk'o

Nakehk'o tried to learn the craft by attending workshops but quickly realized she wasn't going to get an in-depth understanding from just a couple weeks of instruction.

"If I really wanted to learn seriously then I had to do something for myself to make it happen," she said, adding that's why she started the Golo-Dheh project, which means smoked moosehide in the south Dehcho Dene dialect.

Over the past summer Nakehk'o travelled the territory to gain an understanding of the art by talking with elders, who under Dene Law are obliged to teach moosehide tanning to anyone who wants to learn. Nakehk'o said she has always been interested in learning how to tan but what really motivated her was her own art. Nakehk'o, who paints, sews and beads, wanted a more sustainable way to continue doing her work.

Her journey began in Fort Simpson, where she set up moosehide tanning equipment, which she created from scratch, in her parents' yard. Then, in May, Nakehk'o travelled with friends to Trout Lake to learn from Maggie Jumbo. In two weeks, they tried every stage of the process: scraping, soaking, drying and smoking. The work was very physical and some parts were much harder than she had anticipated, Nakehk'o said.

"When we started working on it I was like, 'Wait a second, I have no idea what I'm doing' ... A lot of us thought just taking the hair and the flesh off was the hard part and that we would be like 'Oh yeah. we are almost done,' but no," she said, adding as time went on they realized that was the easiest part. "One of the hides has so many holes on it because of mistakes."

Throughout the experience, Nakehk'o also travelled to Jean Marie River, Yellowknife, Lutsel K'e, and Fort Nelson B.C. She recorded the experience on her blog and it was also documented with the help of filmmaker Lesley Johnson, whom Nakehk'o had met during a moosehide tanning workshop.

Johnson, with support from the NWT Native Communication Society, is creating a a 35-45 minute piece that will explore the tanning process while touching on themes of cultural revitalization and traditional activities in a contemporary world. The Yellowknifer said she hopes the film, which is currently in the middle of production, will give viewers a greater appreciation for the work that goes into each hide and an understanding of why they deserve a fair price.

"I wanted to be able to show all the intricacies and the beauty of the moosehide tanning process but I also think that Melaw has a very inspiring story to tell in her own personal journey and in the way that her journey had inspired other women to decide to also learn how to moosehide tan," said Johnson. "I think it's a really beautiful thing to show."

Nakehk'o's work has earned her a Minister's Cultural Award. On Oct. 17 she was honoured for sharing the knowledge of her elders and for bringing a renewed interest to the art of moosehide tanning.

Nakehk'o said she was pleased to receive the award.

"The work that I do is really important for myself ... I think it's super important to work with elders and to be on the land and to know my traditions and my way of life," she said. "It was just really cool that other people think that's important too, and that the type of work that I'm doing is important."

Going forward, Nakehk'o said she can now probably tan a hide on her own but there is still so much more for her to learn. Her journey isn't over yet, she said.

"I would continue to just keep seeking the advice of my elders because every single hide is different and there is so many different techniques and so many secrets to get the hides to a good, finished stage," she said. "There is so much knowledge that my elders have."

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