AKLAVIK
Aklavik's Mary Kendi turned 98 on March 4 and people throughout the Northwest Territories want to help her celebrate.
Mary Kendi receives a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in Aklavik in October 2012. The Aklavik elder turned 98 years old on March 4. - photo courtesy of Mabel Brown |
Kendi's daughter, Mabel Brown, said Kendi is a popular member of the community.
Popping into her house for a quick visit and a chat is often the first thing visitors do when they arrive in Aklavik.
"That's why the people enjoy coming to be with her," Brown said. "If they want to hear a funny story or laugh, she's a really good, positive person."
Brown has organized a birthday party for her mother, which was scheduled to be held at the Community Complex in Aklavik on March 9.
Brown said Kendi was born in 1915 at the Pokiak Channel, across the Peel Channel from present day Aklavik. Her grandmother delivered her.
In a broadcast on Isuma TV in 2008 as part of a series of interviews with elders, Kendi said she has happy memories of her early childhood, even though her upbringing was strict.
Brown said Kendi was taken to residential school, St. Peter's School in Hay River, when she was six years old.
She stayed there for three years until an uncle arrived and took her home to her parents, Paul Koe and Elizabeth Vittrekwa.
"She has a Grade 3 education, but her traditional knowledge is like a university degree," said Brown.
In 1932, Kendi married Alfred Kendi, who was from the Yukon.
Alfred was an RCMP Special Constable and he and his wife spent the 1940s travelling throughout the territory. The couple had eight children and adopted one more.
Kendi contributed to her husband's work by sewing clothing for her husband and officers.
"My father was travelling with the RCMP, he was the guide," Brown said. "I know my mother sewed for the RCMP, mukluks, parkas, probably mitts also."
In the late 1940s, Kendi was sent to a hospital in Edmonton for two years to be treated for tuberculosis. She had to have two ribs and a lung removed.
Brown said it was a difficult time for the family.
"It was hard being away from all of us," she said.
Kendi returned in the early 1950s.
When Alfred died in 1965, Kendi used her sewing skills to provide for the family.
She was also a member of the Women's Auxiliary and the Women's Institute (WI) through the Anglican Church.
In 1977, Kendi and another WI member, Bella Ross from Fort McPherson, travelled together to Nairobi, Kenya. Brown said Kendi has great stories about her time in Africa.
"They had a wonderful time," she said. "Politically, it was really unstable in Africa at that time."
Kendi is an original member of the Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute and various organizations still call upon her to help identify place names and other historical information about the area.
Kendi was one of the first women in the territory to win a Wise Women award from the NWT Status of Women Council in 1992.
Just last year, she was presented with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Brown said Kendi received a pair of new beaded slippers and a purple dress for the occasion. Kendi enjoyed the ceremony very much.
"She was so excited. We had so much fun with her, she is 98 and she just had the most fun," Brown said
"She's really full of humour."
Kendi's sense of comedy has made her a favourite in her community. One Halloween, Kendi decided to make herself a costume and pay a visit to the elementary school. She arrived in a full bunny suit - complete with ears and tail - and proceeded to show off her costume for the kids who had no idea who the rabbit-eared stranger was.
Her humour also helps the community cope with tragedy, Brown added.
If Kendi notices a resident is having a difficult time dealing with the death of a family member or friend, she will use local radio to send encouraging messages of support.
"When she recognizes they're in mourning too long, she goes on the radio," she said. "She's really good at that, too."
Brown said she is working on a family history book to preserve her mother's stories and provide a resource tool for future generations of her family and for students.
Brown said ideally, she would like to see the book in libraries and schools throughout the territory.
Brown said her mother's knowledge is valuable.
"For us, she's taught us a lot of things and she's still teaching me," she said.
