Breaking bread with the elders
Annual breakfast an important community event in Rankin
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, May 7, 2014
RANKIN INLET
A large gathering of elders were treated to a tasty, well-balanced breakfast at the Rankin Inlet Community Hall this past week.
Coun. Harry Towtongie displays one of the tasty meals being served during the hamlet's Pakallak Tyme elder's breakfast in Rankin Inlet on April 30, 2014. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo |
The elders' breakfast is a staple of the annual Pakallak Tyme celebrations.
And not only do the elders get a nice breakfast, they're also waited on by members of hamlet council and get to slip in a suggestion or two in casual conversation.
Coun. Harry Towtongie was one of many councillors to serve the elders this past week.
Towtongie said the elders' breakfast is held twice a year, during Pakallak Tyme and the Christmas Games.
He said he looks forward to mingling with the elders and hearing their opinions on a wide-ranging number of topics.
"When we (councillors) attend the breakfast, we sit down with a few of them here and there after they've finished eating," said Towtongie.
"We talk with them to get their ideas on different things, and it's really good public relations for the council.
"In a way, it's like getting direct community reporting from the elders.
"We get to connect with them, and they feel connected to us."
Towtongie said sometimes an elder won't realize he's a councillor.
He said it's important for the elders to know who's on hamlet council, and to feel comfortable in approaching them for whatever reason.
"You see a lot of the elders shaking hands because they often haven't seen each other for a long time.
"People are always saying we're running out of elders, but when they're together in one group, you see there's quite a few of them.
"Rankin is a pretty big community."
Towtongie said if it wasn't for the elder events the hamlet holds, he wouldn't see a number of them all year.
He said some people might be surprised to learn many of the elders' concerns for the community are the same as their own.
"Even though they know there's no money right now, they talk about our community hall quite a bit and wish, like everyone else, we had a better facility.
"Some of them are big hockey fans, too, who go to a lot of games, and they want to see a new arena in Rankin.
"Time with our elders is time well-spent, and they really appreciate having things like this done for them."
