Saturday, February 13, 2021

When You're up to Your Apostrophe in Frozen Alligators - weekly column

 

Mack Hall, HSG

Mhall46184@aol.com

 

When You’re up to Your Apostrophe in Frozen Alligators

 

The current spell of global warming has set us to checking pipe insulation, wrapping old towels and sheets around outside faucets, considering how much firewood is left in anticipation of power lines being downed by ice, making sure the generator is working, taking an inventory of batteries, and catching up on the laundry.

 

Our northern neighbors may scoff at us, but when in our semi-tropical milieu we find ourselves up to our apostrophes in frozen alligators we are ‘way out of our comfort zone.

 

If we were to travel even zonier north and then east we might come to the land of the Innu in Labrador and find ourselves zoned out of many of our existential frames of reference.

 

Anthony Germain has reported for Canadian Broadcasting for some years, both on radio and tv, not only in Canada but in China and as a war correspondent among bloody scenes in Whosestupidideawasthisistan. Midlife through the journey of life, as Dante might say, Anthony did not find himself in a darksome wood but in class as he returned to school part-time to teach journalism to university students and to learn how to teach younger children.

 

As part of his practicum Anthony is now teaching (MTIE Board Office - Home (innueducation.ca) in Natuashish in the Mushuau Innu First Nation in northern Labrador (innu.ca). No roads lead to or from Natuashish; it accessible only by sea or the airport’s gravel runway.

 

The Innu Nation consists of a population of some 3,200 people. Natuashish is one of two towns, with about 800 people. The school is K-12, following the provincial program and also layering in Innu language, songs, art, and naturecraft.

 

And it’s cold.

 

Cold.

 

In January and February the temperature lurks constantly around zero, and there are only about six hours of daylight. Even the ice and snow complain about the cold.

 

To the Innu our current snap sometimes dropping into the teens would be merely brisk.

 

The Innu have lived there for some 8,000 years, though, and they make it work.

 

As for me, well, I’m going to put another log on the fire right here where I am.

 

natuashish school - Bing images

 

How a 27-kilometre trek through marshland is helping these teens learn ‘they can do anything’ | The Star

 

Natuashish : Community of Utshimassit | Portrait of a Nation | Culture | Nametau innu: Memory and knowledge of Nitassinan

 

Natuashish - Bing video

 

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