Chalkyitsik

I just spent the week in Chalkyitsik.  The night-time was cold and clear with temps dropping to -10.  Looking out the window of the Chalkyitsik Hilton (the old teacher apartment created when the original school closed), I could see an enormous sky full of stars.

The town of Chalkyitsik is located in a traditional fishing spot in a hook in the Black River.  No edible salmon run up here, but the river is thick with chum, whitefish and pike.  There are ample trees for firewood and people here hunt for moose.  The homes have no running water so water is hauled in barrels from the community hose by the washateria.  Woodpiles are filled by September and the caches are full of meat. Seems idyllic, doesn't it.

The view toward the village from the airstrip.

Alcoholism has made life here a living nightmare for the kids.  During the week I was here, children were left alone while their parents binged in town or some were afraid to go home because of a drunk parent.  The despair and lack of structure has almost destroyed the family life that has been so traditionally important to the Gwitch'in.   Promiscuity is a side effect of drinking.  Some of the children are related because of a shared father, but have never enjoyed the familial benefit of being acknowledged.

There are some non-drinkers in town, but they have learned to steer clear and not interfere because of the confrontational nature of drinking.   The aunties and grandmas and grandpas try to keep an eye out for the kids, feeding them when they can and correcting their unruly behavior.  If the kids don't like it though, they just stay away. There is a feeling of lawlessness, like the Wild West.

It rolls into school.  The little kids come every day, drawn by the personality of a teacher they like and breakfast.  The older kids sleep late because they were up late.  There is no stigma to leaving for town for indefinite amounts of time.  After the snow falls, the kids ride around town in snowmachines until the wee hours of the night.  No rules in town make the rules at school difficult to follow.  The bossy teacher is always trying to tell them what to do.

Many famous Elders are buried here.

In spite of it, some of the kids in Chalkyitsik have wonderful spirit and outlook.  I don't worry about theft when I'm there.  Some of their writing is about adventures in the snow and with family and friends.  The gym is full of laughter and friendly competition. 

Teachers here have a difficult job.  Not only are they on call 24/7, but the children are so needy- for 2 of the 3 meals a day, for recognition and warmth and praise and for a structure and safety.  But, oh, you are also supposed to teach them, because they're smart.  And you have a short window of time- before they follow their parents.

Why do I go back to visit and work in Chalkyitsik?  Because I like the kids.