Knowledge of traditional medicines passed on at workshops in Aklavik, N.W.T.

Residents of Aklavik, N.W.T., were able to learn how to make traditional medicine this week during a two-day workshop sponsored by the Aklavik Indian Band and the Ehditaat Gwich'in Council.

The workshop, held at a camp outside of the community, was meant to teach people how to eventually hold classes of their own. 

Wanda Pascal and Lucy Wilson, two instructors from Fort McPherson, N.W.T., showed five participants how to make spruce gum juice and ointments – sharing knowledge they'd learned from their own families.

Pascal brought two bags of local ingredients to the workshop: one of Labrador tea leaves and the other of juniper branches. She explained that young juniper is a sought-after branch but it's harder to get because you need to go into the mountains near Rock River, Yukon, to find it.

She said she drives herself out to that area to pick the branches with friends. 

For Pascal, sharing her knowledge is key to preserving her culture and local traditions.

"I feel it's really, really important to know our medicine so we can go back and start using it, free from the land. Our medicine cabinet is right in our backyard," said Pascal.

Velma Illasiak of Aklavik was one of the five participants at the workshop and said it was good to learn hands-on skills from people who learned from local elders.

"We don't have too many people that teach us the cultural teachings in the sense of how to actually make things. If we don't start passing it on to the next generation then what?" asked Illasiak.

Illasiak is a long-time educator who promotes Indigenous language. She said local traditions need new knowledge holders to pass information on to younger generations.

"It's not just here, it's in every district. People are starting to see a need that needs to be addressed," said Illasiak.

'I learned a lot'

Wilson showed participants how to mix spruce gum ointment, melting the gum in a pan over the wood stove.

Wilson said she's proud to share skills she learned from her mother.

"I hope they go home and do it themselves and share with other people how they make and share their medicine," she said.

Wilson also applauded Pascal for helping share the wisdom of the region.

"I learned a lot from Wanda [Pascal] that I didn't know, she's a really good teacher. I really enjoyed myself here," said Wilson.

Illasiak echoed that sentiment and thanked both instructors for their passion for sharing their culture with others.