Inuk Brittany Janes interviews Inuk elder Jim Holwell. These interviews were gathered as part of the Timeless Voices Youth Podcast Program.
In this heartfelt episode, Inuk youth Brittany Janes sits down with Inuk Elder Jim Holwell, a respected figure in his community, to explore his rich life and heritage. Elder Holwell shares stories from his past, reflecting on the history, culture, and traditions that have shaped him and his people.
Elder Holwell also shares his wisdom on navigating the challenges of modern life while staying connected to one's roots. He shares valuable advice for the younger generation, emphasizing the importance of preserving cultural knowledge and passing it on to ensure a vibrant future for all Inuit communities.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation that honors the voices of the past while empowering the leaders of tomorrow.
For accessibility, transcripts are provided with all episodes.
Read more about the Program here: Timeless Voices
Music. Welcome to Timeless Voices. These interviews were recorded in July 2024. In this piece, you'll hear Brittany Janes interview Jim Howell. Jim Howell is 74, years old, and an Inuk Elder in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. We spoke to Jim at the Labrador friendship Center.
I grew up on the southeast coast of Labrador, a little place called Spotted Island. I was actually born in a little community just 18 miles west of that in a little place called Porcupine Bay.
Where exactly were you born in Porcupine Bay?
Was in our own home, our own house. So actually, born by what we call a nanny, which is, I suppose, they were almost like nurses back then, there was no such thing as a hospital around us. I mean, I'm one of the 13 children who survived, and I think there may have been half of them born in a hospital, other than that, we were born here in Spotted Islands or Porcupine Bay.
Did you see your siblings born at home?
No, no, back then, I guess, was a little bit different than what is now. You're encouraged to go into the hospital to see your children being born, or whatever. Back then was pretty, almost like a special secret thing to happen, basically what happened when, when the mother was in labor, was going into labor, all of us children were asked to go somewhere else. Okay? And then after the baby was born, of course, we came back to see your siblings. But that was the old way of the back. Back then it was pretty hush hush, polite kind of thing.
How many siblings do you have?
There's 13 of us. I'm the second oldest. There's two others that died, one in childhood and shortly after childbirth and 12 are still living today. We have one, one brother passed away with a heart attack, other than that family. And of course, my parents was passed on by now.
What was your childhood like?
You know, something, I would say probably the best, the best memories that I can. I would encourage you know, it's unfortunate kids today can't go go back to the childhood that we had, right? You got to realize there was no TV, no cell phones. There were some people that may have had a radio from you hear a little bit from the outside world for them. But other than that, you were your entertainment. I mean, we spent most of our time outdoors. Whenever you could get outdoors in winter and summer. It didn't make any difference. But depending on where you live, like if you're in Porcupine Bay, course, we were in more sheltered area in the woods and that kind of stuff. And that was the reason why we moved in the bays, to make things easier and stuff like that. But other than that, you know, our childhood was mostly outdoors, sliding and playing, making snowmen, playing with Husky dogs. You know, anything could entertain yourself.
How is your life different in them days?
Oh, my God, it's like night and day. I mean, everything is at your fingertips now. I mean, back then, was all work, work, work, or play, play, play, or do whatever you want at the time, depending on the time. But today, I think it's just too well. You know, it's a modern world where it's technology, is controlled by technology. And you have to have it, I mean, it just, I mean, I just got rid of my land-based phone for instance, right? I mean, I didn't need it anymore. I was getting harassed by calls and that kind of stuff. But now you can't move without having a phone. You can't go back to the coast. You know without having a phone. Everybody now you, I'm sure a lot of you heard of Starlink, which is the latest communication, right? I mean, everybody has them. You see people with them, in their trucks, in their boats, wherever you go, you have communication which is a good thing. You know, there's nothing wrong with it, but I don't know. There are days. I'll just give you an example. I just came back from, I went to the coast two weeks ago, the first of July, on the first of July, and I was there. I'm 74 years old, but I went back. I had to do this for my own peace of mind. I went back in Spotted Island. I spent the whole week not a person around me. So I didn't speak to anybody. I didn't have the talk to anybody. I had communications if I needed and you know something, it's something I had to do. And it was so peaceful just to be able to get up in the mornings or not wake up in the morning you hear a Brook running. You hear a seagull, hear those other animals. You see other animals. You don't normally see one other people around, right? It's just beautiful memories. A lot of you know, a lot of people today will never, ever get to see it. But I had to do for peace of mind, and it was great, and I survived.
Do you remember when the first radio came to town?
Oh, my God. It was probably early 50s or late 50s. I would say it was 1950s, somewhere around there, we didn't have a radio in my own immediate family. My grandfather had one, and there was others around that. But, I mean, it was almost like a tradition then, that a lot of the people gather and certain houses around and just to listen to the radio and that kind of stuff. I can remember one time. You guys are not gonna remember this, but there was a boxing match between Alfred but never forget it. Sony. Listen This fellow big, big boxer and this fellow Floyd Patterson who was a smaller fellow. But I remember, Everybody stayed up, everybody gathered in the home to listen to the fight, fight last one minutes over. But that, that's the thing, you know, the way things were, everybody seemed like they came together, and then more more camaraderie back than I think it is today, okay, but that was, I can remember that very, there on the radio. You know what? I imagine everybody listened to, all excited about the big fight and all of a sudden, but there's just one memory of it. But no radios, you know, they see. Then the radios came, and then after that, then you came, your your VHF area Frequency radio, the Recon send messages back and forth to communities and that kind of stuff. And that was up and down the coast everywhere. So there's one radio or radio telephone in each community. Okay, so I mean, you could then get a few messages back and forth home, more than a lot, but I mean, there's still messages you can get back and forth through that means of communication.
What was it like to pick up a radio to talk to the next community or something?
It was great. I mean, you know technology where you can see technology was coming our way. And that was the VHF radio, the VHF. Then there was between that, just after that, they used to call it the CB radio, okay, like every household had a CB radio. I mean, it was almost picking up your phone, and then on the phone, you pick up and wait, and you get call signs for every household and and they could reach probably about anywhere from probably 20 miles maximum.
Could you tell me more about what you miss about the old kind of communication?
I guess it's a sign of the times coming. I mean, fishing boats had the VHF and all this kind of everybody seemed to have the CB radio. And it was so good, you know, to have to be able to communicate, I guess. I mean, be less worried for parents and that kind of, less worried for people not knowing where people were and that kind of stuff. So and the Labrador Coast back then, there was a lot of a lot of smaller fishing vessels, a lot of their fishing communities all around the coast, not like it is now. There's a lot of abandoned communities now, so you don't have the communications anymore. We actually didn't lose any, we probably gained better. When I just mentioned Starlink. I mean, everybody has Starlink now. Everybody has a cell phone. I mean, I still miss, you know, but you still see a little bit around the coast when you go back with the VHF, the CB seems to be gone. But, yeah, you still miss that, that, you know, be able to sit down the evening, listen to people you yarn about today, whatever you time or whatever, to plan for tomorrow. And I kind of felt, I know, here in Lake Melville was really big down here one time, but all up and down the shore here, I mean, everybody had their plans, and it was, it was great, great to hear people talk, you know, just communicate back and forth. Just see what's going on one side the bay, or what's going on on the other side of the bay, what's planned for the weekend, or what they got for the weekend, and they're hunting and that kind of stuff. So we did that way, but now a little bit different, a little more silent, I guess a little more personal. I suppose you know with the phone that you don't hear the public's broadcasting and more.
I want to take you back to one story, though you talked about what we did in the old days and stuff. And we used to play soccer or football. We call it always football, and we were growing up. I mean, in Spotted Island, the last winter that we stayed there was back in 1964. and we never had a soccer ball,
but we came up with the idea that we made our own soccer ball out of seal skin. Now you couldn't put air in that ball, so you'll guess what we did with it. We stuffed it full of rags so we actually used that ball the whole winter. It came apart. You sew it together, you keep kicking it, you keep dragging it, whatever you had to do with but it was entertainment. But that was the kind of thing you did to create entertainment for everybody, right? And that was great. And we, back then, we used to have the younger people against the older people, right? I mean, that was the competition, the young one against the older, like your father and that kind of thing, right? So, but it was good. It was a story like I had to tell you that I like that one.
What is your culture?
My background, I guess, is I'm an Elder, I guess, Inuit elder from, from, from the coast, from, and my family's been there a long, long time in the little community of Spotted Island and that area there, Isle of Ponds, Porcupine Bay, Rocky Bay. I still can, well, still try to carry on what I traditionally used to do when I hunt and gather and fish and all that. I still do all that, and even though I'm getting up where it slows you down a little bit, but I still maintain, you know, like my hunting, my harvesting, the one thing that I had to give up, which then I was hunting for 41 years, and that is the caribou hunting and the moratorium came in place. And of course, that's been ongoing since 1985 that hurt, but even there, you make up your traditional meals with something else, like partridge, rabbit, seal I eat a lot of seal meat. I love seal meat, and you learn to harvested it a little bit, you know, but no, you know, the culture of our background is very strong, Inuit background is very strong.
What do you do in your culture?
Well, I try to teach it. I try to pass it along to younger people, like, like this, this interview here, right? I like to be able to, you know, keep it up. And I like to be able to, I taught all my grandchildren the way I was raised, and I'm going to have seven grandchildren now. I mean, I know they're not all going to go back to the same way, but wherever I get the opportunity, somebody asked me to come and do an interview with this, I will try and pass the culture along and try to keep it alive as long as, again, okay, and encourage kids, You got to encourage kids to go back and see the way you live. You have to, if not, you never understand where you came from. Really.
What are some of the traditional culture activities that you love?
We love everything. I love the outdoors. I like, you know, I still like the hunting and harvest. I feel like, you know, to do all that. I mean, even when I was up there this, I spent a week out there. One of the things that I was getting a little bit low on food, I didn't want to go to the store. I just took my shotgun went out and I shot a bird for my supper. I'm still able to do that, and I still enjoy to do that. I don't over harvest. That's one thing, I am a very conservation minded I raised, I guess, after 30 years of the conservation came and I still preach conservation and only take what you need. You don't need it. Don't take it. You don't like to eat it, don't harvest it, that kind of thing. But I still like to harvest. I still like the outdoors. I love the outdoors. And unfortunately, getting harder, getting harder to to do all the time.
How did you hunt seal growing up versus the way you would hunt it today?
There again, we were young. When I was on the coast, most of the seals were harvested by netting. There was some by by by guns, by firearm, but not everybody had guns for harvesting the seal. Most of it all done by netting, mostly in the fall, okay, and in the springtime, after they moved from from the winter homes out to the coast. In the springtime, they did the harvesting seals and that kind of stuff. But I'll tell you a story, and this I actually saw. Okay, back then when, when this was in the spring, okay? And you never had motors to go on a boat. Okay? We had a rowboat, and I wasn't allowed to go hunting because I wasn't old enough. So my brother went out with my uncle to my uncles, and they harvest what they call a square flipper. We call them square flippers, okay, the scientific name is a bearded seal. Okay? They can be, you know, 12, 10, 12 feet, five and 600 pounds, heavy, okay? And the tradition back then was to, once you harvest on them, and they are more plentiful now than was back then. There were days back then, when you used to hunt those. You've probably gone two or three days. If you just saw one, you're probably two or three days before you actually get time to harvest it. I was able to harvest it, right? Just watching the movement and that kind of stuff, right? So, but one of the things that used to happen, if they did harvest square flipper seal, one of the things, the first thing they did, when we come on in that have a flag up. Okay? Just to show the community that they had a seal, they needed help to get it up. Okay? And of course, then you were still rowing because it was too big to get over the boat. But then you still rowed it in, so you got into wherever you land, stuff like that. But one of the old tradition then my brother, I told him, brother was the first time out hunting. He harvest the seal. So he actually killed the seal itself. The old tradition back then was he had once the fisherman gathered to haul the seal out of the water. He had to lie down. Okay, imagine this now, five or 600 pound seal being hauled over your body. Okay? Now that was the tradition to have the seal hauled over your body. Then he had to skin it. Okay, that was his job to skin it. And the first meal of seal, remember, we talked about nanny bringing you into the world, the first meal seal had to go to your nanny, okay? And that's no different than the young ladies when they made their first bread, then you made your first bread and baked the first local bread had to go to your nanny. It's the same thing, but that is the story. You know. I did record it to save it, okay? But that was the tradition back then. When you're harvest, your first, first seal, first big square foot. You imagine, though, I mean, of course, skinning, you talk about skinning seals and stuff like that. The square flipper were used mainly for skin blue bottoms, because it was so thick. Okay, I don't know. I don't know if any of you heard about, like, double sewing skin boot to make it. You know, it wouldn't leak. But that was the reasoning, they would use the square flipper skin for that. It was thick, okay, when they got it, though. So I can go on a lot of stories, but you know the methods of harvesting seals, and how they made seal skin boots and that kind of stuff. And then the that seal itself, square flipper, was probably the most valuable thing we could get, because they made seal they did the bottom fur boots. They also made traces, what they call dog traces, like these big, long pieces of rope, you know, that had to be clean and cut and stretched and everything else, right? So, I mean, it was a valuable and there had to be a certain way you skin the seal. You didn't skill it from like down. They had to be on the round, so you flip it out, right? So you can just take your long pieces out of it. But there's a lot of good stories out there, and a lot of people can tell you about hunting and harvesting seals.
What did it symbolize when the seals pulled over your brother?
From what I understood from from my older generation, it just shows respect. Respect. You know that? You know the animals harvest and it was just almost like a way of thinking, okay? And that was just a way of thinking and showing respect for the animal.
What exactly did you mean when you said netting seals?
I don't know. I did, like, if you had, you'd be hard if you never had saw a net, but you know what a net. Do you know what a net is? Yes, any kind of a net, it just doesn't make any difference. Like, it's just like different sort of mesh sizes inside, depending what you're every harvesting, like trout, salmon or whatever seal is, used to be around 11 inches, okay, a square 11 inches, or a diamond, whatever you want to call it, right? But they used to build that size because, because of the size of the head of a seal, okay? And basically all it is you drop, put a weight on both ends of your net. You drop it on the bottom, okay, and floats on top so you can see where net is. And of course, just when the seal comes around, you'll just hang on and smother in the net. It's not a nice way to do it, like but it was done over the weight, over you. After the years, right? And you know these traditions back then, I'll tell you. The one that we used to go by and when we live on the coast was Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve, every net that it was in the water for seals would have to come out of the water if the if the weather was good enough to get it out. That's when they took their seal nets out. For some reason. Now, don't ask me why, but that was a tradition that back then, right? But Christmas Eve, your nets would come under the water. Okay? Seals were used. They like, not only for you had to eat them, but they're also harvest for dogs. Okay, there's a lot of dog food, and of course, for harvesting, the seal skins were used for, for making all kinds of things, right, crafts and everything.
How did, how exactly did you keep your meat from spoiling?
In the wintertime on the coast, is easy enough, because it just frozen out there, there, but other people used to dry, which is called nikko. They cut up little pieces of seal meat, about quarter inch stick, you know, hanging upon the stove or wherever you heat your head. And they dried it out like for two or three days, like, Excuse me, like that. And then they ate it like that, probably put a little salt, pepper on that kind of stuff. But and then with the frozen, what they call Quac, okay, we just froze the seal meat. You just cut it off, or shave it off or whatever, and just eat it, like, Okay, we did a lot of that because we never had candy bars. But, I mean, then the, like, the fat in that kind of stuff, was always kept for the dogs. Okay, you kept the fat and that was partly frozen. We don't have no problem. In the summertime, we did not harvest a lot of seals, not at all. I mean, every once in awhile you'll harvest one like for change of diet and that kind of stuff. And they were too busy fishing anyway for that, you know, so but seal meat, and you mentioned the netting of seals, obviously, seals are drowned. Personally, I didn't like drowned seal because of what happened with seal. I don't know if we should say it or not, but anyway, it drowned. It actually smothers in his blood. Okay, so the blood goes through the meat, and the way the old people used to get rid of that, used to what they call parboil it. Like you boil it and boil it and boil it just to get the blood out of it. Okay, it's not like shooting a seal. When you shoot a seal the blood, it actually leaves the seal right away. It drains in the water or wherever, right? I mean, that's the difference. And it is a different taste, and as it is a different taste of different types of seal, like the square flipper, and like the dooders we call them, or the harbor seals and that kind of stuff are much better eating sealmeat, because it's younger, it's softer, and it's easier to cook. And you can fry it, you can stew it, you can boil it, you can draw it. There's all kinds of ways you can do it. Okay? You know, because it is good, it is good, but there's nothing wrong with that, right? A lot of people don't like it. That's fine.
Do you have a favorite way to have seal?
Yeah, I like it Fried, fried with a few onions and potato and fresh bread. Yeah? A lot of people put and a lot of people do put vinegar, use some vinegar to the taste of it. No, I just like it. Like it.
How have you seen your culture change?
Over the years, a lot. And I guess it's understanding in a way, like, I mean, I grew up on the land, harvesting on the land, eating whatever you can get off the land. Until I get them today, you can run to the store, and there's a lot of young people, you know, just will not touch wild meat. It's probably the best meat for you in the world. But a lot of people just don't want to touch they get away from they rather you don't like the smell of a cooking. But it's unfortunate. I mean, I you know, we still try to encourage people, you know, at least try it, but it, you know, you can go to a grocery store now and pick up things, and it's getting so costly now to go back and harvest, or even to go anywhere harvest meat and that kind of stuff. And I've had people tell, you know, grocery store and pick up food to eat, but I mean that, you know, yes, it's cheaper. I'm sure you know as well as you know, if you know, it's a way, the traditional way that you've always harvests things. I mean, if it costs you a bit of money, you still enjoy doing it, you know. No but it's there's a lot of change and a lot of it, I guess, you know, like me, when I grew up on the coast, like in Spotted Islands, there was no stores. There was nothing there. You couldn't run to the store to get a candy bar or nothing like that, you know, you couldn't run the store get a can of beans or a can of corn or anything like that. It just wasn't there. You know, I mean, your parents Sure. You know when, when in in the fall, when they would call, used to straighten up with the merchants, they ordered their basics, flour, milk, butter, sugar and that kind of stuff. If you're lucky, you might have got a box of sweet dishes or nothing, but you saved for Christmas time and that kind of stuff so but now today, you just run off and pick that up anytime. You don't have to stock it. You don't have to store it. Just the air just going and yes.
Do you have any worries about the culture in the future?
Yes, I do. I think it's fast. Well, it's going to fade. I think it's fading now and in all of our cultures. And I think with the Inuit, the Innu, everybody's culture I think because of the modern way of living, is a lot easier, I guess, to live now the way we are now. Yeah, it's fading out. There's no doubt about that. I mean, there's not, there are some people that still can, you know, continue to go back. And that's why I like to see a lot of the younger people go back, and then you can teach people you know, how you were raised and how you know, like you had to survive, and that kind of stuff. But, I mean, there's not everybody wants to go back in there, where you're living anymore, you know. And it's not unlike the language, the Inuit language that disappeared in southern Labrador for about 100, over a hundred years now. We're trying to regain that back again. But I mean, still, it's something that my own personal opinion, I don't think it'll ever, ever recover again, but I mean that you can only try and to get it back, you know? And the same thing with hunting and harvesting. I mean, there's not many people want, a lot of kids today. I'll give you an example. My granddaughter. I was up Spotted Island a few years ago, and there's a little seal in the harbor. I said, Well, there's my supper right there. She said, Oh, Poppy, you're not going to kill that seal, you know, what do you do? What do you do? You but anyway, but that's the kind of thing, you know. Like the kids grew up a little bit different now, and they're not used to seeing stuff harvested and that kind of stuff. So it's difficult, but, I mean, you can only teach, and hopefully somebody will continue to keep it up and keep it going up on again.
Why is it still, why is it important to still practice your culture?
Well, it's going to be, it's going to be last if, you know, if we don't push and and teach and hopefully encourage people to go back and keep it up. It'll be lost. It'll be like the language, right? It'll be lost, you know, and it it's hard to save and it's hard to accept, but we know it's going to go, go to, you know, eventually going to be lost. It's going to be different, a different way, and we can understand why you can see that. Well, I mean, we don't expect for our grandchildren to go back and live the way I did for instance, like no running water, no bathroom, no, you know, no no communication and stuff like that. So it is worrisome. But, I mean, I think it's almost a given fact that it will eventually go, you know, but then all we can do is just keep pushing and pushing and teaching and teaching, encouraging kids to keep it up and go back.
Could you tell us why it's more important to practice your culture?
That's going to be a different question to ask. Because you mean, you have to want to do things, you know, you have to want to do things. But I mean, like I said, you can keep just teach your children. You teach them what to do it and how to harvest and stuff again. And hopefully, you know, there's one or two of them that will go back and try to keep up the old traditional ways and that kind of stuff and the culture and that kind of stuff, just keep it. Try to keep pushing. Keep pushing and pushing and pushing. It's a good life. And I mean, I mean, my grandchildren go back now. I mean, they see the good life there, right? There's a lot of kids don't see this, see it and don't get the opportunity to go back and see it, and don't get the opportunity for somebody explain to them what it was like. Either, you know, so education, I think we still have to use the education process to keep all that alive. Some I think it has to go back in our schools. Or, really think, you know, and I think that you know, some of the governments now, the Innu governments are trying to do that, trying to get some of the literature and your history back in school. I think that may be one way to help, you know, to hang on to it a little bit longer. But it's difficult. I gotta say difficult. I mean, I've taught all my kids that I know, I've known how to harvest and when they harvest and that kind of stuff, and then whether they keep it up, it's, I guess they're going to be upset.
How did the way you were raised shape who you are?
I was home until I was seven years old. Okay, then I went to school and in the dormitory, in Cartwright in the Lockwood Residence School. So I spent seven years of my young life there. After that, we spent one winter on Spotted Islands back in 1964 then came resettlement. Okay? So a lot of the people from the community resettled to Goose Bay. A lot of them resettled to Cartwright. I separated from my family, mother and father at that time, and I went with my grandmother, who moved on the island on Newfoundland, and that's where I spent three or four years going to school there. That was the only means of getting schools back then, there was no but except some one year, there was only one, one year of school in Spotted Island and that was 1964 after that, then the school, they closed the school. So other than that, you went to school in the dormitory in Cartwright. And like I said, I spent seven years there. And after that, I went on to place called to a place called Newfoundland, and eventually in St John's, and that's when I moved after that. I moved back here. Yeah, times were hard sometimes, but you know, like, yeah, I have to say, I mean, I'm glad I went to school. I really do other than that, I probably wouldn't have had any education at all. Time was not easy, I can say that, but, but we got through it.
How far did you go in school?
I went to, what was the grade? My God, you got me now, I tell you, I end up in St John's going to what they call a GED, I suppose. So upgraded to whatever 10 or 11 what was that time I left that and I went back to the fishing boat again. Thing didn't work out there, so I came back here one year, back in 1981 there was position open the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. I applied for that, and I got that. So I've been very lucky. I have I won't say, a lot of education, but I'm lucky enough to be able to get into a government field job, I retired from that for 30 years of service. So very lucky that way.
What was it like when Spotted Island was resettled?
Actually, it didn't change much. It really didn't because I mean, you resettled and came to a larger community, but like our fathers and uncles and aunts, they had to go back still to make a living at the fishery. So, I mean, your summer. It was still a summer community, right? And even today, Spotted Island is a big community. I mean, you're looking at an average over 100 people. You know, if you go to July, August, men, women and children, and there's a lot of children, going back there, right? And it is still and believe it or not, people are still building cabins there, you know. So it is, it hasn't changed very much, you know. So just from the south, people are going to get a little bit older. You can't go back as much as you want. But no, it hasn't changed very much. And it's really good to see it up, you know, the younger kids are going back there, and they're keeping up the old traditional ways of we used to live, right? But there again, things have changed. I mean, like, you got your Starlinks now. Everybody got the generators, everybody got your power and that kind of stuff. Everybody got water and sewer and that kind of stuff, you know. And there's nothing wrong with that, you know, it comes with change. But it is very comfortable. It's pretty much comfortable for me to go back to. I've actually find out tomorrow morning. This is how things happen. You talk about, you know, like, even with transportation, we complain about it sometimes, but I can get on the plane tomorrow morning, go back to Black Tickle, pick up my codfish and back again tomorrow afternoon, and have codfish for tomorrow night's supper. And that's how things can change. So that's what I'm doing tomorrow morning.
What do you think of the loss of the language in like, your area?
You know, something, I grew up without having the language or speak the language. We still know a lot of words and that kind of stuff, you know, like, and I guess that just come, you know, from hand down, hand down, hand down. The last time I heard the Inuttitut language spoke in Spotted Island was actually a family from Hopedale that moved back to Hopedale, and they actually spoke amongst themselves, but that was only amongst themselves. I can't remember ever my father or my grandparents ever using the Inuttitut language, you know? And I travel the North Coast and travel here a bit, and I heard of it that this is a hard language to speak. I can understand a little more than than speak it, right? I mean, I pick up words. I mean, I can understand, like a lot of a lot of language myself, you know, but it depends on where you are. Well, the dialogue's a little bit different, so it's a little bit different, sometimes a little bit harder for you, but we do have a lot of interest now in trying to bring that back. We we just knew not who, but just offered a course. And it's completely full. People wanting to learn, you know. So it's, it may come back. You know, it's not unlike the coast, the North Coast, I guess. I mean, they're trying to hang on to language, and whether it'll be ever be used like it would before. I don't know. I can't say that, but it would be a good thing. You know, it is good to be able to hang on to that. And apparently we're not the only ones in that. Apparently, the Innu themselves. Are worried about it, you know, so. But I guess it comes with intermixing. You know, intermixing and no different than anything else. You lose part of it. You lose part of your culture. You lose part of your your your language. You lose everything. Every time you bring in new blood, something changes. Something changes in the into your your culture, your society, is everything, right? Not everybody wants to continue on that way. But no, it's worrisome. It is worrisome. There's no doubt about that, but it's been gone for long now. Like, I mean, I'm used to because, I mean, I have a buddy of mine, the ones I keep goes hunting and stuff like that. I don't know what he's talking he calls me all kinds of stuff in the Inuttitut language. I can't understand it but anyway. But no, no, it's sad. It is kind of sad to see a loss. And hopefully we will be able to receive something to hang on to for a little while. But the cultures you know of all people, I mean, it's important to hang on to I think you know, and particularly from my culture, the Inuit culture, it's the way that we grew up. And once again, you can only teach and encourage and hope that people will continue on to keep it up, and that's all you can do is hope for it.
What is your dreams for the language in the future?
Well, I don't know if I'm going to be around for that time. No, like I said, I you know, I really think that we will so have some people eventually be able to continue on with the language. I think you're seeing that now, some of the younger people. So a lot of interested in the language. Now, language is like everything else. I guess you have to be able to continue on almost like a daily basis, to continue to talk, it's no different than any other language. You lose it if you don't use it, you know. And that's as simple as that. But no, I did, you know, it's hopefully. like I don't think I'll see it in my day, there will be some sessions, I guess, you know, you can sit in on. And I myself, I haven't signed up for any, any, any language courses at all. I have, I do do know a few words and stuff again, I can manage like you understand some people.
What kind of Legends did you hear growing up?
Oh, boy, not a lot. Really. There was a story. I guess it seems like this one was heard all over Labrador really. There used to be this fellow they call Smoker that used to always show up for some reason in a storm, like in the storm, people used to see him all the time. And then there's different, I guess, versions of who it actually was or where actually, you know. But apparently there was a person that lost in the storm. They never, ever found them and and every, every storm or snowstorm, and strictly, particularly in the wintertime, there were certain people swore that they saw this individual. Now, whether you can argue right or wrong, I guess, but I guess leave it up to the individual who told you the story, right? That's that one, but there was another one that we used to be growing up in Spotted Islands, again, was every foggy day they used to hear a motorboat, or certain people used to hear a motorboat come into the harbor. Never land, but they swear they heard the motorboat going back out again. And nobody could ever figure that one out, either, you know, we knew it was or where it was, but there, then they go back to maybe the fellow that was lost, you know, that kind of stuff. I mean, that's just the belief they had, right? You know, that's the two that I can remember, I can tell you one that I actually saw myself, and I still can't figure it out today. I don't know if you'd call it a legend or not, but something myself and my brother was, we were standing on a bridge, and it was a real foggy evening, and we looked up and we saw this bright light coming in from like South east or East, right? And they came in at a real slow pace, like that. And It came in and went right down, what we call Domino Run, right? No sound, no nothing. We asked everybody. We couldn't we still to this day, can't figure out what that was, but we both saw it. You know. We looked at each other and said, what was that? I mean, it seems like that, you know? I mean, there's other legends that people have seen lights and that kind of stuff and unidentified lights, and that's pretty common. You know, the legend of smoker, I think, is a pretty common one everywhere. I think.
Why is it important to pass on legends?
Well, it's there again is almost like part of your culture, like the old storytelling, I guess back back then, because that was another pastime. It's a storytelling, you know, listen to the older people tell you stories and that kind of stuff, you know. And that was the legend was probably a part of that, you know, probably where it came from. A lot of it, right? Because I can't even remember seeing a smoker. He was in the back of your mind, you know. I mean, there was some religious ones there that, you know, like, I don't know if you ever heard them or not, and I don't know if I should go there or not. But anyway, there was some religion. But Good Friday was always there a very religious part on and, my God, I mean, our parents back then, they were religious, and know that. I mean, even to go outdoors, you wasn't even allowed to go with the pee with doors, like, you know, because it was in the Lord's face and all that kind of stuff. Like, I mean. And back then, you had what they call the honey bucket right? I mean, everybody had a honey bucket, what they mean? And all you had, and then you were and you wouldn't allowed to empty that honey bucket until a certain time in the daytime, that kind of stuff, you know. So there's a few like that, you know, some, some you probably haven't heard, but that's just a couple. I can remember.
What is your advice for teenagers?
Oh, I think, you know, one of the things I always tell kids, respect your elders, not only elders, everybody, respect everybody. Listen. You know, listen and learn. You're talking about cultures and traditions and stuff like that, you know, show, you know, ask questions and be respectful. We were always taught to be very respectful of our elders. We never, we were never speak when an elder was, was was talking that kind of stuff. Now, I don't expect for anybody to go that far right, but I mean, that's kind of thing that would like to see the kids do today, you know, like and education. Get education, you have to have education. And if you do, if you're fine and lucky enough to find work, you know, I've always told kids, and anybody, not only kids, even adults, it's not the day you worry about. It's when you're finished work. You look at what's happening to a lot of these senior citizens today. We can't You can't survive on old age security. You just can't do it. Nobody. They're forced to look to work for long now, even after look at a way to find pension plan for the future. Make things a little bit easier for yourself. Stuff like that. Above all, though, I think be respectful to everybody you know, young, old, different groups, everybody.
What is your advice for people starting their careers?
Education first. You have to get education first. And I guess be clear in your mind what you want to do, you know, because, I mean, it's not cheap anymore. Education is not cheap anymore. Not cheap anymore. So you have to be clear how much you want to do make sure you're into a career that you want to. You know, even though they tell you now that you shouldn't stay in the career for any length of time, you should change careers. That's debatable. But anyway, you know, normally stay, you know, definitely get your education and be clear in what what you want to do, you know. And right from the get go, I think you know. And then you will be okay. Set in your mind what you want, and then just be clear. Let's go and go for it, determination.