Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement today is about just one of the reasons why I love the North. I wanted to wear this jacket in the Assembly today because the next time we’re back here it’s going to be summertime and it’s going to be way too hot. As Darcy Moses, my friend, delivered this jacket to catch the Buffalo flight this morning, blowing snow slowed his arrival at the airport from his studio suite in Enterprise. Buffalo was already taxiing towards the runway, but Cathy McBryan ran out, waving the coat, and Joe turned back and picked it up. I mean, where else but in the North, Mr. Speaker?
Back to the jackets. Each jacket I’ve collected over the years is comprised of materials collected all with their own interest and their own story. When I’m retired someday I’m going to record all of the components and stories of the artists and how I came to acquire these jackets.
I want to remember and mention some of the people who shared their traditional skills and artistic talents, which are hard, impossible to place a monetary value on. For example, the jacket I’m wearing today was originally sewn by a respected elder, Sara Lamalice, from the K'atlodeeche First Nation. It was a man’s jacket, so I asked my friend Darcy Moses to remodel it for me. I loved Sara’s unique beadwork.
The extra moosehide that went into it is a story. A respected hunter from Fort Good Hope, named Alexie Chinna, well-known as a great hunter, carefully skinned out a moose. He rolled up the hide, he packed it in a box and he shipped it to Hay River to me on an airplane. I then put it in my truck, drove it to Fort Providence and delivered it to the home of Angelique Nadli, the late mother of my colleague here from the Deh Cho. Mrs. Nadli took the hide on her toboggan to her spring camp and tanned the hide for me. I remember very well the day that she brought it and delivered it in Hay River. It was just during Mackenzie Days, and how excited I was as I unfolded that beautiful smelling and looking hide.
Mr. Speaker, each style of beadwork in the North is unique and beautiful. The first jacket that I commissioned had the beadwork of Jessie Amos from Inuvik, the caribou hide is from Judith Charlo from Weledeh here, wolverine from Charlie Apples from the Tlicho, who walked in the front door one day with an untanned wolverine hide and wanted to know who’d like to buy it and, of course, I put up my hand, the same way that I acquired a beautiful moose hide from Angelique Loman from Trout Lake.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Of course, this could have the potential of being a long statement, but I’m talking about this coat collection. But, Mr. Speaker, I wanted to mention by name just a few of the other beaders and people who sew who have contributed to the collection of garments that I am proud and honoured to own:
beaver mittens from the late Sarah Simon;
a wolverine-trimmed parka with Delta braid made by the late Florence Peterson from the Mackenzie Delta;
a moosehide jacket crafted by Bernadette Williah from Behchoko;
beaded gauntlet gloves, the last pair sewn and beaded by the late Anne Buggins from the K'atlodeeche First Nation;
baby belts, dolls, moccasins, mukluks, beadworks from the Sahtu;
jackets from Alice Abel and Kathy Dahl;
a stroud jacket, I’m very proud of, with the beadwork done by Mary Louise Sangris.
These are just to mention a few, Mr. Speaker, and I won’t go on any longer. But someday I hope this collection will be in a museum someplace and I hope that I will have a chance to record all the stories of the wonderful artists, and a shout out to all of them today. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
