For my Children's future
Stella Mackienzo, Déline Elder
 Stella Mackeinzo is a remarkable bush woman. She was originally
from the Dah Hoga Got’ine (Huge River Clan). When her late husband
Dolphus was alive, she would spend most of her time out on
the land with him.
Theirs was a nomadic life. All summer long they would camp
in one area for awhile, and then move on. In the winter,
they would travel by skidoo to fish lakes, or go caribou
hunting in Dogrib (Ts’uot’ine)
country, or to their cabin near Cloud Bay - in those days,
there were no caribou near Déline. With the return of migratory birds,
they would
go back out to their cabin for spring hunt. They would also
set fishhooks through the ice for catching trout.
Since the passing away of her husband, Stella has had to
continue her land-based way of life alone. She spends as
much time as she can at her cabin at Tékásho (meaning Huge
Grayling), close to Cloud Bay.
Sometimes she is able to take her children with her. She
says, “Their father died very young, but he had intended to teach
them bush skills. I believe that children have to be motivated by working
with their hands. My older children are working, so they can’t
go out with me much. But whenever I’ve taken them out, they really
enjoy themselves. They love bush life. They now know how to hunt. ”
ELDERS KEEPING OUR
TRADITIONS ALIVE | BREAKING TWIGS | FOOD
FOR THE FUTURE |
