The elders are the most respected members of the community here. They know all the stories, and by telling them, they pass on Gwich’in culture and important life lessons.
Jijuu is Gwich’in for ‘Grandma’. I feel honoured to have met Jijuu Snowshoe, and that she is keen to share her stories with me – and, by extension, with all of you. In the past, when the Gwich’in were still travelling in pursuit of the caribou herds, and even after they had settled in tents on the banks of the Peel River, Christmas was just another ordinary day of the year. But even after the Anglican missionaries arrived and brought with them the tradition of Christmas, it was not yet the grand, rather materialistic celebration it is for most of us today, as my generous hostess Winnie told me. Instead, people visited one another and brought traditional food, such as fish and caribou meat. They were grateful for one another and for the land that sustained them.
It was not until the 1970s, when more and more jobs were provided by the government, that people were able to afford a variety of food and presents, turning Christmas into the event we know today.