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GTC Quarterly Newsletter/Winter Issue

March 15, 2013Gwich’in Tribal Council

Drin Gwiinzii! from the GTC

Winter 2013

GTC

COO Fred Koe..............................2

Vice-President...............................3

CFO James Wong.........................4

Intergovernmental Relations......5

Jubilee Award...............................6

Lands and Resources..................7

Gwich’in Language.....................9

Acting GM of GDC....................10

Business Conference..................11

New GTC Website.....................12

Zero Tolerance Policy................13

New GTC Staff / Health..........14

Directors / Participants............15

Fred Koe with Gary Bohnet, Principal Secretary, GNWT

Dear Participants

Wboard meeting and strategic planning session for the future. Strategic planning allows a business or organization to see where it is, where it wants to be and how to get there.

One of the things that most board of directors see as being positive is the change and moving forward. We can spend a lot of valuable time pondering the past, but we choose not to. We have to move forward. That’s not to say we can’t look back at our mistakes and learn from them.

Accorstatements, the GTC and/or the Gwich’in Settlement Corporation (GSC) invested over $19 million to the Gwich’in Development Corporation (GDC) with very

little return, if any. We’ve had twenty years, since the signing of the Gwich’in Agreement, to build a development corporation and we have not succeeded. Given our investment, our development corporation should be worth at least three times what we’ve invested, on the conservative side.

A long time ago we had a construction company that built the school in Fort McPherson, the arena in Inuvik and many other buildings in and around the area. That construction company is no more.

A long time ago we had a trucking company that

instilled pride in our people. (Continued page 2)

Gwich’in AnnualGeneral

AssemblyAugust,

19 - 23, 2013Inuvik, NT


Winter 2013

That trucking company is now but a remnant of its former

glory and has no more pride to instill.

Contrary to popular beliefs there has been no ‘economic

gains’ made in more than a few years. This has been going

on for more than a few years, but it falls upon the new

leaders to develop a plan to resurrect and move on. And

this is what we are doing.

We are also in the process of separating business from

politics, which must be done. We will be taking

amendments to our by-laws to the annual assembly to

accomplish this. And once that’s done, no person on the

GTC Board can sit on the GDC Board, or have any

owned and operated by the GDC. The General Manager of

the GDC will be responsible for the day to day operation of

the GDC and he or she will answer to the President of the

GDC.

The GDC is hoping to get back into business in the region

and elsewhere. In recent years we have not had the

opportunity to take advantage of our location and presence

in terms of large projects like the school in Inuvik.

Further, because we have divested ourselves of interests in

other companies, we have not had the opportunity to

create pr reate adequate long term

and seasonal employment for our people who wish to

work for their company, and in the end, their people.

In addition, we have taken steps to get into joint ventures

with other businesses on at least one other ‘large’ project.

as we ar re

secure.

As I’ve mentioned numerous times in the past, it’s about

reclaiming and rebuilding our tribal council and our

development corporation. It’s about accountability and

transparency and it’s about people: our people.

Mahsi Cho!

President Robert Alexie

COO Fred Koe W rogress on the devolution

negotiations in the next several months. President Robert Alexie

has also been very involved in trying to restructure the Gwich’in

Development Corporation and its various subsidiaries and

partnerships. We are making progress and looking at some new

and creating employment.

Our calendar leading up to GTC’s Annual General Assembly

scheduled for Inuvik from August 19-23 is going to be hectic with

lots of community visits to provide updates on self-government

and devolution activities. Our next major meetings include a GTC

board meeting on March 25 and 26 and an intergovernmental

meeting with the GNWT Cabinet on June 18th.Please enjoy the

beautiful sunshine and upcoming Spring. Work and play safe.

Mahsi Cho! COO Fred Koe

Since the start of the New Year GTC executive and

staff have been busy. The executive continue to work

on various negotiations and projects and

intergovernmental relations activities. Our staff

continues to work on improving our administration,

equipment. Improvements are progressing on our

policies and by-laws. We are targeting to have most of

these changes implemented and operational by the

end of June 2013.

Our negotiators have been working with the Federal,

Territorial and Aboriginal Governments on the

devolution, self-government and implementation

Winter 2013


“I remember when I used to sit down with my Grand parents and they used to tell us about the old days. In the old days there were no doctors and nurses and if you get sick you can’t go to the health center, you either survive it or you die. In those times when kids were orphaned, what the Gwich’in did in their community was raise these kids, they did not just take them to a department of social services. The point I’m trying to make is that we had processes in the past that dealt with all the issues that we deal with today. A basic example is a ‘’healer’’ not a doctor, would assist in healing an individual using traditional medicine.

There is a a perception that, ‘’once we got discovered, everything got better’’. Then we hear the elders always talk about the good old days. We were not saved once they discovered us, we were already thriving. We had our own economy, we traded with other first nations in the area and we already had a structured government established.

The question you should ask yourself is how does the Government fund itself right now, the feds take all the money from the resources, send it back to the GNWT, the GNWT takes there cut first, and then they disperse the rest. So whatever we get is a lot less then what we actually get if it does not go that route.” Extract from a Self-Government Workshop February 18, 2013, address by Norman Snowshoe.

Self-Government Workshop in Aklavik on February 18, 2013

the Peel Planning Commission recommended Draft Land Use Plan. The GTC position reflects the direction given by

Vice-President Norman SnowshoePeel Watershed Land Use Plan The GTC Vice President in coordination with the Gwichya Gwich'in made a presentation to the Yukon Government on the Peel Watershed Land Use Plan. The President also made a presentation to the Yukon Government in Inuvik when they were here. The GTC continued to support

the Annual General Assembly Motion passed in Fort McPherson. The Yukon Government will provide a report on what they heard during this tour of the communities. The GTC continues to work with the other parties to finalize the Peel Watershed Land Use Plan as recommended by the Commission. Yukon Strategy The GTC has started the process to develop a Gwich'in Yukon Strategy. The strategy will include Land Management, Wildlife Management, Culture and Heritage and Economic Development initiatives. This strategy will enable the GTC to be proactive in the Yukon based on the land and rights we acquired through the Gwich'in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement. This initiative is very preliminary and the GTC is still in the research phase of the process. Once completed the strategy will be finalized by the GTC Board of Directors and will be used as a tool for Land Claim Implementation in the Yukon.

Mahsi Cho!

Vice President Norman Snowshoe

Winter 2013


GTC Finance Report

James Wong CFO addresses the Gwich’in Annual General

Assembly Tuesday, August 14, 2012. On the agenda was the

results of the Gwich’in Tribal Council for 2011 - 2012.

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Winter 2013


Intergovernmental Relations

Self-Government Update

The last few months have been very busy and productive. Following the direction given by the Annual General Assembly last August, the GTC negotiation team worked very hard to produce a constitution and government structure for the Gwich’in self-government by Christmas.

After much work and many meetings, community representatives Carolyn Lennie, Donald Andre, Ruby Koe, Eugene Pascal, Chiefs’ representative Herbert Blake and GTC Vice President Norman Snowshoe completed a draft that everyone was comfortable recommending to the GTC Board.

The government structure chosen by the negotiation team has a regional government and four community governments, one for each of the four GSA communities. Under the new arrangement, there will continue to be an Annual General Assembly, and there will be added a legislative assembly, an executive council and a tribal court.

On December 9, the GTC Board of Directors approved the draft constitution and governance structure. A few days later, the GTC Executive reviewed the work with the four Gwich’in Chiefs. And in February, the GTC negotiation team presented the draft version to the governments of Canada and the Northwest Territories.

Over the next several months the GTC team will negotiate the fine print and details of the plan in the hopes of completing an AIP by 2016.

Implementation

This is a special year for GTC staff involved with implementation work. Every 10 years the GTC must renegotiate a 10 year plan and financial funding package with Canada and the GNWT. The current 10 year plan will expire on March 31, 2013, and so for the past year the GTC has been working on a new work plan. The process began last year when the senior management team met and reviewed the current plan, page by page.

The directors flagged any out-of-date information or completed projects and then made recommendations for improving the next plan. For the past 6 months, GTC Director Patrick Tomlinson and Program officer Diane Baxter have been building the new plan based on the results of the GTC’s work.

Starting in March, GTC Vice-President Norman Snowshoe will begin discussions on a new ten year financial plan. The GTC has submitted a financial forecast to Canada to begin those discussions.

Under the existing plan, the GTC receives just under $600,000.00 per year to implement the GCLCA. This sum is hardly enough to cover the work and the proposal made by GTC for the next 10 year plan is for a substantial increase in financial support.

The next meeting will take place in Whitehorse in late May.

HaiiPatrick Tomlinson, Director

Winter 2013


Gwich’in Social Cultural Institute / Jubilee Award

Ingrid Kritsch received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal on November 8, 2012 along with her husband Tom Andrews in Yellowknife.

Ingrid Kritsch is a cultural anthropologist and archaeologist with over 35 years of experience in the Canadian Subarctic. She is the founding Executive Director of the Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute (GSCI), established in 1993. After mentoring Gwich’in staff to replace her as Executive Director, Ingrid assumed the role of Research Director (1998). Her nationally and internationally acclaimed research includes the documentation of Gwich'in traditional knowledge and oral history on topics ranging from traditional land use to the replication of traditional clothing. A key part of her work is increasing public awareness of the Gwich'in through the development of partnerships and the production of published and other works. In this way, over the past 19 years, Ingrid has been the project manager and lead researcher of over 80 GSCI research projects. Earlier in her career, Ingrid worked as a researcher for the Royal Ontario Museum, University of Toronto, Dene Cultural Institute, and Metis Heritage Association.

In 2000, she was awarded the Wise Woman Award by the NWT Status of Women Council for her many years of heritage work and advocacy in the North. Since 2005, Ingrid has represented the Northwest Territories on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. In honour of her hard work and dedication to the Gwich’in, she was named an honorary Gwich’in at the annual Gwich’in Assembly in 2008. Ingrid attended McGill University (BA, 1978), McMaster University (MA, 1983) and the University of Alberta, where she completed partial requirements towards a Ph.D. in Anthropology.

Extract from the nomination submitted by Sharon Snowshoe, Executive Director of the Gwich’in Social & Cultural Institute to the nomination committee.Commissioner George Tuccaro presenting to Ingrid Kritsch

Premier Bob McLeod pins Ingrid Kritsch during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal Ceremony.

Premier Bob McLeod, Ingrid Kritsch and Tom Andrews.

with Premier Bob McLeod.

Winter 2013


Lands and Resources UpdateLands and Resources UpdateFebruary 11, 2013

Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan

The Yukon Government held a series of community open

houses on the Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan

outlining their desired alterations to the Peel Watershed

Planning Commission’s Final Recommended Plan.

The GTC Leadership made it very clear to YG that GTC

support the Final Recommended Final Plan as submitted by

the Peel Watershed Planning Commission and will not enter

into any discussions with the YG on altering it to serve

resource development interests.

The Senior Liaison Committee will be meeting on

January 21, 2013 to discuss the comments received by YTG and next steps in finalizing the Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan.

ENR Water Conference

ENR is coordinating and hosting a GSA Water Conference for

February 13 and 14, 2013 in Inuvik.

ENR Water Resources Divisions representative Jennie

Vandermeer is coordinating the conference and should have

been in contact with all RRC’s and DGO’s – requesting two

representatives from each to participate.

The Water Conference is to update the community

representatives with regard to the NT/Alberta

Transboundary Water Negotiations; incorporation of local

and traditional knowledge information into the

transboundary negotiations, seek information from

community representatives with regard to noticeable water

changes and concerns; update the community representatives

on the implementation of the Water Stewardship Strategy.

All costs incurred by the DGO and RRC representatives for

travel, accommodation, per diem and honoraria will be

covered by ENR.

Yukon Wildlife Act

We met with Barbara Coppard, a policy analyst with

Environment Yukon to discuss the proposed

amendments to the Yukon Wildlife Act on Jan 21,

2013.

There were several issues with which GTC has

concern.

Primarily these have to do with ensuring that any

amendments do not contravene the land claim and in

particular the Yukon Transboundary Agreement.

GTC has provided a copy of the comments submitted

to Yukon Government outlining concerns – each

DGO and RRC have been copied on the document

dated Feb 1, 2013.

NWT Wildlife Act

Wildlife Act for

submission to Cabinet.

All issues of concern were discussed and all parties

were able to agree on proposed wording, including

the Conference, Non-derogation clause, preamble,

etc.

ENR will complete another round of consultations of

Aboriginal Governments.

Cabinet will go through their process of the three

readings of the document once submitted, including

all public meetings of the Standing Committee on

Economic Development and Infrastructure.

GNWT ENR hope this process will be completed by

roval of the

NWT Wildlife Act will be completed during the fall sitting of 2013.

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Winter 2013 Page 7


Lands and Resources UpdateLands and Resources UpdateFebruary 11, 2013

Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan

The Yukon Government held a series of community open

houses on the Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan

outlining their desired alterations to the Peel Watershed

Planning Commission’s Final Recommended Plan.

The GTC Leadership made it very clear to YG that GTC

support the Final Recommended Final Plan as submitted by

the Peel Watershed Planning Commission and will not enter

into any discussions with the YG on altering it to serve

resource development interests.

The Senior Liaison Committee will be meeting on

January 21, 2013 to discuss the comments received by YTG and next steps in finalizing the Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan.

ENR Water Conference

ENR is coordinating and hosting a GSA Water Conference for

February 13 and 14, 2013 in Inuvik.

ENR Water Resources Divisions representative Jennie

Vandermeer is coordinating the conference and should have

been in contact with all RRC’s and DGO’s – requesting two

representatives from each to participate.

The Water Conference is to update the community

representatives with regard to the NT/Alberta

Transboundary Water Negotiations; incorporation of local

and traditional knowledge information into the

transboundary negotiations, seek information from

community representatives with regard to noticeable water

changes and concerns; update the community representatives

on the implementation of the Water Stewardship Strategy.

All costs incurred by the DGO and RRC representatives for

travel, accommodation, per diem and honoraria will be

covered by ENR.

Yukon Wildlife Act

We met with Barbara Coppard, a policy analyst with

Environment Yukon to discuss the proposed

amendments to the Yukon Wildlife Act on Jan 21,

2013.

There were several issues with which GTC has

concern.

Primarily these have to do with ensuring that any

amendments do not contravene the land claim and in

particular the Yukon Transboundary Agreement.

GTC has provided a copy of the comments submitted

to Yukon Government outlining concerns – each

DGO and RRC have been copied on the document

dated Feb 1, 2013.

NWT Wildlife Act

Wildlife Act for

submission to Cabinet.

All issues of concern were discussed and all parties

were able to agree on proposed wording, including

the Conference, Non-derogation clause, preamble,

etc.

ENR will complete another round of consultations of

Aboriginal Governments.

Cabinet will go through their process of the three

readings of the document once submitted, including

all public meetings of the Standing Committee on

Economic Development and Infrastructure.

GNWT ENR hope this process will be completed by

roval of the

NWT Wildlife Act will be completed during the fall sitting of 2013.

Winter 2013


Lands and Resources UpdateGTC L & R will provide a complete schedule once developed and received by ENR.

PCMB Annual Harvest Meeting

The Porcupine Caribou Management Board will be holding the Porcupine Caribou Harvest Implementation Annual Harvest Meeting here in Inuvik on February 12th and 13th.

GTC will participate in the meetings, including a presentation of check station harvest data collection, issues and concerns for June 2011 – June 2012.

The meeting is open to the public on February 12 and closed to parties for February 13.

GSA Waste Sites - AANDC

For the purposes of devolution negotiations we completed one round of community visits asking residents for information on industrial waste sites within the GSA.

The GTC completed these waste sites information gathering for the purpose of cross referencing known

AANDC and potential sites that have AANDC.

AANDC are focusing on two types of sites; operating sites where the responsibility rests with known third parties, and second; abandoned sites where no third

Although much valuable information was gathered, the location of some sites need to be more precisely determined and a comprehensive list of waste materials that may be at the sites catalogued.

Sites that AANDC consider Waste Sites ar o three categories ranging from abandoned fuel caches of more than 20 drums to abandoned mines that require remediation.

GTC and AANDC are planning on community workshops of Operating Sites vs. Waste Sites in early

GTC will keep the community organizations informed when these community visits will be scheduled.

Yukon Oil & Gas Disposition Process – Winter Call for Postings

The Yukon Government has received 2 requests for oil and gas postings in the vicinity of Eagle Plains.

Both sites are within Vuntut Gwitch’in traditional territory; one is in the Secondary Use Arthe Yukon Transboundary Agreement in the Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement.

The YTG is now open to comments and concerns regarding the request for postings and will be accepting these comments until March 28th, 2013.

If you have any questions with regard to this information update, please contact:

Mardy Semmler Director – Lands and Resource867-777-7913

John RitchieLands and Resources Technical Advisor867-777-7914

Liz GordonTrainee

867-777-7912

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Winter 2013


Importance of the Gwich’in Language

Why Our Language is Important

Language is the vehicle, which enables us to

communicate within our society and the global world.

Our Gwich’in language was an oral language which

was passed on to our generations

through our parents, grandparents and extended

family. It was the whole community who modeled

and spoke the language for us to carry it on into the

next generation. Our Elders and grandparents spoke

the Gwich’in language daily to ensure that it was

carried on. Today, we are trying to reteach our

Gwich’in language through the school system. First of

all it is not the environment for us to reteach our

language as we don’t have Elders sitting around

speaking and listening and correcting our youth.

Secondly, the parents are not speaking the language at

home to reinforce what is being taught in the school. For a language to survive there must be speakers in the

home, school and basically in all the work places in

our community.

For those of us that are speaking our language we

must continue to speak to our children, grandchildren

and generally people in our work and home circle.

Our Elders in our communities must speak the

Gwich’in language daily. Elders speak to your

children, grandchildren and those people who you

come into contact with on a daily basis. We know

many of our people lost their language when they attended the

Residential Schools but let us not dwell on that. Let’s believe

that with our present Elders we can bring back our language

By speaking it every day and using the language wherever we

go. I would encourage you to speak to our Leadership, as some

of those leaders ar

Our Gwich’in language is who we are. The culture is part of

the language and we cannot have one without the other.

Therefore, in order to teach the language we need to be in the

natural outdoors on the land environment. This is where we

were taught to be proud homemakers: sewing, cooking,

tanning and drying meat and re

taught to be hunters, trappers and

eir on the land equipment up to par. What a proud race of

people we were. The language and culture will bring back

that pride in our future generations if we speak our language.

One day our Youth will ask: “Why was the language not passed

on to the younger Generation?”

I am hoping that you will speak the language so that our

younger generation will always have a language they can speak

and carry on into the future.

Sarah Jerome, NWT Language Commissioner

Gwich’in language class February 2013. Left to right: Ruth Jerome, Evelyn DeBastien, April Bourke, Sarah Jerome, Patrick Tomlinson and Larry Frolick.

Allen Benjamin’s Gwich’in Language Gloves, February, 2013.

Winter 2013


Acting General Manager of the GDC

In February 2013 we were contracted to provide our

Services to the Gwich’in Development Corporation. In

this capacity I am the acting General Manager of the

Gwich’in Development Corporation, we will assist the

corporation to regularize its existing portfolio, and assist

the Development Corporation in seeking out new

business opportunities for the Corporations and the

membership they represent.

From January 2010 to present I have been the Managing

Director of JLS Consulting and Business Management

Services, Inc. (operating as JLS). JLS is an NWT based

and registered boutique consultancy specializing in

assisting businesses north of sixty. Our detailed

knowledge of the local economic, political, and cultural

environment in the NWT allows us to offer superior

client solutions.

At JLS, we assess the feasibility of projects to help

Northern organizations and entrepreneurs successfully

create enterprising businesses that meet local demand.

We prepare business plans to help our clients

understand business risks and the likelihood of future

pr y. We also advise existing businesses on

ructuring.

During my overall working experience I have 43 years of

hands on operation in the area of banking, commercial

lending, investments, venture capital, joint ventures and

strategic alliances. During my previous working career I

have been involved in assisting businesses with everything

from how to control their A/R and A/P’s, assisting in

funding existing businesses and start-up’s, ranging from one

hundr

Each client is unique. The Gwich’in Development

Corporation has a wide variety of existing businesses. Some

of these require change. Additionally the Corporation has

strong opportunities looming that can bring years of success

to the Corporation. JLS is pleased to be assisting in the

continued success of the Gwich’in.

Robert (Bob) Murphy, Acting GDC General Manager

Winter 2013


Gwich’in Business Conference

Day 1:

Opening comments – GTC, GNWT and Canada

Monday @ 2:00 – 5:00 pm:

Aboriginal Affairs Northern Development

Canada (Federal Government):

1. Contracting: Understanding the Gwich'in Land

Claim Agreement Economic

Measures - Dennis Brunner,

Implementation Branch, AANDC

2. The Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal

Businesses (PSAB) - David

Bedard, Implementation Branch, AANDC

Question and Answer session

Public Works GSC:

Doing Business with the Federal Government -

Enterprises, PWGSC

MERX Presentation, Darlene Chuka

Question and answer session

Day 2:

Opening comments – GTC, GNWT and Canada

Tuesday @ 9:00 – 12:00 pm

Department of Aboriginal Affairs and

Intergovernmental Relations, GNWT

1.Negotiated Contract Policy Presentation –

Scott Alexander, Director Implementation

Industry, Tourism and Investment, GNWT:

1. Business Incentive Policy/Procurement

Presentation – Jaysen Knight, ITI

2. Contracting MOU Presentation

Tuesday 2:00 – 5:00 pm

Public Works & Services, GNWT:

Review General Contracting Processes - Mike

Burns, Bill Kaip, Richard Knight, PWS

Question and answer session

Day 3:

Opening comments – GTC, GNWT and

Canada

Wednesday @ 9:00 – 11:00 am

One on one session’s with Facilitators –

Canada/GNWT/MDDF/GTC

Closing comments

Facilitators:

Tina Gear, Implementation Coordinator,

Canada

Roshan Begg, Implementation

Coordinator, GNWT

Wanda McDonald, Mgr. Business

Development, GTC

Winter 2013


Communication Update / New GTC Website

new website since October 2012. In addition, the team is led by Communication Director Larry Frolick, GTC IT Suraj

Chhetri, graphic designer Chris Schab, IT consultant Dwayne Simmons and Kirby Marshall from Global Storm

both in Yellowknife. The project involves creating a new template using archival images from the Gwich’in

communities. A new database of stock images taken by Larry Frolick and others for the GTC provides content.

Communications is making videos and embedding them in the website in appropriate sections for each of the

Executive & Department sections. This website will be up soon after this newsletter is published.

Communications will be making changes and improvements to it during the rest of 2013. GTC will also be

creating a new website called GTC “Biz”, connecting Gwich’in businesses to customers and clients.

As well as producing this newsletter four times a year, GTC Communications has been working on a

Winter 2013


Zero Tolerance Policy“Zero Tolerance Policy”

The Gwich’in Tribal Council (GTC) is responsible for providing assistance to our Participants by delivering various Programs and services. We have Policies and Procedures and program criteria that guide us in the delivery of these programs and services on behalf of other agencies or Government departments.

We have recently noticed an increase in the verbal abuse that staff, are receiving over the phone. We would like to remind all our Participants that GTC has a Zero Tolerance Policy with respect to the Participants we serve. We expect our Staff will treat others with dignity and respect and we expect that Participants dealing with our staff will show the same dignity and respect. The attached is our “Zero Tolerance Policy”.

It is the policy of GTC to treat others with the

dignity and respect that they deserve. GTC expects

that the same courtesy will be given to its staff.

GTC is committed to providing professional

courteous service to its Participants and the general

public. Any behavior that hinders our ability to

provide such service is not acceptable and will not

be tolerated.

In Person

Any person verbally or physically abusing any

member of our staff (by threatening, swearing,

shouting, or assaulting) will be required to leave the

refuses to do so the RCMP will

be contacted immediately, and he/she may be subject

to prosecution under the Criminal Code of Canada.

Over the Phone

Verbal abuse on the phone will not be tolerated; if a

person is verbally abusing a staff member he/she has

the right to terminate the conversation and must

immediately notify their supervisor of the call and

its contents.

Any person in breach of this policy will be refused

GTC Leadership

Winter 2013


New GTC Staff

Donna Neyando / Manager, Education & Training

Donna Neyando was born and raised in Fort McPherson. Her mother is Ellen Wilson. Donna has four sons and a grandson to keep her busy. Her educational journey meant moving away from home for Donna and family. She attended the Teacher Education Program in Thebacha Campus and the Indian Teacher Education Program at the University of Saskatchewan and received her Bachelor of Education. Since 2007, she taught in Fort McPherson, Inuvik, and Tsiigehtchic and loved spending her day with students.

My role at the GTC is Intergovernmental Program Coordinator. It’s my task to provide support to the Implementation/ Self –Government Department. I enjoy spending my free time during the spring, summer and fall out on the land with my family. I am married with one daughter, three sons and two grandchildren. Family time is very important to me, as well as balancing a traditional lifestyle in a modern world.

Healthy Lifestyles

Drin Gwinzii – I would like to take this opportunity to talk about exercise, healthy eating and accepting God into my life. As your body ages, it’s important to exercise and eat healthy foods. Traditionally, as Aboriginal people we did not have to worry because of our

nomadic lifestyle and consumption of traditional foods. Some of our elders are active and pay attention to their food intake. One example is my mother Emily who will be turning 72 years. She consciously eats healthy foods and exercises every day. She has been a quadriplegic for over 35 years and yet she continues to live independently in her own home. She reminds me on a daily basis of the importance of taking care of myself – not only physically but mentally as well. I’ve noticed a difference personally since I started exercising, changing my diet and sleeping patterns. I feel very good, the best I’ve ever felt, balanced and focused. I spend a lot of time with Julienne, we do a variety of things together and both enjoy reading. I

reading every night has been very relaxing.

Mussi Cho for allowing me to share my perspective on a healthy and balanced lifestyle, thank you to those individuals who guided and challenged me along the way. Take what resonates with you.

Wanda McDonald, Manager of Business Development

Wanda McDonald together with her daughter Julienne Chipesia

Winter 2013


Strategic Plan full Board of Directors meeting at GTC board room Inuvik on February 12, 2013.

(right) Top row, left to right: Carolyn Lennie, Johnny P. Charlie and Eugene Pascal. Middle row: Danny Greenland, William Koe. Bottom row: Archie Norbert, Jozef Carnogursky.

2013 Board of Directors

Helen Greenland Shawn Firth Ocean Mcleod

Ruth StewartTroy Engdal John Inglangasuk

Participants of Aklavik

Winter 2013


Contact Informationfurther information. Your feedback is important to us and we will always accept collect calls from our Gwich’in Participants

Chief Jim Koe Zheh (across from Capital Suites)1-3 Council Cresent, PO Box 1509, Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0 Phone: 867-777-7900 Fax: 867-777-7919Email: [email protected]

Electronic copies can be downloaded at: www.gwichin.nt.ca

Gwich’in Tribal CouncilPO Box 1509 Inuvik, NT, X0E 0T0

Allen Benjamin from Old Crow is a well known Gwich’in. In addition to creating the Gwich’in language gloves (close up on page 9) he is also an accomplished craftsman who makes quality snowshoes and other traditional Gwich’in artifacts, He is a recording artist with several CD’s to his credit and is a fiddler who specializes in Old Time jigs.

He donated his language gloves to the GTC. Allen said that he was learning the Gwich’in language while he was working on the land. Allen’s good idea is to share these gloves to community readers.

Language Gloves

Jason Baxter, champion dog sledder, on a practice run with his team in Inuvik

gwichintribal.ca · gtc quarterly newsletter/winter issue page 2 winter 2013 that trucking company...

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