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Celebrating Vadzaih Choo Drin in Old Crow

Community welcomes dignataries and visitors from across the North
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People line up to participate in a coin toss event alongside the Porcupine River during Vadzaih Choo Drin (Caribou Days) celebration in Old Crow. (Lawrie Crawford/Yukon News)

Lawrie Crawford

Special to the News

Old Crow was a hub of activity for two weeks. Starting with a dramatic ice break-up May 13 on the Porcupine River and a close call with flooding, the residents let out a collective sigh of relief and moved on to welcoming dignitaries and visitors from around the north for their annual Vadzaih Choo Drin (Caribou Days) celebration, May 17 to 22.

This year marks 30 years since the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation signed their Final Agreement and Self-government Agreement on May 29, 1993.

In a special ceremony with Premier Ranj Pillai, MP Brendan Hanley and Gwich’in Tribal Council Grand Chief Ken Kyikavichik, Vuntut Gwitchin Chief Pauline Frost and her councillors welcomed everyone to Old Crow.

Also in attendance was recently elected Nacho Nyak Dun Chief Dawna Hope and outgoing Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Chief Roberta Joseph who attended a northern chiefs’ meeting with Pillai and Hanley on May 20.

As the ice pieces thinned out on the Porcupine River, a representative of the Porcupine Caribou Management Board updated the community on the Porcupine caribou herd, reporting it is more spread out this year due to higher numbers. While the calving rate is slightly down, the survival rate of calves have improved. It was also reported that heavy snow may impact the herd’s travel into Alaskan calving grounds this year. Some hunters left in boats later in the evening.

The competitive nature of Vuntut Gwitchin showed through active participation in a wide range of competitions during the festivities. Contests spanned modern games such as team Jenga towers to traditional skills such as muskrat calling, or fun events like Bingo.

Participants competed in the muskrat, caribou head and leg skinning competitions, as well as a skills test for slicing backstraps of caribou into thin pieces for dried meat. In this way, essential skills are respected and passed down.

There was a contest where men put up a wall tent and women were timed to take it down. Pies and soups were judged and winning contestants took home cash. Several winners in different events donated their winnings to Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories flood victims or youth programs in the community.

Films created by community members Sophia Flather (entirely spoken in Gwitchin), MaryJane Moses, Kayleen Kykivichik, Iziah Frost Montgomery and Vernon Kykivichik Jr. premiered during the event. Their films can be viewed at https://www.ourworldlanguage.ca/blog/dinner.

In his opening speech, Pillai thanked the Vuntut Gwitchin people for three things – demonstrating environmental awareness and leadership to protect the caribou, displaying the importance of laughter and dance in community and for showing the Yukon and the rest of the country that anything is possible such as buying an airline company.

Contact Editor at editor@yukon-news.com

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Tests of strength and endurance with pole pushing during Vadzaih Choo Drin (Caribou Days) in Old Crow. Teams were composed of one youth, one woman and one man. (Lawrie Crawford/Yukon News)