• Learning How to Interview
• Elder Narratives

Recounting History

The oral narratives from this project recall aspects of traditional life in the Netsilik River Area and refer to places where these activities took place. Many of these geographical locations have been recorded recently during place name mapping workshops.

Many of these histories mention a Netsilingmiut hunter and shaman who was laid out by the river and had a peculiar stone house, perhaps the Thunder House.

Continue on to explore the stories gathered during this project. These narratives were recorded in Inuktitut and have been translated for this project. Over ten hours of audiotape was recorded during the interview process.

Students Learning how to Interview

 

 

 

 

The oral Narratives project was designed to not only collect narratives from community elders but to train students in the community with the skills necessary to conduct the interviews. Annie Oleekatalik and Peggy Itunga, Native Teacher Education Program (NTEP) students, were trained by oral historian David Pelly in the methodology of interviewing and recoding oral narratives.

They made a list of Elders who came from the Netsilik River and Lake area and after receiving their consent interviewed and recorded the stories they shared. The students conducted additional interviews in September and work to add these to the project.

Elder Meeting

 

 

 

 

A highlight of the whole project was when the Elders joined the field school at the Netsilik River. After a delicious meal of caribou stew and bannock the Elders told stories that the students were very interested in hearing.

Continue to Elder Narratives