Opinion

With the coronation in England, we certainly saw a lot of pomp and ceremony going on. It is something that the British and royal family are really big on. Ceremonies are sort of prearranged scripted actions that hold a lot of meaning, while pomp is added to make the ceremonies as big, exciting and colourful as possible.

HALUU INUIT. HILA ALIANAQHIJUQ AUQTULIQMAN IQALUKTUUTIAMI. IQALUKHIUKNAHIJUQ AUDLATIJUT ALIANAQ. INUIN MAJUVAKTUT EKALOKTOTIAMUN. NUTAQQATLU QUANA AUDLAATIVAKTUT. UPLAQINIAQMIJUT IQALUKTUUTIAMI HIKUMILU ULAPQIVIKMILLU KAMIUNITI HAAMILU. INIQNIGIITLU ULAPQINIAKTUTLU. TAPKUAT HAVAKHIMAYAIT ULAPQIPKAINAHUAT QUUJATAKTAVUT IHUAKHAIMATA. NIRINAHUATLU ULISIKNAHUATLU NATTIQHIUKNAHUATLU NUTAQQATLU ULAPQINAHUATLU QUANA. MAQPIRAAK QINIQLUGU HUMUNGGNAQQATLU HUMILIKIAK PINAHUAT.

We are ascending through the rituals of the sun. Here in the northern hemisphere, snow is receding and birth is reflected in all of us — we, all of creation, aligned together as one molecular symphony, seasons shifting — gyrations of earth and sky.

Native people have been asking me how to become a counsellor. It’s easy. Come join the Northern Indigenous Counselling Program. It starts on September 11, 2023. Woohoo!

When I was a kid, I read a comic book, set in ancient times, long before the first bird field guide had been created. The people referred to a flock of geese in the sky in their traditional V as ‘A flock of honkers. A sure sign of spring’. I loved the idea that they were called honkers because that is just what they are, and you can often hear them long before you can spot them in the sky.

According to Forbes Advisor, up to 50 per cent of marriages end in divorce. This means that a large percentage of future relationships will involve blending families together. It’s well known that any relationship will fail without nurturing, guidance, and a lot of patience. Divorce is hard on everyone involved and taking that step to create a new step-family is a big decision and one that should be well thought out from all angles.

Notes from the Trail with Nancy Vail

I suspect we are all grateful to see the snow disappearing and the air warming up. It’s a great time of the year. New energy seems to come with the freshness of spring. It also brings back memories.

All is dark. I am small. I am at the waters edge. All around me is sky and the sound of gentle, still, water. It is night. I am so focused on what is in front of me that I hardly see the outline of trees — dark silhouettes swaying in the quiet, still air, standing watch — ancestors. Mountains rise through the night sky — a far off horizon, tucked heavily behind the deep waters stretched out in front of me.

Setting out from his home in Hoarfrost River, located off of McLeod Bay on the East Arm of the Great Slave Lake, David Olesen reflects in his book Kinds of Winter on how his isolated living becomes even more singularly secluded over the course of four extended mushing trips.