Before settlers from Europe came to the area around the Great Slave Lake it had been inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous people. In the last century their way of living changed radically. They used to live on the land, hunt animals and sew clothes what was then replaced by working in gold mines, living in houses and being forced to speak English. Catherine Lafferty is directly affected by this change as she is indigenous. She grew up in rough circumstances and wrote about her experience in her book »Northern Wildflower«. In this episode of »People of Yellowknife« she tells about her struggles and what it means to be indigenous in today's world.

People of Yellowknife

Indigenous life: Catherine Lafferty

In the early days of Yellowknife, when there was no highway connecting it to the south, floatplanes played a major role for exploration and transportation. Although their importance changed over the decades, their sound is still omnipresent when you come to Yellowknife in summer. One of the pilots is Joel Strong-Covello who lives in Yellowknife for five years. He works for Ahmic Air, a local company that does sightseeing tours as well as commercial transportation with planes on floats and skis. In this episode he explains what bush flying means and how it is done today.

Bush flying: Joel Strong-Covello

People tell their stories about living in Canada’s north.

About

Indigenous life: Catherine Lafferty

Bush flying: Joel Strong-Covello