When Pope Francis addresses residential school survivors in Maskwacis, Alberta on Monday, one survivor will not be in the audience or see him on a screen.
Instead, Norman Yak’eula plans to trek hundreds of kilometers to the northwest, deep into the Mackenzie Mountains and dense scrub of the Northwest Territories, following the ancestral route of the Sahtú Dene and Métis.
“This is my spirituality,” Yak’eula said. “I want to go back to my own church, to my own people.”
The church he speaks of is a living church made of animals, trees, water and rock, not the one he was forced to attend at Grollier Hall, the Roman Catholic run residential school in Inuvik, NWT.
Hikers cross moving waters on the 2017 Canol Heritage Trail Youth Leadership Walk. (Submitted by Nicholas Castel)
Yak’eula was in audience at the Vatican in Rome on April 1 when, after a week of talks with First Nations, Inuit and Métis delegations, Pope Francis offered an initial apology for the conduct of some church members to church-run residential schools. .
He said the moment was enough to convince him to put a painful history behind him and move on.
“I don’t need to run behind the church and the Pope to say, ‘Say you’re sorry, I’m sorry,'” said Yak’eula, a former Dene national chief and regional chief of the NWT Assembly of First Nations.
“We must put the past in the past where it rightfully belongs and be who we are today.”
A “life-changing experience”
Yak’eula is embarking on the 17th annual Canol Youth Leadership Walk, an event largely funded by the federal and territorial governments for selected youth from Sahtú communities.
“We have to give our young people hope,” Yak’eula said. “This walk is a life-changing experience… They learn to live off the land.”
Norman Yak’eula was in the private audience at the Vatican on April 1 when Pope Francis issued his initial apology for residential schools. (Norman Yak’eula/Supplied)
This year, Yak’eula leads a group of hikers along 64km of the rugged 355km Alpine Trail, a challenging journey involving river crossings and wilderness survival skills.
Kallie Hickling was just 14 when she completed part of the trail eight years ago.
“There was a lot of self-doubt,” said Hickling, who is returning to the hike as a volunteer this year.
“It actually turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life.”
The Canol Youth Leadership Hike is an opportunity for young people from Sahtú communities to learn what it’s like to live off the land. (Norman Yak’eula/Supplied)
Myles Erb was one of the original young hikers. He has been on the court for over a decade.
He said even though he lives in Norman Wells, NWT, which is across the river from the trail, few people in his community use it.
“It seems like it’s within reach, but for some reason the opportunities aren’t there for young people … To say, ‘Hey, this is something that’s out there for us,'” he said.
Route full of remnants of war
The Canol Heritage Trail follows a pipeline route built by the US government after the attack on Pearl Harbour.
In 1942, Dene hunters used traditional Mountain Dene trails to guide Americans along the route, which connected the Norman Wells oil field with the Alaska Highway.
Remains of the Canol project along the Canol Heritage Trail in the NWT (Norman Yak’eula/Supplied)
When World War II ended in 1945, the Americans stopped using the pipeline and left the route littered with scrap equipment and other war debris.
Yak’eula said it’s past time to clear the way and it’s up to Ottawa to pressure the US to get the job done.
“President [Joe] Biden should honor our people and clean up our land,” Yak’eula said.
A spokesman for the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs said the US no longer has any responsibility for the road because it sold its assets to Imperial Oil.
Norman Yak’eula (left in white shirt and tie in third row) said he was inspired by his grandmother Harriet Wright Gladue (front row right) to walk the Mackenzie Mountains. (Norman Yak’eula/Supplied)
The federal government is focused on cleaning up any hazardous substances, but is leaving the remnants of the pipeline project where they are because of their historic value, department spokesman Matthew Gutsch said.
“This includes things like old vehicles, pump houses and other equipment,” he said.
Catching up on education lost in residential school
Yak’eula said that when he hikes in the mountains, he feels connected to his grandmother Harriet Wright Gladue, who hiked the trail herself.
“One day, he told me I had to go to the mountains,” Yak’eula said. “So I told her yes, just to make her happy, not knowing what I told her.”
LOOK | A documentary about the Canol Youth Leadership Walk:
It wasn’t until the early 2000s, when he was already in his forties, that Yak’eula made the journey. Since then, he said, he has been recovering from the education he lost at residential school.
“After 17 years, I’m starting to see some of his wisdom, Yak’eula said.
“On earth, it will teach you things that are not taught in school. This is our school. This is our spirituality. This is our church.”
Support is available for anyone affected by the lingering effects of residential centers and those triggered by the latest reports. The Indian Residential School Survivors Society can be reached toll-free at 1-800-721-0066.
A National Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line has been set up to support alumni and those affected. Access crisis and emotional referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.