Storytelling

At Dunvegan, Elder Bruce McAllister recalls histories about his Beaver ancestors and shares stories that teach the importance of the land, history, sharing, and moving forward.

Elder Eva Chatelain shares her experiences as a Beaver woman, including the challenges and displacement that she and her family have faced through residential schools, the influx of outside communities to the Peace Region, and the lack of Beaver recognition/representation on reserves today.

Dorothy and Norman Wanihadie share a story about Norman's Moshum (Grandfather) Paul born in 1893, who worked as a knowledgeable guide and surveyor of Two Lakes road, the Alberta/British Columbia border, and the Alaska Highway. 

Dana Hanson shares stories about the epidemics that devastated her Beaver ancestors, particularly the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918-1919.

Victoria Wanihadie describes the origins of her work revitalizing Beaver culture, and shares some history about her great-grandfather, Francis Napesis.

Alexandra Hippard expresses her admiration for the Dunvegan Hills and reflects on the resilience of her Beaver ancestors who lived off the land since time immemorial.

As a ’60s scoop survivor, Nicole Joy-Fraser shares her journey of re-discovering her relations to the Peace Region in northern Alberta, and reminds listeners of the intergenerational impacts of colonization and displacement that she and so many of her Treaty 8 relations are finding resilience from.

Tsuut’ina Elder Bruce Starlight shares his perspective on some of the differences between the Dene language compared to the English language.

At the Wapiti River, Kaitlin Nelson shares the story of how, through the power of dreams, her great-grandmother aided in the search for two missing men in 1945.

In this video, Victoria Wanihadie recalls her introduction to the Thunderbird and the power of healing with medicines from sacred land.

Jessica Metcalfe shares her perspective as a settler-scholar on how archaeology can help support Indigenous knowledge, specifically through the example of her research at the Promontory Caves (Utah), where we think Dene ancestors once lived. 

Elizabeth Carpenter shares her knowledge of traditional human-animal relationships in Dene and Beaver societies, which she gained from working as a graduate student researching for projects led by Victoria Wanihadie and Jessica Metcalfe.