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| "Tundra Light" by Joseph |
The Dempster Highway
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A Greeting
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.
(Psalm 143:10)
A Reading
With you is wisdom, she who knows your works
and was present when you made the world;
Send her forth from the holy heavens,
that she may labour at my side,
and that I may learn what is pleasing to you.
For she knows and understands all things,
and she will guide me wisely in my actions.
(Wisdom 9:9a; 10-11)
Music
Artists: Diyet and Nive Nielsen
Meditative Verse
Without eyes there is no light;
without knowledge there is no wisdom.
(Sirach 3:25)
A Meditative Saying
Amma Synclectica said:
In the beginning, there is struggle and a lot of work
for those who come near to God. But after that,
there is indescribable joy.
It is just like building a fire: At first it's smoky and
your eyes water, but later you get the desired result.
Thus we ought to light the divine fire in ourselves
with tears and effort.
from Desert Wisdom: Sayings from the Desert Fathers,
Introduced by Henri J.M. Nouwen; translations and art by Yushi Nomura
Verse for the Day
Listen to me, my faithful children,
and blossom like a rose growing by a stream of water.
(Sirach 39:13)
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| Panorama of Wright Pass - Dempster Highway - Yukon by Adam Jones |
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A STORY
The trailhead of The Trans Canada Trail at the Arctic is the Mackenzie River Trail, a waterway which we will visit in coming days. The first land trail begins approximately 200 kilometres south at the start of the Dempster Highway, which stretches north-south from Inuvik to Dawson. On both rough gravel and paved road, hikers walk on the traditional lands of the Gwich'in peoples of many First Nations: Gwich'in territory runs across the areas also known as the northern parts of Alaska and the Yukon and Northwest Territories. Tundra, black spruce forests and long ranges of mountains fill the landscape. In today's story, a woman of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation remembers her own mother, by telling stories to her daughter. The daughter's work in turn continues the work of her grandparents in relationship to the land. When Jesus walked in the wilderness, he walked on land once traveled by his ancestors. How do you experience the land you live on? What are your family ties to it? Who are the storytellers in your region who could help you learn its deeper and older history?
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Interested to know more?
Links and resources for further exploration:
Joe and Annie Henry, Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation elders whose family are in today's story.
Land claims in the Dempster Highway corridor history:
Watershed protection, Yukon-News story.
Together Today for our Children Tomorrow, land claims document prepared by First Nations peoples of the Yukon in 1973
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| The Dempster Highway portion of The Trans Canada Trail appears in yellow. (Source) |
LC† Stories of the Land is a project of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto
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