Carcross
Recently, I traveled with a representative from the Skagway Traditional Council up to Carcross in the Yukon Territory to witness and photograph the Haa Kusteeyí (Our Way of Life) celebration.
Biking from Dyea to Skagway at 5:30am felt very Walter Mitty-esque. It was me, the majestic mountains, and the Taiya river and inlet—air so clean that my lungs felt renewed. Young bald eagles swooped down from their nests and across my path as the mountain bike tires crunched over the gravel and I was overcome by the marvel of it all.
On the drive up through British Columbia, the landscape shifted to a breathtaking, alien world, evoking a similar wonder to what I experienced when visiting Sedona for the first time or when I exited the modern Eurail station to stand before the towering gothic architecture of the Cologne Cathedral in Germany.
The goal for the event was “to bring together families, Elders, communities, old friends and new to share Lingít art, culture and knowledge while sharing the bounty and beauty of the land and water.”
I felt privileged to be a part of the community for the day, to witness the ceremony and to document the ephemeral fellowship in a culture undergoing revitalization through various means. The song and drumming as the canoes pulled up to the shores after a five day journey could be felt deep in my heart.
A large tent was set up for demonstrations and we participated in a bentwood box workshop led by artists Joanne Williams and Maurice Ouimette. The red cedar is cut to size then soaked before being put in a steamer box to ready it for bending. As you can imagine, the wood smelled amazing.
After we left the celebration, we drove over to the Carcross Desert, which was truly a wonder. Lacking an arid climate, the anomaly is not a true desert and conifer trees grow within, creating a captivating juxtaposition. The area provides refuge to a variety of flora and fauna including a unique type of lupine and the rare Coast Dart moth. We spotted the carcass of one, partially buried in the sand and fully intact.
Before our drive back down to Skagway, we stopped into the Chilkoot Trail Authentic Sourdough Bakery and I was charmed by the rustic interior and bevy of objects accumulated over time.
As we were welcomed to the Haa Kusteeyí, the speakers emphasized the vital actions of community-building and compassion. Joanne offered moose jerky to everyone she encountered. She carried that tradition from her grandmother, stating that you never know what sort of day someone is having, but a gift like that always brings a smile to their face.
While there are endless cycles of conflict, conquest, and inhumanity throughout history, the breakneck speed of everything—abetted by the uncontrollable growth of technology and the loss of connection to our heart sense—makes it feels like the world is splitting at its seams. The shattering war crimes that have always played out are cast into sharp relief through the proliferation of social media, but progress needs hope. Community level work allows change to be seen and felt and sparks collective healing that can spread outward.
Over eons, the Carcross Desert was formed through a unique combination of the Ice Age, the water, and the wind that still gusts along Bennett Lake, picking up fine grains of sand and carrying them to the dunes. Lasting change can happen but it takes a willingness to be patient, work toward steady growth, and not lose hope.