2 Trip to Old Crow

A story of travels by Mary Vittrekwa recorded as a COPE story

When I was still staying with my grandmother, my uncle, Jimmy Kendi, died and my uncle, Julius Kendi, was a minister in Old Crow. I wanted to go and visit him, so I started over with my grandmother.

When everyone started back down from Fish Creek, I said I was going over. Everyone told me not to go but still I said I was going. Mary Francis and her husband also went with me. They went as far as head of Stony with me and they turned around. I went alone from there. I thought I would see my grandmother, Annie, along the way but when I got there I found only an empty camp. They had gone back to McPherson. I left my grandmother there alone and I went to get my meat. I made a one-day round-trip. It was a long way back.

Then I wanted to go to Little House [Zheh Gwitsal or Lapierre House] and so I went. When I got there, Jim Jackson and another woman who cooked for him were staying there. I really surprised him. He said that everyone went back to town for Easter, and asked why I wasn’t going down. I told him I was going to Old Crow and he told me not to go because there was no trail all the way.

Moses came back up and there was also another man, but I forgot his name. He told us to stay with him so we went up with him. We stayed up there a long time and there was a lot of caribou with us. My brother, John Kendi, also came to us and he shot lots of caribou for us. We brought all the meat home and we made lots of dry meat. By that time it was getting lots of water and everyone started taking meat down to Little House [Zheh Gwitsal or Lapierre House]. We also took our meat down. Last time everyone went up and Mary Francis and her husband came back with them. In my other story, I said I missed my country; I also missed McPherson. When they came I was really happy.

While we were there, my grandmother, Annie Itse, told me they came with no meat; everyone gave them some meat. Everyone passed spring there and everyone was going to go in Jim Jackson’s boat. There was a large scow also tied at the back. They put all their meat in and also their belongings. James Francis was in charge of the boat. We left and before we were going to stop to eat, he said, “Take enough meat out so that everyone can have a good meal. Those who don’t give meat, I’m going to leave here”. When we were staying on the mountains we always teased him so we didn’t believe him. After we made tea and ate, we started again. We made another stop at my uncle, Big Joe’s, camp. When we stopped there for a while and started again, two more boats were coming down the Porcupine River. We stayed there for a while and started again. We made another stop at my grandfather Itsi’s place. We stayed there for a long time.

We finally got to Old Crow and I was really happy; so was everyone else. I stayed around there all summer with my grandmother. Just about every day I walked up on Crow Mountain – not only myself, but a lot of other girls. When I went up there I set traps for groundhogs.

I thought I was going to stay with my uncle for one year, but I changed my mind and wanted to come back over. After the new year, I left my uncle and started back to McPherson and I didn’t go back for a long time.