Tune in while Inuk youth Hope Elson interviews Elder Chris Montague at the Long Term Care in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. The two discuss culture, trapping, school, and the future.
Chris Montague, an Inuk elder from Happy Valley Goose Bay, reflects on his childhood in North Sugar, a small town with a population of about 800. He discusses the community's reliance on trapping, the importance of imagination due to limited travel, and the role of the local school in fostering a sense of community.
Montague shares personal anecdotes about his family, including his father's trapping career and the significance of dog teams. He also highlights the cultural mix in his family and the impact of modern conveniences on traditional practices. Montague emphasizes the importance of education, community involvement, and following one's dreams, having taught for 26 years and been involved in local organizations.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation that honors the voices of the past while empowering the leaders of tomorrow.
For accessibility, transcripts of all interviews are available.
Check out the Program Website here: Timeless Voices
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Music.
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Welcome to Timeless Voices. These interviews were recorded in July, 2024. In this piece you're going to hear Hope Elson interview, Chris Montague. Chris is 74 years old, an Inuk elder at the long term care in Happy Valley Goose Bay. We spoke to him there.
0:49
So when I'm talking about the age of the province, I'm talking about age of myself, time goes in one direction, never turn it back, but it's just a short of it. I'm 74 every 75 this year.
1:05
Wow. Where did you grow up?
1:09
North West River. Beautiful town then about 800 people. It had mineral exploration going on with a company called brinkle. It was the center of the Methodist Church, became the UC church, and we were also the medical center in the coast of Labrador. North West River Hospital was the biggest hospital on the coast. So people coming there from all places. The school was regional school for all of the coast as well. So I have a lot of friends in Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik and Rigolet because they came to our school. And we played on the same hockey teams and we had a good time together, actually, at least I thought it was, most people thought it was.
2:10
What was your Childhood like?
2:16
Growing up in North West River, you had, well still had had footpaths, and the biggest vehicle we had in town for a time was a bicycle. And we just grew up, went to school and hunted and fished and camped and played sports. And the biggest thing for us when we became teenagers was the dance hall. Everybody would talk on the North West River for the dance and we had a good time there as well. So other than that, it was just school.
3:07
How did the way you were raised shape who you are?
3:11
I think because we didn't get out to see much of the world, we had to develop our imaginations. So that was important. And I think that was a major thing. The other thing the school being in town and sometimes snow banks up to my waist.
3:37
What was school like?
3:39
It was good. We had good, good teachers. They were not as qualified as they are today. They probably have some summer school come out and teach them, and they'd be teaching the teachers. But they were excellent. They supervise such things as special dances and sports. They were part of the community.
4:11
What kind of things did you learn?
4:14
In school?
4:15
Yup.
4:15
The three R's, reading, and writing and rythmatic. And of course, history and geography. Sometimes we had, sometimes we had sometimes we had special occasions, and the, back in those days, we didn't have TV when I was young, so the school concert was a big thing, and so we'd act out stories, and all the parents would come in the community, we'd come together and have a good time. Still recall some of the parts I'd had had things like that. So, entertained ourselves. And school was important for that as well, because it's the biggest building in town next to the hospital.
5:16
What did it do for lunch?
5:18
I eat.
5:21
Did you like go home?
5:22
Yes, we went home. And lunch time was about an hour Hour and a half, if you guys had to walk and forth, and sometimes the snow was.
5:34
How far did you go in school,
5:36
Grade 11, that's as far as you could go then.
5:43
How many siblings do you have?
5:45
I'm from a small family at that time, eight kids.
5:49
Did you have any trappers in your family?
5:51
My father was a trapper full time. He'd go into the country and stay there and when it was over. We'll do it a lot of fishing, catching, trout and smelts, things like that. And we do a lot of firewood work. The dog team would pull the wood back. And then after that we would go salmon fishing.
6:25
Was it hard having your dad away for a while?
6:29
I think it's harder for him and him than us, but always good to see dad coming back again, but in those days, we had to leave home to work, and trapping is a part of life and thought it was being normal. And then he got jobs up on the base in the later years. But Grandfather, I hardly knew him, because he had to pass away when I was very young. My other grandfather was from Newfoundland. His father came from Labrador, though, and he's actually born in, born in the Labrador, but his father died very young, so his mother packed up my to the went to Verte Need, near Bay Roberts. He came up on the coast, and he met my grandmother, who was a Michelin. They got married. Mom came back, got married to my father, and so we had a tradition, part Newfoundland, Part Labrador. My culture is Labradorian, mixed everything, some Inuk, some some English, some French, some Inuit. I think the Inuit culture I guess is a bit different from a lot of people.
8:01
Was there any traditions that you did?
8:03
Yes, we went to church on Sunday. And we would learn how to set up a tent, paddle a canoe. And we had special days. Ones we had the day Chrismas and Easter, send off of the trappers when they go into the country people would kind of send them off. And there'd be some, some trappers were going up Grand River, which is the Churchill River now, some that were going up Kenemough and Kenemish families that moved in from Mulligan and they go back there Sabishasho, Grand Lake, all over the place. Dog Teams were important. Thing about a dog, it couldn't run as fast as a skidoo or to keep up the pace. But they're a lot friendlier than a skidoo. And come out at Christmas and go again again after you come out for the springtime, because trapping season was over, then the furs were not so prime as they were. So.
9:04
Was her grandfather a trapper?
9:06
Yes, my father trapped his trapline because he he was unable to continue.
9:15
Any more trappers in your family?
9:19
Well, my first trapper in my father's side, who would have been my great grandfather, John Montaguewho came from Scotland, Orkney Islands. He came over with the Hudson Bay, and he was a Hudson Bay servant, clerk, until he married. And in those days, if you married into the local population, the Hudson Bay Company would say hosta lah vista baby, and you're on your own. And so he continued to track his uncles and. His father continued trapping and also worked at the Dickie Lumber Company.
10:07
What was it like going around on dog sled?
10:11
You had to learn the dog calls. Ark ark. adda, adda, hutte hutte. Hutte Hutte, I believe get going. Adda Adda, I believe would be turn to the right, ark ark would be turn to the left. So those were the dog team calls that we got from our Inuit ancestors and just carried along. And it was always good, because the dogs were friendly. They were like pets and work animals at the same time. So the two ones that I remember most are Bob and Jethro.
10:52
Why do you remember those two the most?
10:56
I sort of took a liking to them, and Bob was born when I was about four years old, and he was always friendly with me. He was my dog, Jethro come in later. But he was a really good dog too. He part maliduke. He was a good friendly dog, but all the dogs were nice, Rex, Bunny, Jacob and Isaac, they're all good. Friendly.
11:24
Who named the dogs? Or did you name the dogs?
11:28
They were named and passed on to me. I didn't name them.
11:32
What was the standoff for the trappers like?
11:35
They'd go up my father's route was the Grand River route, they go at different times. The height of the landers. they went way out West, on to the Quebec border, they were, they go first. They have such a long, long trip, and they had the portage over, over Churchill Falls, and then go on from there into the countries. Now it's all flooded by the Churchill Falls Project, but they had a family send off, and sometimes there's a sad story, and she says, kiss me before you go this time. and the husband said 'save it for Christmas Wife.' The sad thing about it is he never saw her for Christmas because he died. That was the send off. Very Sad.
12:33
What was it like when all the trappers came home?
12:36
They came home at the different times, sometimes on the way home, but sometimes they come home alone, and it'll always be when the snow is done, so people stay home more. Always good to see your father come home and have all the fur on the floor.
12:53
What was that like when your father had fur all over the place?
12:57
We were right proud of that fact, Because he had to be a good trapper.
13:04
What was your mom like when [he'd come home.]
13:06
Excited, there's a song, or when you see the boys back home, or were happy boys you're back.
13:14
What do you hope people remember about trappers?
13:17
From the trapping the most important thing that the trappers did for the Province, was establish the western border, because the coast of the Labrador would be the coast and three miles from the coast. So it would only be a strip of land on the coast.
13:33
How was your life different in them days?
13:36
Well, when I was born in North West River, there were no roads going out of the town. There are no bridges, so we go up in North West River, if we got outside of town, it would be in a boat, row boat or a small Johnson, and you go to the islands and up in the lake and just camp and had a great time.
14:03
Throughout the years, what's been the biggest change you've seen?
14:06
Travelling, communications, hydropower is important. A lot of the modern conveniences.
14:14
How have you seen your culture change?
14:18
It's come into the 21st century. We have TV, we have travel, we have more industry going on. It was all trapping when I was growing up and some prospectors.
14:33
Do you have any worries about your culture in the future?
14:38
No, because we formed an organization called the Labrador Metis Nation at first. We were the group that was left out of native claims at first. Actually, I had a part in starting the organization. Was the first president. I became president again after I finished school, teaching school. So I was probably President of the Metis nation and NunatuKavut for about seven years.
15:08
What made him want to be a teacher? I just moved into it. I think, I was looking at science first, and I found out that it was real history ties into some of my supersicians and a lot of other things, but I found that I wanted to teach the true thing.
15:29
How long did you taught for?
15:32
How old are you?
15:33
16.
15:34
I taught longer than that, 26 years. 27, 26 years.
15:43
What did you teach?
15:45
I was trained as a religious education teacher but I taught math, English, history, geography, the works. I didn't teach French full time though.
15:57
Do you have any kids of your own?
16:00
Yes, I'm guilty of having kids around three, three. Yeah, a boy and two, two girls.
16:07
Did you teach your kids?
16:09
One of them, I taught my eldest daughter for her year. I think she enjoyed the year. The class seemed to have enjoyed it as well. So it was a good year, all those years are good years.
16:24
What school did you taught at?
16:26
Henry Gordon Academy, Peacock Academy. I taught Robert Luckie, St. Mike's, Queen of Peace. Always a good job.
16:38
What did you wish you had known when you were younger?
16:41
What I know now.
16:45
What is your advice for teenagers?
16:49
Take your education, find out who we are. and where you want to go in life and work toward that goal and enjoy life as you go around, and maybe make sure that you're very yourself, where you're fitting your community and just be a good person.
17:11
What is your advice for people starting their careers?
17:16
Make sure it's the one you want because my daughter did five years to be a nurse, and then she found out that she didn't want it, and so she said slow and now doing something else, but make sure you know what you want and be honest with yourself. Don't achieve for somebody else. Achieve for yourself. Someone might want you to be something that you really don't want to be, but make sure you know what you want, what your varieties are, and follow your dream.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai