Far North Friday #90: When Will You Return?
In many indigenous languages, I quickly learned there is no expression for “good-bye”. I stopped listening for that salutation. But, there was a salutation that I was sensitive to. It was “when will you return” (Photo 1).
Photo 1: A group of adults and children at the airport both to greet, and see off, arriving and departing community members and visitors. Photo composed at the airport, in the remote fly-in community of Fort Hope, in the homeland of Eabametoong First Nation, May 23/15.
I learned a lot from Andy Yesno, Eabametoong First Nation. One of the early lessons was “engage the community”. He went on to say: “return often. Get out of the boardroom. Avoid the “in-at 10 AM - out-by 4 PM” day visit. Stay overnight. Turn up at the gym to watch a volleyball game. Turn up at the arena to watch a hockey or broom ballgame. Go fishing if invited. You’ll be amazed how much business gets done on the lake, while you get to know others differently. Walk around the community in the evening, when the parents are out with the kids. People will see you. You may think they don’t, but they do. Soon, after a few visits, they will start to ask “who is that person?”. Eventually, someone will come up to you on the street and ask how you are, who you are, and what you do. That is when it starts”.
I heard some say staying overnight, on reserve, sounded like a punishment. How far from the truth. It was a joy. There was always something going on in a community. In the summer, the streets were alive with kids, adults, and yes, even dogs. The baseball diamond often was the site of a game. The school playground was always popular. In the winter, the arena was busy with several hockey games. One of our favourite walks was with the parade of kids who were happy to walk with us, play around us, and tell us about the secret kid places (Photo 2). It was easy to meet community members.
Photo 2: An evening with kids along the shore of a remote lake. This was a time to see the community through different eyes, and those insights of the children were mostly funny, always interesting, and sometimes disturbing. Those insights were only gained “outside the boardroom”. Photo composed by Lori Churchill, beside Eabamet Lake, in the remote fly-in community of Fort Hope, in the homeland of Eabametoong First Nation, July 3/03.
We tried to stay at least one evening, sometimes two, after a day of community-based business meetings. None of our community “walk-abouts” were planned. Nor were they usury. It was genuinely fun AND informative to walk around and meet community people “outside the boardroom”. We learned so much about the community, peoples’ values, their fears, their history, why they held their deep convictions. We developed friendships that exist to this day.
Were those insights beneficial to the business agenda? Yes, of course. Were those insights beneficial to gaining a deeper understanding of the dreams and fears of community people? Yes, of course. Were those insights beneficial to help break down barriers and tear away mutually held false perspectives? Yes, of course.
I still remember the first time a mother asked us “when will you return?” The words are simple, but they took me aback. Andy Yesno was right.
[Note: Andy Yesno passed away on September 22, 2022. He is deeply missed by those who knew him. Miinawa Gawabiimin Andy1]
Nov 25/22; Facebook Nov 25/22.