TUKTOYATUK, NWT (236 ENGLISH )
Finally on June 1st, 1995 we left for our trip to the Yukon and Alaska. I say “finally” because my husband Gilbert had been thinking of this trip for a long time, but I was less convinced about the road conditions, the dangerous heights, etc. I was scared.
The beginning of our trip was very beautiful. On June 9th we celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary in Dawson City. It was certainly an interesting city, and one week was the least one could spend there. Then we headed towards Inuvik where we spent two days; and it was the part I feared the most because we had to fly there. On June 20th when we were about to leave, I thought I’d stay in Dawson City, but Gilbert said “Do as you wish, but since we’re here in Dawson City, I’ll not lose this chance to go to Tuk. If the plane crashes, then you can return to Edmonton with the motor home. “At that point we had our nine-year-old grandson, Duncan, so I asked him “Do you want to go to Tuk?” “Of course, I want to go.” He replied eagerly. So I decided that if there was a plane crash, we’d all be together.” That morning we met Sister Emond; and she encouraged us to go; however she told us AFTER WE WERE BACK that only few months previous, a plane had crashed killing everyone!
On that day, we met a group of six Americans who were travelling in one car. I was under the impression that they were traveling rather cheaply. Amongst them was a man named John Crawford who talked non-stop, the other five were at a point where they could barely stand him, especially the two women whom I’d spoken to. I said to myself, “This is exactly the person I need so I spoke to him (I felt at ease since I’d met him two days previous.) and said “I’m terribly scared of planes, especially small ones…I need someone who’ll speak to me all along the trip to keep my mind occupied, to change my ideas, and if I don’t respond, to continue talking….” He agreed to come on the plane with me!
I rarely sweat, but when we arrived in Tuk, I noticed that my “Gortex” was very wet…a bit like hockey players who skate a lot; they can even lose up to ten pounds. I’m sure I also lost ten pounds!!
When one entered the airport, we found it very small, the size of a 20-student classroom so I asked if this was the smallest airport in the world. The pilot replied that, “No, but it’s the smallest in North America.!!”
The travel agent told us that they had two guides, one would take four tourists and the other, 8. I suggested to Gilbert to go with the smaller group (4). He was an Inuit guide and that’s what I wanted. Four people is a good-size of a group. Since everyone was ready, we left first. To begin with we went to the sea, and if we dared to put our feet in the water, we’d get a certificate. It is an understatement to say that the water wasn’t warm!! And small pieces of ice floated here and there. Then I asked the guide what were the chances of seeing a polar bear. He said that the polar bears had left about ten days previous…the temperature was too warm right then; yet we were freezing!
The guide added that in the past winter, they had had a bear with them all winter. He walked the main street every day, about 500 meters. The authorities saw to it that it had lots to eat and the people were careful.
We saw the DEW line (Distance Early Warning) which had been built to detect all planes crossing its line going south to the rest of Canada and into the United States. A second tower was put up near the Hudson Bay in Manitoba (I think) and a third one was in the East. This line was to give Canada security against the Russians. Today all this is automated. We also saw where dogs were raised for the dog sled-races in both autumn and spring.
Then we also went to see an Inuit and his shop where Muk-luks were made and we bought some. These were very nice Mukluks decorated in good quality fur. Finally we went to see the famous church. It was a nice little church with space for about 20 people. Just outside a few feet away and freshly painted was Father Robert Lemeur’s grave. Father Lemeur had devoted many years to the Inuit. He had to love these people for he had lived in exile in Tuk for a long time. The missionaries have gone now and there would be very few people visiting the grave except a few tourists who would be more or less interested. Yet Father Lemeur had founded the Tuktoyatuk radio station, then a Dome Petroleum ice-breaker was named after him. Furthermore in 1983, two years before Father Lemeur’s death, he had received the Order of Canada.
At his death, the parishioners had asked that his body be brought to Tuk. This was also Father Lemeur’s wish since he wanted to “dwell with his people.” The authorities agreed to this, so everything was properly done and well arranged, thus here he lies on rocky terrain on the shore of the Beaufort Sea.
As I looked at all this, I thought of our Lord when he founded his Church with His apostles. He had told them to go, to preach and to evangelize all nations even to the four corners of the earth. Here when one considered the distance, one sees towards the south about 150 kilometers without any roads; on the east, there must be 500 kilometers in a straight line with no roads towards Paulatuk; on the left there’s the McKenzie Delta and in the north it’s the Beaufort Bay, part of the Arctic Ocean. There, one feels very isolated; and I thought to myself, “this must truly be one of the four corners of the earth!”...
However, the Oblate Fathers came here and stayed many years; so did the Grey Nuns…These two communities had truly understood the founder of our religion.
I’m adding a few words about Paulatuk where Father Dehurtevent worked for 60 years on the shores of the sea without any access to roads in any direction. He was the “neighbor” and great friend of Father Lemeur, o.m.i. from Tuk. When one of the priests wanted to receive the sacrament of confession ( called reconciliation today) he’d do so by telephone.
Father Dehurtevent had surely evangelized Paulatuk, a village of 300 people. With them he had built a grotto on the shores of the ocean to the Holy Virgin, patroness of his community, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (omi). After sixty years of service, he returned to St. Albert, Alberta, where he needed medical care, but his people had not forgotten him. One night the doctors were worried and had little hope that he’d hold on overnight. When the community heard this, it got together in the school gymnasium and prayed all night. At 7:00 in the morning, they phoned to get some news about Father Leonce Dehurtevent’s health and were told “your prayers are better than pills.”
In Paulatuk, there were only two telephones; one for the police and the other for the school.
Father Dehurtevent lived a few more days and died on April 6, 2002, aged 91. Only three people from the “Outside” were able to come by plane (the only way) for his funeral. These three were able to come ahead of the group of 12 who were supposed to come. One person witnessed at the funeral saying, “We have never seen Father Dehurtevent in any way but in a good humor.” Twelve other people had bought their air fare to come to the funeral, but due to the temperature, their trip was cancelled.
When the faithful realized that these twelve could not come, they assembled in the Paulatuk school gymnasium and asked to be connected by voice through modern technology so everyone in Paulatuk could hear the proceedings of the funeral immediately, and later in St. Albert by VCR.
What a wonderful show of love for their former pastor. It is evidence that the heroism and magnanimity of the Oblates as Father Lemeur and Father Dehurtevent had lived has surpassed their founder, Bishop de Mazenod’s dreams.
I’ll add a few words for the people of my corner of the country who knew Father Forget that he also was scared of airplanes. He flew to Inuvik from Tuktoyatuk, but it scared him so much that he waited 21 days before he returned to Tuk by dogsled! It was a four-day trip instead of one and a half hour by plane....
I enjoyed this trip so much that we returned to Yukon and Alaska four years later in 1999.
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