By Karli Zsch枚gner
Special to 黑料吃瓜网 News Services
With the Easter weekend鈥檚 Thursday-to-Monday carnival from April 6 to 10, this year鈥檚 Aklavik鈥檚 Mad Trapper Rendezvous was fundraised uniquely by the lead of all-women fundraisers.
鈥淲e鈥檝e always had King and Queens, but as you know, women do most of the work, selling tickets and fundraising,鈥� said Mina McLeod, this year鈥檚 carnival president and fundraiser winner. 鈥淪o we thought, 鈥榃ell, why not do a battle of the Queens鈥�, so that鈥檚 what we did.鈥�
Announced on the opening evening, the three groups of fundraisers brought in a total of over $53,000 to go back into event prizes. With two plane tickets for first and second to Edmonton and third to Whitehorse, McLeod and her daughter Karyln Blake raised in a landslide of over $43,000 followed by Megan Lennie and Heather Evans with over $7,000, and fundraisers mother and daughter Shauna and Courtney Charlie.
With 14 singer-contestants for the Friday evening, including youth from Fort Smith and Dawson, Doris Rogers won, followed by Brayden John and Colton Landry. This followed two fiddler contestants.
McLeod says this year they added to the carnival schedule a unique elders snowmobile race on Friday, and a second day of dog races on Monday.
鈥淲e hope to see [dog races] coming back into the region,鈥� said McLeod.
Quebec biologist and international dog mushing champion Anny Malo placed first out of seven mushers to claim $1,000. Her partner, Marco Rivest, finished in second in both Saturday and Monday 16-km dog races along the ice road.
鈥淚 feel really great to be here and 鈥� we鈥檙e feeling really welcomed here,鈥� she said following the Saturday race.
She encourages more mushers to put themselves out there to the national and international level as she has done including her last wins in Wyoming and Manitoba, and a second place in Fairbanks, Alaska.
鈥淚 like to see that there鈥檚 other people here that still doing sled dogs 鈥� I know that the sport is a little bit going down, it鈥檚 the same thing in Quebec,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so important to be out there with the dogs.鈥�
鈥淚 think it teaches people to be grounded,鈥� she added.
In Saturday鈥檚 dog races, Aklavik鈥檚 Andrew Charlie placed third and on Monday, Tuktoyaktuk鈥檚 Jemra Gruben was the third place.
鈥淚 feel pretty good,鈥� said the 23-year-old Gruben. 鈥淚鈥檓 very proud of my dogs, they鈥檙e awesome.鈥�
She said she鈥檚 been mushing for three years now and has travelled to across the NWT, Alberta, and Alaska for races.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so traditional,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd you know, it鈥檚 good to bring back the tradition of running dogs again. I hope a lot of young people get into it, too.鈥�
Following Saturday morning鈥檚 dog races, there followed children鈥檚 snowmobile and other open contests, followed by bingo and late-night jigging contests with winners receiving $600. On Sunday, there were more traditional contests such as ice chiselling and tea boiling.
Inuvik鈥檚 Melba Mitchell, who is originally from Aklavik, said she looks most forwards to the traditional contests at jamborees. She said it鈥檚 important to keep these life skills alive.
鈥淚 think this is one of the biggest, best jamborees that you could come to,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of traditional events going on.鈥�
She won in Sunday鈥檚 elders tea boiling, snowshoeing, and she and her husband, Ben, won in separate men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 elders tea boiling. She then volunteered to be one of the spotters for the younger category for tea boiling.
鈥淚t鈥檚 good that a lot of the young girls and boys get into that and learn these skills so it can carry in into the future,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not about winning, it鈥檚 about participating and that鈥檚 the best thing when you do that.鈥�
Sunday evening featured the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 oval open snowmobile races and memorial 鈥楤un Bun Arey 50-mile track race. Monday鈥檚 100-mile track race, with the winner receiving $5,000, was rescheduled to April 11 due to weather visibility.
Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk鈥檚 jamborees were on the same weekend this year, which has created some regional concern.
McLeod said she was not aware of any cross-community jamboree planning and that there should be going forward.
鈥淚t is tough because you want to go to go to every community, you have family and every community, you want to see the races in every community and when they double up like that, I think the committee will lose out,鈥� she said.
She said Aklavik鈥檚 jamboree is always held on Easter weekend and next year鈥檚 event will be from March 28 to April 1.
