'It heals you': Young people return as land-based mentors in the Sahtu

A handful of young northerners are returning to the places that shaped them — not just to reconnect with the land, but to teach others what it gave them.

They paddled toward Norman Wells, N.W.T., this week with Black Spruce Education, a non-profit from the community that aims to get more Indigenous youth out on the land. The organization is currently leading a trip from Kelly Lake to Tulit'a, N.W.T., with young people learning to fish, cook over the fire, and take on leadership roles.

Taneisha Sangris, 21, is helping to lead the trips. She went on her first canoe program with Black Spruce Education in 2022.

"I feel fulfilled after these trips," she said. 

"You know, give them [young people] a chance to come on the land and learn different skills and gain confidence and different techniques."

The team docked in Norman Wells on Wednesday after their most recent trek. They were out on the land for a week, paddling across lakes and rivers, camping and learning skills from young mentors. The trip began in Délı̨nę and brought them down the Great Bear River, with a stop in Tulit'a where a bit of help was lent after to arrive by boat due to strong winds.

For Sangris, the work is about more than canoeing or hiking.

"It's very relaxing," she said. "You really feel the purpose in it."

Riley Modeste joined his first Black Spruce trip a few years ago. Like Sangris, he returned this summer as a facilitator.

"At first I was kind of nervous … But after I did a few trips, I started to think this is something I want to do, it's like my dream job."

Modeste recently returned from a two-week trip that started near Turton Lake and wound through a network of lakes and rivers. 

He said from recent experiences it was especially meaningful to mentor two participants from his own community of Délı̨nę.

"My dad taught me so much, and I want to use that knowledge to teach these kids," he said. 

"It was really nice seeing them come out and spend two weeks with us."

Modeste said the shift in young participants and seeing them get more comfortable on the water is familiar.

"I would say it heals you too at the same time," said Modeste.

Jaden Lennie joined a hiking trip with Black Spruce in 2023 to earn school credits. But the experience quickly became something more as he later returned to mentor youth as well.

"I picked the hiking program… and it ended up being the biggest trip out on the land for me."

That two-week trek helped Lennie feel a stronger connection to his culture and to others.

"Just being around all these people and leaders that really inspired me… I've grown a lot," he said.

"I've never been so involved," said Lennie. "I felt a lot of benefits… mental, physical, spiritual."