It’s a stellar Saturday night turnout at the Community Hall for the world premiere of The Sound We See: An Old Crow Village Symphony! Folks of all ages gather to enjoy a tasty feast (great job on the lasagna, Tammy!), socialize, and celebrate two weeks of collaborative cinematic adventure in a one-of-a-kind community. The Super 8 images, Gwich’in language and traditional/folk music blend together beautifully on screen, evoking wonder, pride, laughter and even a few emotional tears… Congratulations and a heartfelt Mahsi Choo to the dozens of people who pitched in and participated to make this magical project possible. We heart Old Crow!
The last bit of film is hanging on the line to dry. Sixteen rolls of Kodak Tri-X 7266 shot and processed as negative over 11 days by first-time filmmakers and not a dud in the bunch! A big shout out to Ricardo Leite for his super awesome Hi-Con Caffenol recipe… we’ve never had eco-processed Super 8 footage come out so consistently great. The cinematic revolution is alive and well in Old Crow. Next up… experiments with fresh cranberry juice!
Normally we are not the cheeriest of early risers but who could be grumpy for even one second when the 6 am shoot is all about playing with seven adorable husky pups! Thanks to Megan and Robert and Aidan and Logan for the puppy therapy followed by a super tasty breakfast of hot coffee, toast and moose sausage in their cozy log house. Food for the body and friendship for the soul.
The weather continues to smile on us. When the morning rain tapers off, we seize the moment to visit Georgie’s camp. Many Old Crow families have cabins up or down river where they spend time “on the land.” Georgie and Mary Jane are passionate and articulate advocates for the traditional Gwitchin way of life and they practice what they preach. Georgie spends almost half the year at this beautiful spot: hunting, fishing, drying hides, watching, waiting, always learning. His vast storehouse of knowledge and experience is now being passed down to the younger generation… Five-year-old grandson Desmond eagerly soaks it all up, helping to tie up the boat, chop wood, pick berries (we’ll be using those to develop the Super 8 Mary Jane is shooting today!), feed the dogs (Georgie had a champion sled dog team back in the day… Raced all the way to Fort McPherson and back!) and even wash up the lunch dishes.
Our afternoon on the land is inspiring, exhilarating and humbling. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and your world with us, Georgie and Mary Jane!
Is there a better start to an Old Crow Friday than a breakfast of fried caribou and onions, banana bread, homemade black currant jam and hot coffee? And then to get a hands-on lesson in how to make caribou jerky aka dry meat? No, there is not. Thank you Stephen and Sophie for your hospitality, your generosity and your ferocious knife skills! And could there be a better way to end an Old Crow Friday than a marathon 3-hour, 13 game, multi-card All-Yukon Radio Bingo extravaganza with $20,000 in prize money GUARANTEED???? No, there is not. Thank you Mary Jane for your patience in teaching us the “Block Party” and the “Picnic Table” even though you had to shush us every two seconds because we were laughing so loud you couldn’t hear the numbers being called…
