Billy Day:
Elder environmentalist honored by award
Article by Shirley Collingridge
Why
did Billy Day dedicate his life to protecting the environment?
Because at an early age he developed a deep love of nature. Because
he was drawn down this path by others. Because he could.
When Day was honored by the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation
with the achievement award in the area of environment, this Inuit
man from Inuvialuit, N.W.T. was filled with pride and humility.
Day knows the awards are the highest honor the Aboriginal community
bestows upon its own achievers. He said he cannot take full credit
for the honor.
"There's an awful lot of other people involved, like our
ancestors who passed down information to us, and a lot of younger
people than myself that I worked with over the years," he
said.
Day was born in the 1930s in the Mackenzie Delta. He still calls
that region home. It was in that beautiful country that Day's
lifelong love of the environment blossomed at an early age.
"I was born at a time when the Elders were still passing
on information to the younger generation," explained Day.
"My mother used to take me out visiting to families and
Elders. A lot of times the stories that were being told were
meant for me as a child. This is the way information was passed
on from generation to generation."
Those early sessions also developed in Day an appreciation for
the oral traditions of his people.
"At a very early age, I grew to respect our ...
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