Booze not welcome at Black Lake

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"Each of us has our own reasons for being here," states Billy Bouvier. "We all have had incidents back home where drugs or alcohol touched our lives in some way and we want to make a statement booze is going to stop coming into our village."

Bouvier is one of a group of 26 Dene who walked to the annual Lac Ste. Anne pilgrimage. "We left Black Lake (Saskatchewan) April 23," says John B. MacDonald. The community of 1,500 is about 50 miles south of the Saskatchewan / Northwest Territories border. "The first 200 miles was all cross-country. We just followed the trap lines and carried all we needed in backpacks," he says. Although there was still snow on the ground in April and the going was heavy, they made it in five days.

Once the travelers arrived in central Alberta, however, they acquired a van and purchased additional supplies. "We managed to shoot a moose and a deer near Cold Lake after we got into Alberta," says Bouvier. The meat provided many days of good eating for the group. A freezer, carried by day in the van, was plugged into a generator every night to keep supplies frozen.

Along the way the Dene met many people who were also planning to attend the pilgrimage later in the summer. "We met Cree people and Chip Indians and we planned to see them all again at Lac Ste. Anne," says Bouvier.

The group was accepting donations along the way, too, hoping to raise money for much-needed programs and staff to run them. "We are doing this for our community," says MacDonald.

Although 42 travelers originally started out from Black Lake, 17 turned back. "If we couldn't agree on how things were going to be run, there was no use staying together," says Bouvier. "The success of our trip depended on co-operation among all of us on the road." The remaining 25 were later joined be a latecomer, bringing the total to 26.

Depending on the weather, the group traveled between 25 to 49 km a day. With their trip carefully planned to allow them to reach Lac Ste. Anne July 23 when the pilgrimage was to begin, the group spent 92 days traveling. Their schedule allowed them to rest for three days on the grounds of Poundmaker's Lodge / Nechi Center on the outskirts of St. Albert.

With the walkers ranging in age from small children to elders, the van was indispensable for carrying trekkers when they were tired. "The elders with us, though, they never would quit and ride in the van," MacDonald laughs. "Joe Beavereye is our leader and Martin Broussie is the other older."

The group noted with interest the differences in the terrain as they traveled across the prairies. "We were doing lots of sightseeing," Bouvier laughs.

When their experience was over at the end of July, the Dene headed back home, driving the rented van back to Prince Albert, then flying on to Black Lake.

All the participants hope to get involved in National Addictions Awareness Week activities planned for November. The special week was celebrated with considerable success last year and bigger and better plans are afoot this year with public awareness the goal and prevention of substance abuse the theme.