Southern Tutchone

Nalat(photo taken, a year ago)

Southern Tutchone the language, of this area.
A mountain i see South West of here, is called, khi dhal(dots on the a), in Southern Touchone.
Meaning, game mountain. The village of Champagne beside it; Sha dhal(dots on the a of dahl). I hope i write it correctly.

The story, as i heard it from Pat Moore, who heard it from the elders:
Shakauta founded the mountain, which was abundant with game(animals for providing food etc.) One day he was killed by Akh Jiyish. Only the wife of Akh Jiyish knows. She is the sister of Shakauta. Years go by, but then she speaks out. It's decided that Shakauta has to be killed. They are in the mountains, feeling sorry for the now very old man, instead they kill his slave. All is even again.

Pat Moore is up here this week from UBC in Vancouver. He honored me with an all day visit. The reason i probably felt the way i did yesterday, maybe has to do with the fact that i share with Pat, that we always like to do so much, I am still working on a drum, the Native way. He knows how to build them. We did baskets together way back, according to him I have perfect wood for snowshoes in m backyard, etc, etc. These woods here provide everything, too much.

Today we started off, picking raspberries. Pat is one of the best berry pickers i know, competing up there with my husband. Where he beats my husband is in preserving the berries for later use. With my husband that task is always left to me(i am not complaining. (all we picked and what and how we preserved it, i will post that today on my berry blog.)

In the berry patch Pat told me the story. On the way to the patch we also see 'Nalat', meaning; standing out. It's a mountain that stands alone in the middle of the Takhini river valley.