I also have fond memories of Natuashish where I partly grew up and where my parents camped in the spring and fall. As soon as there was open water in early spring, my father would set his net for Arctic char as they headed back to the salt water. The spring would bring warm weather and we would wake to the sounds of sparrows and the crackling of sparks in my mother’s fire. She would be cooking the fresh Arctic char that my father caught. Natuashish, about seven kilometres north of Davis Inlet, is surrounded by rolling hills coloured with evergreens. I recall the quiet and beauty of the pond with the morning mist rising from the cold water, and the lonely cries of the great northern diver. I believe that people in Davis Inlet have made the right choice when they want to spend the rest of their lives in Natuashish.

My parents usually adopted a couple of teenage boys to tag along with us to Natuashish, and the parents of those young men didn’t mind at all. Nowadays, if I wanted to take somebody with me, there would be the red tape of Social Services. My background would be checked; they would want to know whether I use alcohol or drugs. We forget that it takes a whole community to raise a child. Long ago, the people of Davis Inlet lived with this “new” motto I often hear now at healing conferences.