A work in progress since the 1970s, We Remember the Coming of the White Man chronicles the history of the Dene People in the extraordinary time of the early 20th century. Chapters are transcripts of oral histories of ten Elders and revolve around their recollections of the early days of fur trading, missionaries and the 1918 flu pandemic; dismay about the way oil and uranium discoveries and pipelines were handled on their land; and the emotional and economic fallout of the signing of Treaty 11. Bundled with the book is a version on DVD of Raymond Yakeleya's stunning 1978 film We Remember, with director's commentary. The book is rich with photographs, and Elders' stories are in English and Dene Gwich'in language. The audiobook, produced by Leanne Goose and read by Dene, M?tis, and Inuvialuit narrators, is available (May 15, 2020). For more info, excerpts from the book and film clips, https: //durvile.com/books/We_Remember.html Dene First Nation Elders in the book are Joe Blondin, John Blondin, Elizabeth Yakeleya, Mary Wilson, Isadore Yukon, Peter Thompson, Jim Edwards Sittichinli, Sarah Simon, Johnny Kaye, and Andrew Kunnizzi.
About the Author: About Elizabeth Yakeleya (nee Blondin) a Willow Lake Dene, was born in 1906 in Norman Wells and was educated at the convent in Fort Providence. In 1925 she married Johnny Yakeleya and they had twelve children. About Sarah Simon, Gwich'in, was born in the Delta of the Mackenzie River in 1901. She married James Simon, who was later ordained an Anglican minister and she travelled with him to Yukon as a missionary. Sarah Simon served her people for many years as a mid-wife, nurse and interpreter. She translated for government officials, doctors and for her Chief, Johnny Kaye. In June 1982 she received the Commissioner's Award for her service to her people and community. Sarah Simon died in 2001. She was 100 years old. About Sarah Stewart, Editor Sarah Stewart is a writer who lived for many years in the Northwest Territories. She and her husband Bill Stewart were part of Raymond's team We Remember. About Raymond Yakeleya, Foreword Raymond is an award-winning Dene television producer, director and writer, originally from Tulita in NWT, now residing in Edmonton. His award-winning documentary films including We Remember for CBC and The Last Mooseskin Boat for NFB have screened at festivals around the world. About Colette Poitras, Afterword Colette is Red River M?tis and Chair of the Canadian Federation of Library Associations Indigenous Matters Committee. Poitras believes libraries have a duty and the privilege to partner with Indigenous community to preserve and revitalize Indigenous languages."