Pat Kane

Photographer

www.patkanephoto.com

Pandemic Plan - The New York Times

Follow Hire

The Plan to Protect Indigenous Elders Living Under The Northern Lights - for The New York Times

The aurora borealis - more comm...rld, most from China and Japan.

The aurora borealis - more commonly known as the northern lights - appear over the houseboats on Yellowknife Bay on February 25, 2021. Because of it’s position directly under the auroral oval, Yellowknife is considered one of the best cities in the world to view the aurora, and is a tourist destination for visitors from around the world, most from China and Japan.

Ice fog covers a neighbourhood ...rritories on February 26, 2021.

Ice fog covers a neighbourhood in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories on February 26, 2021.

An aerial view of a Dene camp h...ting with the land and culture.

An aerial view of a Dene camp hosted by the Dechinta “bush university” on Tuesday, February 23, 2021. Dechinta’s mandate is to teach Indigenous studies and help university students earn a degree while also learning traditional Dene skills and connecting with the land and culture.

The arrivals area of the Yellow...ommunity transmission reported.

The arrivals area of the Yellowknife airport is covered in signage and information about Covid-19 to visitors arriving to the Northwest Territories on Sunday, February 21, 2021. In March of 2020, visitors were asked to leave the territory and non-essential workers instructed to quarantine for 2 weeks at a hotel or home upon arrival here. This hard lockdown has proven valuable in stopping the spread of Covid-19 in the Northwest Territories, with only a handful of cases of community transmission reported.

Dr. Kami Kandola, the chief pub...ood start,” she says.

Dr. Kami Kandola, the chief public health officer for the Northwest Territories, in Yellowknife on February 26, 2021. In March 2020, the Government of the Northwest Territories declared a public health emergency which gave Dr. Kandola legally binding and broad powers to make decisions “to protect all Northwest Territories residents,” according to government officials. Kandola’s first order was to limit all non-essential travel to or from the territory and required returning residents to quarantine for up to 14 days. This early set of restrictions created a bubble within the Northwest Territories and has limited the spread of Covid-19 to 47 confirmed cases and no deaths in the territory as of February 26, 2021. “I started out wanting to save the whole world. And then I thought, I believe northern Canada would be a good start,” she says.

Yellowknife residents play hock... and a slow re-opening in 2020.

Yellowknife residents play hockey on Yellowknife Bay on Sunday, February 21, 2021. A year into the pandemic, Yellowknife locals are living near-normal lives because of a strict lockdown, travel restrictions and a slow re-opening in 2020.

Gordie Liske stands in a cloud ...ting with the land and culture.

Gordie Liske stands in a cloud of exhaust from snowmobiles at an Indigenous camp hosted by the Dechinta “bush university” on Tuesday, February 23, 2021. Dechinta’s mandate is to teach Indigenous studies and help university students earn a degree while also learning traditional Dene skills and connecting with the land and culture.

Charlie Sangris, an elder with ...ting with the land and culture.

Charlie Sangris, an elder with the Dechinta “bush university”, drives his snowmobile with fish in tow over Great Slave Lake on Tuesday, February 23, 2021. Dechinta’s mandate is to teach Indigenous studies and help university students earn a degree while also learning traditional Dene skills and connecting with the land and culture.

Caribou meat and fish hang and ...rs from the spread of Covid-19.

Caribou meat and fish hang and dry inside of a teepee at a “bush university” called Dechinta, made up of Northern Indigenous educators and students who teach traditional Dene land skills like harvesting meat and catching fish at a camp outside of the Dene community of Dettah, Northwest Territories on Saturday, February 20, 2021. At the onset of the pandemic, indigenous leaders encouraged their residents to “go on the land” and reconnect with nature, harvest food and protect elders from the spread of Covid-19.

Photos, lanyards, face masks an...Yellowknives Dene First Nation.

Photos, lanyards, face masks and pictures of Jesus hang next to a set of caribou antlers at the home of Chief Edward Sangris’ home on Thursday, February 25, 2021. Chief Sangris is the chief of Dettah, Northwest Territories, one of the communities that make up the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.

Justina Black, a community outr...the land, language and culture.

Justina Black, a community outreach and youth engagement coordinator with Dechinta, in Ndilo, Northwest Territories on February 28, 2021. Black, a member of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, says it’s important for Indigenous families to reconnect with the land, language and culture.

A large white cross sits at the...d to protect their communities.

A large white cross sits at the highest point of the Dene community of Dettah, Northwest Territories. In the 1850’s, missionaries from the Anglican and Roman Catholic Church came to teach Indigenous people the teachings of the bible and soon opened residential schools with the support of the Canadian government. Children who were born and raised on the land were taken from their families and sent to schools hundreds of kilometres away, many for several years. The federal government’s mandate was to “bring civilization to the savage people who could never civilize themselves”, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report published in 2015. The result was a loss of language, culture and connection to family. During Covid-19, Indigenous leaders are encouraging their people to reconnect with the land to protect their communities.

Verna Crapeau, a Dene elder fro...break here could be disastrous.

Verna Crapeau, a Dene elder from Dettah, Northwest Territories, ties her headscarf at an Indigenous camp hosted by the Dechinta “bush university” on Tuesday, February 23, 2021. At the onset of the pandemic, one of the guiding reasons for lockdown of the territory and strict travel restrictions was to protect the elders; the knowledge holders and foundation of the Northwest Territories cultural fabric. With limited health resources in many remote Indigenous communities, an outbreak here could be disastrous.

Miranda Currie plays with her I...e on Monday, February 22, 2021.

Miranda Currie plays with her Inuit huskies after a sledding on Great Slave Lake on Monday, February 22, 2021.

Edward Sangris, chief of Dettah...” says Chief Sangris.

Edward Sangris, chief of Dettah, Northwest Territories, one of the communities of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, stands on the ice road near Dettah on Thursday, February 25, 2021. At the start of the pandemic, Indigenous leaders in the Northwest Territories encouraged residents to “go to the land” - live at cabins, harvest wild meat, reconnect with nature and physically distance from elders in the communities to keep everyone safe. “There’s no better place than on the land,” says Chief Sangris.

The ice road between Yellowknif...s at dusk on February 26, 2021.

The ice road between Yellowknife and Dettah, Northwest Territories at dusk on February 26, 2021.

A full moon sets behind Saint K...d to protect their communities.

A full moon sets behind Saint Kateri Tekakwitha church in Dettah, Northwest Territories. In the 1850’s, missionaries from the Anglican and Roman Catholic Church came to teach Indigenous people the teachings of the bible and soon opened residential schools with the support of the Canadian government. Children who were born and raised on the land were taken from their families and sent to schools hundreds of kilometres away, many for several years. The federal government’s mandate was to “bring civilization to the savage people who could never civilize themselves”, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report published in 2015. The result was a loss of language, culture and connection to family. During Covid-19, Indigenous leaders are encouraging their people to reconnect with the land to protect their communities.