Launch Points in the Yukon: Stories North

Over the next month, I'll be travelling to various places throughout the Yukon as a part of a journalism course called Stories North. Website here, Instagram here.

Whitehorse is vast. The whole city is built on mountains, all covered in thin pine trees, the tops of the highest peaks outfitted with long slides of snow. As our plane descended to the Whitehorse airport, I watched as we lowered past peak, after peak, after peak. There are mountains everywhere.

A family canoeing on the Yukon River. (Julia Moran, 2018)

I can physically feel how different the air is from city air. It's amazingly refreshing and always smells slightly like pine and fresh rain.

The thin, tall trees of Whitehorse tower of the Trans Canada Trail behind Yukon College. (Julia Moran 2018)

I've been here two days, and I've already seen a caribou, an eagle, and many foxes. Animal sightings are not slim. There are always clouds in the sky, often moving so quickly that rain and sunshine happen simultaneously.

We spent the first few days working on photography with the very talented Aaron Von Hogen, a photographer from Vancouver. When we weren't peppering Aaron with questions or practicing shooting, we frequented the downtown area, either going out for dinner or exploring the Adäka Cultural Festival at Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre.

Tents at the Adäka festival (Julia Moran 2018)

Adäka is a week long celebration of Indigenous arts and culture which attracts international attention. From June 29 to July 5 the cultural centre features Indigenous artists and performers of all different kinds from all 14 Yukon First Nations.

A carving at the festival (Julia Moran 2018)

In the white tents artists of every variety were showcasing their work. They didn't just have their products set up on shelves, rather they were actively carving, painting, or creating in front of attendees' eyes.

.One young man who looked no older than 10 was using a micro drill to carve shapes into animal bone. Next to him, a man stood back from his canvas and analyzed his painting of a woman in white on a blue background. Across from them, an artist from the North was carving a polar bear out of a stone which resembled soap stone.

The artist carved a general shape of the bear from the stone and then used sandpaper and water to slowly whittle down and smooth out the perfect shape. I asked him how long he'd been working on the carving. He smiled and said, "looong time."

Inside, First Nations art decorated every centimetre of the centre, from the walls to the people, who wore colourful traditional clothing. Everything down to the architecture of the building was beautiful.

"The Crow" by Duran Henry, a mask in the art gallery (Julia Moran 2018)

A sacred space designed for smudging ceremonies welcomed anyone to have a quiet moment. (Julia Moran 2018)

Attached to the cultural centre is a beautiful public library. (Julia Moran 2018)

Outside, the cultural centre is surrounded by train tracks. (Julia Moran 2018)

Today, we travel into downtown Whitehorse for more exploring.