Mabel's Story

By Frederick A. Lepine, Hay River

Introduction

This story is from Northern Writes 4, Entries from the 1996 NWT Writing Contest. Mabel's Story is about an Elder named Mabel Cardinal who slips and falls in front of the Northern Store. Tommy, a young man, is sent home with Mabel to make sure she gets home safely. During the cab ride, Mabel tells Tommy about his grandfather. Although at first reluctant, Tommy eventually is interested in the stories Mabel tells him and begins to learn who he is – through his grandfather's history. He begins to realize that history defines the present.

This story encourages learners to think about their own ancestry and their family and community history. Learners explore family trees, family stories and learn how to use pictures to develop a storyline.

This section first presents a list of six learning activities and the written text for the story. The pages following the written text give instructor notes and handouts for each activity, in the order on the list. At the end of the section are useful resources and websites about the topic.

This symbol marks the written text for the story.
This symbol marks instructor notes.
This symbol marks handouts to copy for learners.