From left to right are Alice MacKenzie, Leitha Kochon, Harriet Paul and Tony Buggins. Alice and Harriet speak Dogrib, Leitha speaks Slavey and Tony's first language is Chipewyan. They do individual shows in these languages but for this 3-hour remote they took turns interviewing guests and doing the weather and news in their own languages.
It was my job to keep things rolling on the ground, making sure the hosts had interviews lined up and everyone knew who was up next. And it's all done on the spot--none of the guests are lined up ahead of time. The hosts simply survey the crowd and grab someone who a) can speak their language and b) has something interesting to say.
The beginning of the live show was quite rocky because the wireless mics weren't working well and, at one point the computer crashed, knocking us off the air for five minutes. Then we had to pull Harriet off the show because she was losing her voice. Fortunately, Alice, who had come along as an extra to gather tape, stepped in. Harriet had arrived at the site by canoe yesterday, along with 300 others attending the assemblies. She found the dusty air was affecting her voice. It certainly was dry and sandy--much like Folk on the Rocks. For three days now I feel as though sand has entered my every pore. I hate to say it, but we could do with some rain.
Back on the road tomorrow, which is a roller-coaster of a ride. Last time I drove along the Mackenzie it was all gravel; now the highway is paved, but frost has caused heaving, while big sections have gravel patches. There are signs for bison crossing; however, the only wildlife I saw was a wolf, standing on the rocks some distance from the road.
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