New educational bursary honours late Carcross/Tagish First Nation elder Edna Helm

Nancy and Marie Helm, daughters of the late Edna Helm, stand with a picture of their mother drawn by famed Yukon artist Jim Robb. In the picture, Edna appears on the left with her cousin Mary. A new scholarship fund has been named in Edna Helm’s memory. (Max Leighton/CBC)

By Liam Baker, RCI, CBC News

The historic townsite of Bennett, B.C., is generally described by many tourism websites as “abandoned” — but until recently, there was one seasonal resident who ensured that visitors never felt alone when they came there.

Edna Helm was a Carcross/Tagish First Nation elder and a matriarch of the Ishkataan clan who spent much of her life in the Bennett area, where her family has had a home and trapline for many years. And last week, a new educational bursary was named in her memory.

In her lifetime, Helm was nicknamed the “mayor of Bennett.”

Helm, who died earlier this year, was among the original members of the Carcross Tagish Renewable Resources Council when it was founded in 2010. The council is the central body for the management of fisheries, wildlife and the environment in the Carcross/Tagish First Nation settlement area.

Helm’s work in environmental stewardship and advocacy extended far beyond her work with the council. For decades, she also maintained a working relationship with Parks Canada, operating a trapline in the Bennett area.

The Bennett townsite is now part of the Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site and is managed by Parks Canada.

Continuing Edna’s legacy

Helm’s love for nature was part of the reason why the Carcross Tagish Renewable Resources Council honoured her last week by announcing the new bursary in her memory.

The Edna Helm Memorial Scholarship fund is geared toward students pursuing postsecondary education in “biology, ecology, environmental management, or natural resource management, with preference given to those studying renewable resource management,” according to the Yukon Foundation’s website. The Yukon Foundation disburses scholarships in the territory.

Helm’s daughters say even though their mother received little formal education herself, she greatly valued education and would have been honoured by the new scholarship in her name.

“For it to be out in her name, she would be really proud of that,” Marie Helm said.

The fund was started with a $12,000 donation. Additional donations are being accepted through the Yukon Foundation.

Don Toews, a former chair of the Carcross Tagish Renewable Resources Council and another original member, says that it is a very positive thing for the council to honour elders. He praised Edna Helm’s efforts to encourage young people to get involved with the council, particularly women and young mothers.

“She dedicated 12 years to the resource council and in a very, very strong way, and she was an elder throughout that whole time,” Toews said. “She didn’t speak a lot, but she spoke her mind when she had strong feelings about things and that was very much appreciated.”

Throughout her life, Helm earned a reputation for looking after others, both within her family and with complete strangers.

The Chilkoot Trail, which has been used as a passage from Alaska into Canada since long before the Klondike Gold Rush, ends in Bennett. Some modern-day travellers arrive at Bennett expecting to find restaurants and grocery stores, according to Marie Helm.

“They don’t realize there’s nothing out there … mom always had fish and bannock,” Marie said, citing her mother’s famous bannock recipe which has been featured in Northern magazines.

“One guy, his little boat tipped over. Other people don’t have food during the trail, they’re not prepared. So mom was always out there, welcome arms, open doors, [to] feed lots of people.”

The Chilkoot Trail near Lake Bennett in Yukon. (Sandi Coleman/CBC)

Both Marie and her sister Nancy say that within her own family, Edna not only cared for her own children but also her brothers and sisters.

“She was the one that kept the family together,” Marie said.

Large shoes to fill

The Helm sisters say that when their mother died in February, she left behind some large shoes to fill within her own family and clan, as well as her work with organizations such as the council and Parks Canada.

“She worked really hard trying to preserve and protect, and for other people to have the knowledge,” Marie said.

For Don Toews, carrying on Edna’s work isn’t a matter of filling shoes, but rather allowing others to step up and fill the gaps left behind.

In the case of Edna’s relationship with Parks Canada and the maintenance of a trapline in Bennett, it is her grandson Niko who has stepped into those shoes.

In the months since Edna’s passing, Marie and Nancy say that they have received messages and condolences from across Canada and the United States.

Regarding the bursary named in her honour, Marie says that it shows the level of respect others had for Edna, and for her teaching about the environment.

As for how Edna might respond to such an honour, her daughter Nancy has a fairly good idea. She cites a phrase Edna was known for: “oh for goodness sakes, you guys!”