Steward's Journey

A quiet fell over the Indigenous camp. Two native women were with a new mother, who had just birthed a son in this village she called home. The new baby would be named Steward. The year was eighteen sixty-five and the place was the Yukon. Like a shining diamond, this territory was the jewel of Canada’s north, an undeveloped wilderness inhabited by natives for years before the white man arrived to trap fur. With the discovery of gold later in its history, this pristine land was invaded by the white culture, the Indigenous way of life in the Yukon never looking the same. The scourge of the white invasion brought disease to the native people. Their culture was introduced to alcohol, which brought devastation upon these innocent people. Fur and horses were traded by the natives for this evil brew, leaving their families devastated and penniless. Steward’s father was one of the hapless victims of this curse. He left his pregnant wife penniless, dying in the bush only months before the birth of his son. He froze to death on the very ground whose purpose was to support his life. It was a promise his Creator could no longer keep, as the disease called alcoholism ravaged his tired soul. Shouts of joy erupted spontaneously among the people gathered outside the shelter as the news of the birth of the child was heard. The infant and new mother were in good health, both coming through the ordeal unscathed. Steward and his mother would be helped by their tribe and family members, surviving the tragedy involving Steward’s father. As Steward matured, the details of his father’s death would leave him wondering why the man had been taken before he was born. It was an issue his childhood friends did not seem to be bothered by, but which would leave Steward a broken man, eventually causing him to become disassociated from his tribe, moving deeper into himself and the forests which surrounded him. Steward’s mother swaddled her child, hugging him tightly, feeling the love flowing freely from his newborn soul. A new life on this planet, called Earth, had just begun, a miracle delivered from Steward’s mother, a gift the Creator had bestowed upon her. Steward’s eyes were open, as he suckled on his mother’s breasts, feeling safe and secure. Steward could not comprehend where he was. He had been taken from his mother’s womb and cast into this strange new world, a world he did not understand. Steward’s mother, Morning Dove, hugged her newborn tightly. Love coursed through this woman’s heart for the child she had conceived with her now deceased husband. After satisfying his hunger, Steward fell asleep, his head resting on his mother’s chest. Morning Dove joined her baby in slumber, exhausted from the ordeal of giving birth. The crackling of campfires burning, and the smell of meat cooking, woke Morning Dove from her comfortable sleep. Steward awakened with his mother, snuggling his tiny face deeper into her. Morning Dove’s sister, Beverly, entered the shelter, bringing food cooked on the campfire outside. Morning Dove, having had no nourishment since going into labour, graciously accepted what was offered to her. Bev admired her new nephew, thrilled he was healthy and bonding with his mother. The month’s passed quickly, with Steward growing rapidly. Morning Dove and her sister were kept busy making clothes for Steward as winter approached. Clothing constructed from animal hides and fur assured the survival of the child through the cold months of winter. Living in the forest, depending solely on nature for survival, was a hard life, but one Steward would learn to understand. Longhouses were built by these native people for shelter, shared by members of their clan. Fires kept burning day and night, protected these winter campers from freezing. During Steward’s first winter, he was cold most of the time. His mother, Morning Dove, kept him swathed in warm furs, ensuring he survived the extreme environment in which he lived. As the winter months passed into spring, the sun’s rays warmed the land, bringing a rebirth to the frozen wilderness. Morning Dove had met a man who was willing to marry her and raise her son as his own. Feeling the need for the security he offered, she accepted his proposal. Steward would have a stepfather, and eventually a sister, his mother would call Wendy. As Steward grew into a teenager, he would become protective of his sister, feeling responsible for her safety and well-being. Wendy would be close to Steward, listening to him as any younger sister would. Steward’s relationship with Wendy would become very important to both, after their parents’ deaths. As a youth, Steward’s new stepfather, Soaring Eagle, would teach him the ways of the land and animals which called the forest home. As a teenager, Steward would become an experienced hunter and dogsled musher, Soaring Eagle having bred dogs all of Steward’s life. The warm spring air dominated the nighttime, permeated by the smell of blooming flowers and new green growth. The campfires crackled in the dark night, throwing warm light into the surrounding forest. Steward slept soundly, his new dog cuddled against him tightly, a new friend his stepdad had given him, in a land where friends were few.