Remembering Fort Good Hope elder Therese Pierrot, storyteller and sewer

The Northwest Territories has lost another respected elder — Therese Pierrot, a master storyteller and seamstress in Fort Good Hope, has died.

Therese died Jan. 5, after spending the Christmas holidays with her family. She was 85 years old.

She often told her stories about life in the Sahtu on CBC's Northwind radio program. A few years ago she told a story about her Singer sewing machine after she decided to return it to the original owner's family — 70 years after receiving it as a gift.

Her son Ron Pierrot remembered her love of sewing, even though an accident left her with only one eye for most of her life.

"Over the years, I'd never seen mom complain about her eye," he said. "She went through life with one eye and did some wonderful sewing. She worked hard."

Therese and her family spent most of their time out on the land, even spending Christmas out in the bush, said Ron. That meant sharing stories and legends was their only form of entertainment as the family settled down for the evening.

"She just loved talking, she just loved taking the time to pass on her knowledge, what was taught to her by her elders, her mother and her father," he said. "That's what I remember about mom."

As the Pierrot family grew to include Therese's grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the whole family recognized how she helped them stay connected to the land and to each other.

That's made her passing difficult, but Ron knows she's left a special mark on the world.

"No matter how old your parents are, it's always hard to let them go," Ron said. "But I think she'll always be dearly in my heart."

Take a listen to the radio feature on Therese Pierrot's sewing machine: