A handmade sled, caribou skin parka and more return to Fort McPherson 50 years after they were made

Fifty years after they were lovingly crafted, worn and then brought south, a collection of items handmade in Fort McPherson have come back home.

A child's outfit made of rabbit skin with a beaded belt, a large dog sled, beaded mitts, a moose skin purse and a caribou skin parka and boots, among other items, are all back in the place they were created.

Protected by glass cases, the items are now on display at Chief Julius School as part of an exhibit called "Fifty Years Ago," presented by the Gwich'in Tribal Council.

The items belonged to John and Judy Osborne, who lived in the community and had them made in the 1970s.

It was five decades ago when the Osbornes stepped off the plane in Fort McPherson into the –54 C winter with their two children.

Chief Johnny Charlie and his wife, Jane, are pictured in this undated photo. Johnny crafted a dog sled for the Osborne family that's now featured in an exhibit in Fort McPherson. (Submitted by William Charlie )

John had just been offered a job as a social worker in the community, so he and Judy "ran out, got married ... packed up our kids and away we came North," he said.

Students and staff at Chief Julius School welcomed the Osborne family to their school as they returned the items earlier this month.

A father's sled brings back memories for his son 

The dog sled, made for John and his dog team by the late Chief Johnny Charlie, brought back memories for his son, William Charlie, when he saw the sled returned to his home community.

"I kind of felt sad about it ... not sad but, thinking of him," William said.

"He taught me a lot, not just about making toboggans or driving his dogs, but he taught me about hunting, trapping, fishing. He taught me how to make some bolts, dog whips, just other things from living off the land," he said.

"He taught me everything about the land."

A caribou skin parka on display at Chief Julius School in Fort McPherson. (Submitted by Tena Blake )

William, who also crafts sleds after many years of watching his father, hopes to one day add a sled he made to the display.

"It would be good to put it beside my dad's sled at the school … so people can see my [work] beside my [dad's]."

Seeing the items returned to the school, which younger generations of the Charlie family attend, was special, he said.

"It was very emotional but I also felt really proud," William said. "I have a lot of nieces and nephews at the school. I'm so glad they could see their grandfather."

William said he also met the Osbornes, after they returned the sled.

"They were just constantly mentioning his name … I was just so glad to meet them. The way they talk about my dad, I was so glad."

Tena Blake, a support assistant at the school who spearheaded the initiative to put the items on display, said students worked to create display cards for all the items that explain the history of each one.

The dog sled made by Chief Johnny Charlie in the 1970s for John Osborne and his dog team, now on display and Chief Julius School in Fort McPherson. (Submitted by Tena Blake )

"I think it's going to be a really good gathering point," Blake said.

"It's sparked some conversations about other people maybe returning some of these things back to the people and the places where they were made from."

'These items belong to the people of Fort McPherson'

Back in the 1970s, Judy Osborne became friends with many of the women who lived in Fort McPherson, who taught her beading and how to sew with leather.

"Everything I learned, I learned from them," Judy said.

A description written by Grade 6 student Kenzey Charlie of the rabbit skin outfit previously owned by the Osbornes and returned to Fort McPherson. (Submitted by Tena Blake )

But they weren't skills she learned right away.

"You know, it takes time. You can't just run in there and say, 'Hi I'm here, I'd like to learn your skills.'"

The family now lives in Kingston, where they also brought their dog team. After Fort McPherson, they lived in Inuvik and Yellowknife.

"Coming down a lake with nine dogs pulling a sled, it caught a lot of attention in Kingston," John said.

One of the parkas he had made in the N.W.T. was so warm, "you could be 50 below in a snow bank in the Mackenzie Delta and still be warm."

John said his family had the items for years, and stored them away to keep them safe. Now, he's glad to see them back in Fort McPherson.

"We thought, that's it — these items belong to the people of Fort McPherson," he said.

"It just felt beautiful. It feels great. It's where they should be. It's comforting to know they're where they should be," Judy added.