Thomas Berger, radical listener: Reflections from CBC's The Trailbreaker

This column is a First Person essay by Loren McGinnis, the host of CBC North's The Trailbreaker. For more information aboutCBC's First Person stories, please seethe FAQ.

"For the first time, the whole Dene family was talking to each other."

That's how Mountain Dene Elder and northern broadcasting icon Paul Andrew described the inquiry into the proposed Mackenzie Valley Gas Pipelinealso known by the name of its chair, The Berger Inquiry.

Thomas Berger died this week at the age of 88.

CBC North hasspent much of the last few days remembering the lawyer, judgeand champion of Indigenous land and treaty rights. The stories and ways that northerners are remembering Mr. Berger have created incredible meaning for me, a non-Indigenous radio host living and working in the Northwest Territories, in Denendeh.

As I have contemplated what I might learn from Berger's life and work, I keep being led back to listening.

I host a CBC North morning radio show. Part of my job is talking. But the important part is listening. Thomas Berger listened in a way that helped change northern history.

On the radio show, I found myself overwhelmed as we cut to the regional news at 7:30.

Paul Andrew had wrapped up his reflection on Berger by saying, "We had never been allowed to be Dene. There was always something wrong with us. Mr. Berger said, 'You're Dene, be proud of it, show us.'"

All I could say was a stunted"thanks," and pass the mic to the news reader.

When we came out of the news, we brought the current Deh Gh Got' First Nation Chief Joachim Bonnetrouge up on the air. He had messaged me and said he wanted to sing a traditional Dene River song to honour Mr. Berger. It was beautiful and moving. And it was a powerful gesture in a sea of similarly powerful stories and reflections.

Chief Bonnetrouge and Paul Andrew were two of 14 voices we heard on the show; 15 including the archival tape of Berger explaining how and why he listened as he did.

Even just the list of those who shared memories is a remarkable roster of (mostly) northern leaders: Frank T'seleie, Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Jim Antoine, Patrick Scott, Franois Paulette, Georges Erasmus, Marie Wilson, Nellie Cournoyea, Murray Sinclair, Peter Irniq, Lewis Rifkindand Vuntut Gwitchin Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm.

The most powerful moment of the week for me was not being on the radio, but listening to the radio.

Denesuline elder and longtime leader Franois Paulette spoke very graciously with a colleague of mine, Lawrence Nayally, a young Dene man and the host of our afternoon show, Trail's End.

Lawrence asked a single question and then listened while Franois spoke freely and shared stories that were both personal and historic. I was learning from the stories about what made Mr. Berger the right person to do what he did at that particular moment in the arc of northern and Dene political and cultural development.

At the end of Franois's storytelling, Lawrence said a quiet, powerful "thank you."

Franois had said he was motivated to share this history with young Dene now, so they can learn and lead.

And when Lawrence said "thank you" as he did, I believe Franois felt that he'd been heard. Dene talking to Dene. And I was grateful to be there to listen and be changed.

In a small but important way we have Thomas Berger, even in his passing, to thank for that.