Community mourns 'outstanding' artist and elder from Fort Good Hope

Family and the community of Fort Good Hope, N.W.T., are mourning a respected elder and artist.

Judy Lafferty was known as a master of traditional arts — particularly in traditional hide tanning and beadwork.

She was also know for being a knowledge keeper of her Dene culture and history. She died on Sunday in her sleep at home after a short battle with cancer. She was 68 years old.

Antoine Mountain — Lafferty's brother — joined CBC's The Trailbreaker by phone from Peterborough, Ont., on Tuesday morning. He said the community has already responded to the family's grief, in part by creating a fundraiser for funeral expenses.

"It's very difficult for the family itself to even want to do anything, you know, at this time. But it really takes care of a lot of things that we were trying to do for her," Mountain said.

'A real expert' in Dene culture

Mountain remembered when Lafferty was only six years old when she came up to him with a pair of moccasins.

"I told her we're not supposed to touch anything that doesn't belong to us so put them back where you found them. And she said, 'no I made these for you.' They were incredible from a six year old," he said.

"Anything to do with our Dene culture, she was a real expert at it right from the very start."

Mountain said he would often call her to discuss his work while working on his PhD.

[She] has taught me the skills for me to become a Gwich'in woman.- Tania Larsson, Jewelry designer

Mountain said Lafferty always kept busy during the day — one would rarely catch her sitting down.

A few summers ago when Mountain was visiting, he said he found her at the kitchen table having tea. He asked what she was up to and she told him she was working on moose hides

"I told her it's really hard on the back and really hard on the arms too and she says, 'it is, but that's if you're only working on one ... I'm working on six all at the same time," Mountain recalled with a chuckle.

"She was really ... outstanding."

Tania Larsson, a jewelry designer, had once received training from Lafferty and recently started a collaboration project with her. Larsson is creating Gwich'in jewelry — necklaces, cuff bracelets and earrings — with Lafferty's beading.

"I've known her as someone who has taught me the skills for me to become a Gwich'in woman. And so she's always been someone that I really looked up to," Larsson said last week, before Lafferty's death.

"I thought it'd be so special if she would allow me to make her beadwork into jewelry pieces that people could wear."

After a while of trying to convince Lafferty to do the project, she finally agreed, Larsson said. One day Larsson received a box of small beadwork pieces — bright floral beadwork in purples, pinks and blues. Some will be transformed into medallion necklaces, others into earrings.

Larsson said at the time all profits would go back to Lafferty.

In an Instagram post on Monday, Larsson wrote in part: "I loved her dearly and I let her know that whenever I could ... She will be very missed."

Marie Wilson, a former commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission knew Lafferty well — they are connected by family and Wilson also lived in Fort Good Hope for a couple of years.

Wilson said last week more needs to be done to make sure artists like Lafferty are recognized and paid fairly for their work.

"She is extraordinary in what she does. She should be extraordinarily compensated for the superlative quality of her effort," Wilson said.