A Northwestern Ontario couple have proudly carried the flags of their First Nations to a place few Indigenous people from Canada have been before: base camp on the world’s highest mountain.
Travis and Marietta Duncan posted photos of themselves holding up the flags of Bearskin Lake and Muskrat Dam First Nations on Facebook earlier this week.
Reaching Everest Base Camp after a 15-day trek evoked “a feeling of self-accomplishment for both of us,” Travis, from Muskrat Dam, said in an interview Thursday from Lukla, Nepal.
“We also wanted to represent our communities in a positive way,” he added.
“It was also overwhelming too, because the scenery was so beautiful in the mountains,” said Marietta, who is from Bearskin Lake.
“It was just a positive, overwhelming feeling.”
They posted on Facebook that they are definitely the first people from Muskrat Dam and Bearskin Lake to reach Everest Base Camp, and “possibly” the first Indigenous folks from Canada to do so.
Someone pointed out, though, that a Constance Lake First Nation member had already completed the trek.
“We hope sharing this experience will encourage other Indigenous people to venture into the world and find their own path and seek adventure,” Travis wrote on Facebook.
“Special thanks to my amazing wife for coming on this crazy adventure with me,” he added.
The couple plans to fly back to Thunder Bay, where they reside, this week – though flooding in Nepal might delay their flight out.