With COVID-19 pandemic precautions shutting down schools and depriving many people of their regular social activities, technology plays an important role in keeping people connected while observing social distancing guidelines.
Among the many people in Thompson using communications tools to keep in touch while staying home as much as possible are a school librarian and a well-known Northern Manitoba puppeteer.
Kathy Pitre, the librarian at École communautaire la Voie du Nord, began reading broadcasting videos of herself reading French books and stories on the school’s Facebook page when school was suspended throughout Manitoba in late March, shortly after the first positive test for the novel coronavirus in the province.
“I wanted to make sure kids get to listen to a story in French every day,” she said of her 10:30 a.m. weekday ritual. “I’m super happy to get the chance to go to work every day. It’s something easy I can do.”
For Ken Bighetty, who works with the Jordan’s Principle team at Keewatin Tribal Council in Thompson, posting humorous puppet videos on YouTube or Facebook has been a regular pastime of his, along with his three brothers, since long before the pandemic, though he thinks the humour is especially needed now.
“The kids feed off the humour,” says Bighetty. “If the parents are laughing then the kids feed off that.”
He’s also heard from elders that laughing helped them survive previous hard times.
“It was humour that got them through,” he said, which is why he offers offbeat social distancing advice like eating half a can of beans before going grocery shopping so you can just fart to help keep people six feet away from you.
One of his most popular recent videos was of his puppet Chief coming out of the bush and stumbling upon a COVID-19 checkstop in Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation.
“My puppet had his snowshoes and his trappers hat,” says Bighetty. “It was all ad-libbed. It’s just been going crazy.”
The video has been shared more than 1,000 times on Facebook.
In addition to laughs, Bighetty also provides social distancing advice.
“I always say stay home and do your part,” he says.
For Pitre, reading stories to a camera isn’t difficult but the introduction can be.
“It’s kind of hard just to speak,” she says, while waiting for students to log on.
While there aren’t always a lot of people watching live - “sometimes I have like 15 kids listening” - Pitre’s videos stay up on the Facebook page and some have been viewed more than 500 times.
“Kids can listen to the story more than one time,” she says, and that can help them keep up their French language skills.
Though their videos are different, Pitre and Bighetty both get their children to help out with their online escapades.
“My son doesn’t listen to my stories” during the live broadcast, Pitre says, but he does serve as a rehearsal audience. “I read the story to him the night before.”
“My daughter also got involved,” says Bighetty, though he also provides her with more hands-on entertainment by carrying her around on his back. “At least twice a day, I’m a horse,” he says.
