Youth to tell story of journey in documentary

Benjamin Masty said the community of Whapmagoostui First Nation was taken by surprise last Christmas Eve when then 17-year-old David Kawapit announced he and other youth would be walking to Ottawa.
“I think everyone was surprised and kind of skeptical. Like, really, all the way to Ottawa? Can you do it?” Masty, 29, said.
Masty, who is the community’s youth chief, said Kawapit spoke with Elders and the chief, Stanley George Sr., to talk about the journey.
“He wanted to go on the journey just like that,” Masty said. “So they stopped him, and said let’s figure out the logistics, see if the trails are safe.”
Since lakes and rivers were not completely frozen by Kawapit’s desired departure date of New Years Day, the journey was postponed to Jan. 16.
Then Kawapit, five other youth and their guide set off on the Journey of Nishiyuu.
Masty, who studied video and communications at Dawson College in Montreal, saw the need to document the journey.
“The journey is amazing, that’s the thought I had, that this needs to be filmed,” he said.
He captured footage of the walkers leaving the community and met up with them a week later.
“They were in good spirits and really pumped up,” Masty said.
Masty shot more footage of the walkers, though he encountered technical difficulties thanks to the elements.
“My camera froze up, and it was only 5-10 minutes. It was that cold,” he said with a laugh. “It was two hours before it worked again, I thought I broke it.”
Masty also took the opportunity to take photos of the walkers for promotional purposes. The photos would be widely circulated through social media and used on the Journey’s website.
Masty caught up with the walkers on the last day of the walk, when they were 18 kilometres from Ottawa.
“I was with them for two to three hours before they arrived at Victoria Island,” he said. “I was sweating and had blisters, because they walk pretty fast.”
Masty said he was “extremely happy” to see the walkers reach Parliament Hill, especially knowing the challenges each youth faced in their personal lives before the journey.
One of the walkers suffered the loss of his infant boy and carried a photo of him throughout the journey.
“He has dreams about him a lot,” Masty said. “He said, one of his dreams he was a grown man, and came to see him, and said I’m happy you’re doing this, I’m always going to be there in your journey.”
With the journey complete, Masty plans on conducting more interviews for a documentary he is producing of the walk. He hopes the film will be complete by the summer.
Masty said he sees Kawapit, who used to babysit Masty’s son, in different light now that the journey is over.
“My girlfriend was joking around, saying I’m gonna feel awkward asking him to babysit again,” Masty laughed.