By John Wirth, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News Métis carver Patrick Calihou. Whenever a complex project runs aground, he never looks for a modern shortcut. Instead, he asks: “What would great-grandpa and grandma do? Especially because without her, he wouldn’t have eaten that day.” Patrick notes how women in history have struggled to have their stories heard alongside the men and it’s important to sing their praise as well. Inside his Fraser Valley lower-floor woodshop, packed with custom hand tools and half-born projects, Calihou reflects on the self-reliance of his ancestors compared to modern dependency. ”Our ancestors were so rugged compared to us. We’ve become mush in that way, right? We’re so dependent for a lot of our survival skills,” Calihou notes. “You have to become ‘the app’,…
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