Diamond Capital of North America

Polar Diamond-Yellowknife Visitor Center

Yellowknife bills itself  these days as "the Diamond Capital of North America".  This is a relatively new designation for a still relatively young town.  Here is what the official site says about this very out of the ordinary place:

Official Site for City of Yellowknife


If you get a chance, I encourage you to download and take a peek at the 'Blue Book" of the same name, available from the home page above. It's got some stunning images and intriguing text all available free on line.

Another thought-provoking 'take' on recent developments in this old-time mining region (past gold, now diamonds), is the 2003 book I just finished this week by Alaskan Ellen Bielawski. It is called Rogue Diamonds:  The Rush for Northern Riches on Dene Land,  and is now available in paperback.  Dr. Bielawski was involved in the initial negotiations with the government and mining companies on behalf of some of the Dene communities.  Hers is a unique and valuable perspective on this complex yet oh-so-familiar, multi-cultural and socio-economic dance.  I recommend it.

 Rogue Diamonds (2003)


Here is one contemporary review of the  hard cover book from Amazon that gives a pretty good hint of what to expect:

This review is from: Rogue Diamonds: The Rush for Northern Riches on Dene Land (Hardcover)

I loved this book! Its subtitle, "The Rush for Northern Riches on Dene Land" gave me the expectation this was primarily a book about exploitation of land and people. I thought I would learn about mining, its harmfulness to the environment, and greed-motivated manipulation of the Dene. Well, I did learn about these things. But I also learned much more.Bielawski writes with the heart of a poet and eye of an anthropologist. The reader gets to know well the key players in this negotiation process. As a result, I became intrigued by certain people -- their aspirations, traditions and everyday lives became important to me. It's hard not to get attached when descriptions are as apt as this one:
"Avi is a mensch, warm and fast-talking. He leans into each discussion, sleeves rolled up, collar open, as if his exuberance and determination alone will take us to agreement. Ideas bubble out of him. Often they have little immediate bearing on the clause we are discussing. The way Avi works, that doesn't matter. One never knows where solutions will come from." (page 102)
I also learned a lot about Canada's Arctic. Bielawski's vivid descriptions of the geography triggered colorful and detailed images in my mind's eye. For example,
"We walk on old land, geologically the oldest on the planet. The bush seems endlessly wild, untouched by the surficial forces of modern life. Our feet cling to rock outcrops that are scored with the tracks of glaciers. The rock is rose-pink in colour, its pastel faces mottled with lichen and moss in every shade of green, grey, black and white. In its clefts and crevices, Labrador tea, blueberries and cranberries, even spruce find a foothold. To the impatient eye, the rock holds no trace of our passing. But if you look carefully, you see the worn patches. People have walked this way for centuries, if not millennia." (page 14)
Parts of the book read like a personal journal, with Bielawski's experiences and feelings giving the story a liveliness and warmth. These sections were my personal favorites.
"I've brought nothing in my pack except a few dry cookies, almonds and chocolate. These I put on the table with the freshly cooked meat, fish and bannock. The women look at my skimpy offerings as if I am daft or a child." (page 95)
Of course, the main focus of the book is the process of negotiation that takes place between those who want the diamonds mined and those who do not. It is a captivating and poignant story that kept me reading when I should have been doing other things. I highly recommend this book. Read it yourself and then share it with your friends. If you are like me, you will never look at diamonds the same way again.