The ideas presented in this article are based on insights and understandings that have evolved while teaching in the Literacy and Basic Skills
program for the Moose Cree Education Authority in Moose Factory, Ontario. Moose Factory is located in the district of James Bay, and its nearest
neighbor is Moosonee, which is about three miles away. Moose Factory is
an island community approximately three miles by two miles and sits 18
feet above sea level, with a population of 2,500. These isolated communities are accessible by plane, train, boat, or snow machine depending
on the season. To get to Moose Factory from Moosonee, you need to board
a water taxi during the summer months. An ice road connects these two
communities during the winter months, while during freeze-up and
break-up community members use helicopters to travel back and forth.
Although means of travel are unique to the area, the purpose of the Moose
Factory literacy program is not unlike those in Southern communities.