Wadjiya and Salut everyone. I`ve given in and started a blog because it seems easier to communicate with everyone without e-mailing all the time.Well we just got back from 9 days in the bush south of Radisson. We spent our time with a burly Québecois named Sylvain and his five native employees. He is trying to start a small tourism operation on the camp which is on the Cox family trapline. His plan is basically to have a facility in which people can come and stay in traditional lodging and participate in Cree culture
activities and learning. The camp consists of some small run-down buildings which were former Hydro Québec lodgings.
Not far from these buildings are two Mitigans which are in the process of being finnished. A Mitigan is a traditional Cree winter camp lodging. There are two types which are being built. One is like a small log cabin with canvas and tarps for a roof. The logs on this are cocked with moss on the outside and felt and canvas on the inside. The other is a similar low-lying shape but built of a vertical split log frame covered with moss both on the sides and roof. Each has a stove (half a 40 gallon oil drum and a stovepipe) and will be covered with spruce boughs. We stayed in the first Mitigan for four nights. That's four nights of waking up cold and having to start the fire again which was hard because all the wood was wet.
I spent alot of time just walking in the bush following wolf tracks and watching the magpies. I walked alot at night because the moon was full and with the fresh snow and humidity it was like an erie daylight that was extremely beatiful. There was a pack of wolves nearby. I found were all the tracks converged and then a space were alot of wolves were tramping around and pissing. Almost every night we would hear the wolves howling. Along with the howling was the barking of an old husky names Grisoo. This particular dog has had some bad experiences with wolves and so it hates and fears them greatly.
During the day we worked with the five native employees. Chris is the oldest and most knowledgable. He is the son of Samuel, the Talleyman for the Cox land. Charleton and George are both Cree and about my age. Davy D is an Inuit boy but he speeks Cree and English and understands some French. Tracy is a woman from Churchill Manitoba area but she has been living here for about 15 years. All of them live in nearby camps. We visited Charleton's mother's camp after checking the traps and snares with her.
Not far from these buildings are two Mitigans which are in the process of being finnished. A Mitigan is a traditional Cree winter camp lodging. There are two types which are being built. One is like a small log cabin with canvas and tarps for a roof. The logs on this are cocked with moss on the outside and felt and canvas on the inside. The other is a similar low-lying shape but built of a vertical split log frame covered with moss both on the sides and roof. Each has a stove (half a 40 gallon oil drum and a stovepipe) and will be covered with spruce boughs. We stayed in the first Mitigan for four nights. That's four nights of waking up cold and having to start the fire again which was hard because all the wood was wet.
I spent alot of time just walking in the bush following wolf tracks and watching the magpies. I walked alot at night because the moon was full and with the fresh snow and humidity it was like an erie daylight that was extremely beatiful. There was a pack of wolves nearby. I found were all the tracks converged and then a space were alot of wolves were tramping around and pissing. Almost every night we would hear the wolves howling. Along with the howling was the barking of an old husky names Grisoo. This particular dog has had some bad experiences with wolves and so it hates and fears them greatly.
During the day we worked with the five native employees. Chris is the oldest and most knowledgable. He is the son of Samuel, the Talleyman for the Cox land. Charleton and George are both Cree and about my age. Davy D is an Inuit boy but he speeks Cree and English and understands some French. Tracy is a woman from Churchill Manitoba area but she has been living here for about 15 years. All of them live in nearby camps. We visited Charleton's mother's camp after checking the traps and snares with her.
(this is a picture of Charles Garret and I watching the fire after our hardy meal of rabbit, goose, moose, partridge, and bannick a few weeks ago)
To check the snares we drove around in a slick new suburban. There were two rifles on Annie's knee and two more beside me, a forgotten squirel under the seat and stories in the air. We drove past the LG2 resevoir and Annie told us about La Grande being frozen in September but it is now November and the first wet snowfall is slushing down over the misty water. "We all feel the changing climate," she said, "It's just so different now."
After collecting a snared rabbit and a partridge shot with a .22 out the window of the suburban we headed back to Annie's camp for some tea and bannick. The rafters of her small one-room shack were hanging with stretched skins (fox, wolf, martin, beaver, etc.). The Cree that live in the bush are proud and happy to, and it seems as though those who live in town have an ongoing lust to get outside and hunt. Western culture and gangster rap may have oozed its way in here but it doesn't drown out some traditional mentalities.
Well now I realize there is alot to say but not a whole lot of time. I'll say that this week changed my perspective of the area and people quite a bit and I learned alot. Part of the change was due to many talks with Sylvain about Radisson and Hydro Quebec as well as listening to Gilbert speak about his fight to win as an independant in the upcoming Quebec elections. I wish him the best of luck, and it would be nice to see the native population take an interest and vote so a representative for most of Quebec will not be elected by a mere 40% of the population.
Anyhow, I will say goodby and good luck to you all. My condolances to all who have lost their friend, John Kimpel, this past week. He will always keep my memories of Paisley that much more pleasant and colourful.
After collecting a snared rabbit and a partridge shot with a .22 out the window of the suburban we headed back to Annie's camp for some tea and bannick. The rafters of her small one-room shack were hanging with stretched skins (fox, wolf, martin, beaver, etc.). The Cree that live in the bush are proud and happy to, and it seems as though those who live in town have an ongoing lust to get outside and hunt. Western culture and gangster rap may have oozed its way in here but it doesn't drown out some traditional mentalities.
Well now I realize there is alot to say but not a whole lot of time. I'll say that this week changed my perspective of the area and people quite a bit and I learned alot. Part of the change was due to many talks with Sylvain about Radisson and Hydro Quebec as well as listening to Gilbert speak about his fight to win as an independant in the upcoming Quebec elections. I wish him the best of luck, and it would be nice to see the native population take an interest and vote so a representative for most of Quebec will not be elected by a mere 40% of the population.
Anyhow, I will say goodby and good luck to you all. My condolances to all who have lost their friend, John Kimpel, this past week. He will always keep my memories of Paisley that much more pleasant and colourful.
(sunset near Chisasibi- sorry no photos yet of our time in the bush camp, they`re coming soon)
3 comments:
Sounds awsome! I must admit that I'm jelous. Life in the Bruce is... life in the Bruce, haha. Keep the stories comming and pictures!
Lizz McGrizz
wow! quite the adventures...wish i was there with you!
hey man, im so jealous that looks like a once and a lifetime expereince. peace man
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