By Bryan Eneas

Traditional trapping and furs featured at the James Smith Cree Nation winter festival

Feb 22, 2017 | 12:37 PM

The preservation of traditional knowledge and the old ways of life were on display in the James Smith Cree Nation during its annual winter festivities.

On Feb. 21 at the Bernard Constant Community School, youth had an opportunity to learn a bit more about ancestral traditions before modern advancements.

Garth Sanderson and his wife Jamie, along with Richard Moostoos were present to share their knowledge about trapping. The trio has many years of experience on the trap lines.

“We do this for exercise and for demonstration; we don’t make a lot of money on it,” Garth said. “Still, the kids gotta know where they come from, their heritage and that the old people long ago did this to stay alive.”

Moostoos maintains a trap line near Hudson Bay. He learned to trap along with his grandfather Solomon Head and Gilbert Twist. He said his cabin’s roof has caved in and the door has rotted, rendering it ineffectual, but he still traps his traditional line.

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Many of the modern day Indigenous trappers are still using grounds they inherited from their families; these are the lands they are most familiar with.

Sanderson maintains a trap line near the Fort a la Corne provincial forest. He participated in last year’s winter festival, but scrambled to bring animals to the table to demonstrate his preparation methods.

This year, he held on to two martens and three muskrats to demonstrate his skill for the Cree Nation’s youth.

“We knew we were going to do a demonstration, so that’s why we held them,” Garth said. “Usually the next day after we trap them we get them on a board and dry them up.”

The demonstration showed students the fur prep process where incisions are made along the rear legs of the animal. The fur is then separated using a combination of force and precise lacerations.

Youth crowded around the table the trio set up, watching in fascination as the furs were prepared before their eyes. Some held their nose as an almost musty smell rose from the carcass.

The fur is then trimmed of any fats which would rot during the drying and storage process, lowering the quality of the fur and reducing its end price. Once fat is removed, the fur is stretched inside out for a few hours to allow the skin to dry. It is then reversed so the fur is exposed, where it will sit until it’s ready for sale.

Depending on the animal, the process can take anywhere between 20 minutes to an hour according to Moostoos and Garth.

Both help the youth to learn the ways of trapping beyond just demonstrations, particularly when it comes to the business side of the practice.

“For these [animals] here, we were trapping with some young boys from the school here,” Sanderson said. “We’re going to take [these to] P.A. and sell them to the local fur buyer there and give them the proceeds for incentive to carry on next year.”

The Bernard Constant Community School’s gymnasium was filled with many other traditional activities.

Dreamcatchers were woven next to the trapping table and traditional medicines were on display for those wanting to learn more about Indigenous medicines.

Youth had the opportunity to learn how to make drums and ribbon skirts in a separate classroom.

A competition was held to see who could snare the most rabbits in a set time frame. A king and queen trapper event was hosted, putting community members’ trap line skills to the test.

Challenges were designed to test strength and speed in events like a log toss, or a nail pounding and also their precision as they used saws to remove branches from logs efficiently.

The community wrapped up the cultural events day with a feast and round dance.

The festival carries on until Feb. 24 in the James Smith Cree Nation.

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Bryan Eneas