Little did we know that when we got into his car, we were in for a treat. Wesley has lived in Berens River his whole life, and was a wealth of information about what it was like to grow up in a traditional Cree community and family.

For most of his life, Wesley survived with little outside assistance from cities or towns. For shoes he wore traditional moccasins, and ate only hunted game meat and fish from the river.

Wesley's father was a trapper who set his trapline about 15 miles upriver from the community. Each November, after the wild rice had been harvested and processed, the family would load up most of their possessions into their canoes and travel up river to where Wesley's father had a small trapper's cabin. Because trapping is best done in the winter months, the whole family stayed in the cabin until Christmas.

When Christmas time would come around, the family would have to pack up their possessions, the trapped furs and walk back to the village. At the time there were only a few families living in Berens River, and so returning to the village was a call for a big celebration. There was always plenty of moose meat for everyone.

Wesley told us about a way of life we had only read about in history books. He also told us about how things have changed over the years. Today, trappers can hardly make a living. Fishing is slower, and the prices are lower. Wild rice is no longer relied on by the community, and he wasn't sure if anyone else knew how to collect it, process, or even make food from it anymore.

The Cree culture is at a serious risk of losing its heritage. Because of modern conveniences, the traditional way of life is no longer necessary.

Wesley asked us the question about how we feel younger people of the community could get interested in learning the "old ways." We couldn't come up with many ideas. How do you think the Cree people of Berens River could preserve their heritage while still existing in the modern age?