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Average price of a beaver pelt
$15 US
Number of beaver trapped in Manitoba last year
18,000
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Lesson
Plans
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Talking with Trappers
The Cree people living in Central Manitoba
have been hunting and trapping for countless generations.
However, many of the young people growing up in remote northern
communities are not learning to hunt and trap. Most of the
trappers that I have encountered during the Boreal Forest
Project are now getting old and are not trapping as much as
they did when they were younger. Most young people seem too
attached to satellite TV, nice trucks, and electric heat to
venture out into the bush for long periods of time. It is
far easier to drive to the northern store to buy groceries
than it is to hunt, trap, and gather most of your food. As
a result many of the skills associated with living in the
bush are being lost.
| Today I had a nice visit with Sillis, the conservation
officer from Oxford House, about trapping in the area.
Sillis has a trap line of his own and he also monitors
all of the trap lines in the area as part of his job.
Sillis explained that very few trappers trap full time
anymore and that many of the trap lines that are far away
from town are not being used. Traditionally families would
travel to their winter hunting and trapping areas and
spend several months there. Then in the spring the family
would move to a summer camp, which usually consisted of
several family units living together in one place. Because
most people prefer to stay in town and not move to winter
camps, trapping is limited to areas closer to town. |
Click to enlarge
Sillis is full of knowledge about Oxford House
and the surrounding bush. We would like to thank him
for sharing his knowledge with us.
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I would not give up one minute of my time spent in the bush
this winter. I find that I am constantly learning new things
and can not imagine spending my time anyway besides traveling
by dogsled. Trapping has been an important part of Cree life
for a long time and I hope that the knowledge that the elders
have retained about hunting and trapping will continue to
be passed down to future generations.
Keep exploring!
Dave
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