Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Page 22
Page 23
Page 24
Tuesday June 23 2015 13 se of self at culture camp Mike and his brothers hold a bounty of tra- ditional knowledge from the area allowing them to lead most of the core activities and because Gordon has extensive experience as an educator including with curriculum devel- opment she helped create the structure of the camp so it would be interesting participatory and age appropriate for the kids. The students are broken up into groups that include a range of ages in order to create a supportive and inspirational learning expe- rience for some of the littler ones who get to look up to and be assisted by their older peers. Gordon herself facilitates the storytelling activity where she passes around props like muskrat fur and drums to get the youth to share their own thoughts feelings and tales. We all have stories right I tell them the importance of that its not just an older person who has a story. We all have stories they all have stories and its important that we share that she said. To allow them to share in our oral tradition by practicing it I think is the best method of teaching. Apart from the culture camps Beaver and Gordon also provide cultural orientation train- ing for teachers and principals and organize much of the annual Aboriginal Day celebra- tions in Fort Smith on June 21. Gordon said the excitement of the camps even lters into the greater community. When we started this there was hardly any- one coming for lunch. Then we started telling people were cooking beaver and duck and sh over there and their eyes get big because its so hard to get our types of food if youre not from some of the bigger families that have harvests. So we usually have people that come in and out during the day or they come during lunch to eat some of our traditional food Gordon said. Wejustshare.Thatspartofourbelief isthatif yousharethenMotherNatureprovidesforyou. How to cook a beaver tail By MEAGAN WOHLBERG The tail of a beaver is so rich and buttery when it is cooked its almost easy to forget that its meat. But the delicacy has been an important source of protein as well as fat for indigenous people in the North for centuries. Henry Beaver of Fort Smith spent last week teaching youth about the parts of the beaver and their various uses during a culture camp for elementary school students. Apart from the luxurious warm pelt that beaversprovide forhatsandmittsinthe North he said beavers are a popular traditional food source and the tail is the most coveted piece of the animal. The Journal asked him whats the best way to go about cooking a beaver tail. He gave us a basic run-down of preparing the dish. 1. After cutting the tail off take a stick - pref- erably a green willow - and insert it where the tail was once attached to the body. 2. Hold the tail at over an open re rotating it until the outer black skin bubbles and dries and can be peeled off easily. The tail will curve from the heat as it cooks. 3. Peel the charred skin off like you would a baked potato revealing the white greasy esh underneath. 4.Boil the tail over the re in a pot of water for an hour or more or until the esh is tender and easy to cut. 5. Enjoy with salt and pepper or a little ketchup or mustard. The tail should cut easily and be easy to chew. Beaver said the tail can also be roasted on a stick over a re. In that case instead of re- moving the outer skin keep the dark skin on while the esh underneath cooks. Check by removing a bit of the skin to tell when the meat is cooked through. All other parts of the beaver can also be eaten. Some like to throw the liver right on a re and cook it that way. The animal is typi- cally cut into pieces and boiled over the re or stove. If it is small enough it can be roasted right in the oven even stuffed like a turkey. Cooked slowly and with enough moisture beaver meat should be tender and easy to pull apart with a fork. Beaver meat is dark meat resembling rabbit and has a mild taste that can be easily enhanced with a bit of salt. Beaver meat is an excellent source of iron protein and vitamin B and the livers are high sources of vitamin A as well. Not only is beaver delicious and afford- able but it keeps people connected to the land while trapping which is also a good way to keep t. So next time you have the chance to have a taste of Canadas national animal make sure to give it a try udents from JBT School how to singe a plucked duck over the re. Student Ethan Laing learns the art of wood cutting from Fred Beaulieu. The trick Pull dont push Henry Beaver shows Olivia Cox Josh Chabun and Aiden Alexis how to prepare a beaver tail for roasting over the re using a stick. Elder Maggie Sikyea was busy all week teaching little ones how to make bannock which the students roasted by stick over the re and smothered with syrup and butter. ne Gordon takes a break with pee where she spent the week ircles with the youth. PhotosMeaganWohlberg