Little Bits of Cree Culture

I thought I'd share a few pictures of what traditional Cree culture is like. Many traditional activities have  been lost, but there are great efforts in bringing them back. 

 There have been a few festivals going on this summer and it was so interesting to see these little glimpses of Cree ways of life...

Like what really goes on inside a teepee.... 

Cooking!

All the women sit around preparing the animals, chatting away while roasting the meat and fish for dinner. 

The floor of the teepee is covered in fresh cedar boughs, so not only is it comfy but it smells incredible too.

We tasted fried bannock with wild blueberry jam... which is pretty much the Cree equivalent to a doughnut. It was delicious!

The elder men sat in a circle carving traditional wooden crafts. The husband bought me a little canoe that I fell in love with.

We saw a little more wildlife... a gigantic porcupine. Aren't his little padded feet adorable?!

Hunting is definitely a huge part of the culture up here... a part that has in no way been lost. There was a little target shooting competition at one of the festivals and I was told that I should learn to shoot a rifle. Although I have no intention of taking up hunting, I must admit it was pretty fun! My arm hurt for 3 days afterwards.

And lots and lots of singing and dancing....

Well that's it for now. We've been up here for a little over a month now and next week we have our first vacation (we get a lot of vacation for working in such a remote area).... and we're heading back to Montreal. I absolutely cannot wait! I do love it up here, but Montreal will always have my heart.