Eating bear, making bannock, and other traditional northern activities...

This was a weekend of firsts for us up north.

We were invited to a traditional native feast to celebrate the "walking out" of three adorable Cree babies. Walking out Ceremonies happen every spring up here. They honour a baby's first steps, or the first official time their feet touch the earth. All the distant family members gather around to  watch as the little ones walk out of a teepee for the very first time. It's such a sweet concept.

And after that comes a grand feast...

A few of the older Cree women taught me how to make bannock. 

Once the dough is the right consistency, you wrap it around a long stick to roast over an open fire.

 It was such an experience sitting in that teepee... roasting bannock, listening to the elders tell stories, watching the younger Cree women cut up goose meat and roasting bear in big pots hung over the open flames.

Yes, that's right, we were going to be eating bear for dinner!

It was an amazing day, and we felt so lucky to be experiencing such a special cultural event.

It's weekends like this that make living so far away from home so very worthwhile.

I hope you had a lovely weekend too.