Native Canadians still practice their traditions

Native Canadians still practice their traditions

By Celia White

Native Canadians are still using traditional hunting practices they have used for generations.

Many hunters have said everyone hunts differently. It is more than just loading up gear and getting ready for the hunt. Native hunters believe there are many different values in traditional hunting and there is no wrong way to go about it.

Russ Blackbird, 48, and Jennifer Altiman, 59, practice some of those traditions.

“I don’t know if it really matters what you use to hunt but I think the big thing is remembering that we’re one small part of the creation and that we rely on everything else,” said Blackbird. One tradition Native Canadians use is the laying down of tobacco which is done to give thanks for the lives the hunters have taken. Blackbird said, “the laying down of tobacco is important because that was a gift for us to give respect for everything.”

Most hunters said they believe a lot of these values. Hunters also said they should give thanks for everything in their lives that creation has given them.

Jennifer Altiman has been involved in traditional hunts for nearly 10 years.

“Mine is a spiritual journey, that is what I would call it,” she said. “It was difficult for me when I first started and it still is to this day to take that life but (the hunt) is also about being thankful and honoring… them and thanking them for giving their lives so we can sustain our lives.”

Prayers in Native languages are often used when going on traditional hunts. Blackbird said some hunters believe that by speaking the Native languages they can be understood by the animals they killed.

“If I’m going fishing, where I launch my boat I’ll put some tobacco in the water,” said Blackbird. “I can speak to (the animals). Part of traditional hunting is to speak to them in the languages they recognize.”

When Native hunters sit down to eat what they have hunted they keep in mind that these traditional values have been used for almost 12,000 years and will continue to be used for many generations to come.