聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Years ago First Nations lived fully dependent on the land. Sometimes a harsh land on the prairies, they learned to survive and found reprieve from the elements in places like the Moose Mountains.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 As a way to regain this knowledge a nine week program was held this summer for youth. They spent their time in the wilderness learning about the land in the form of survival as well as learning about cultural practices and legends told around the fire in the evening.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Upon arriving at the camp on Thursday, Aug. 6, the youth came to greet The Observer before showing and explaining a portion of what they learned. They took The Observer on a walk through a pathway with ancient signs and markers to help identify each section of trail called, 鈥淟and of the Little People.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e made some really great finds,鈥� Medwolf explained. 鈥淚'm lucky, I was raised by my grandparents, and I pass on the little bit I know to others. I know this much,鈥� he held up his fingers an inch apart, 鈥渇rom this much,鈥� he said holding his hands apart a few feet.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The little bit Medwolf knows includes 130 medicines as well as legends and ancient signage once used. Though these legends often differ amongst First Nations people many of them focus on the same teachings.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Medwolf teaches through way of doing, so the youth learned over the course of nine weeks by searching and identifying medicines, putting up teepees, creating ancient signage, and building work areas, as well as learning about legends. This is where the name of their educational pathway the youth built developed, 鈥淟and of the Little People.鈥�
Land of the Little People educational pathway created
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎ll tribes have little people,鈥� Medwolf explained. 鈥淣ot just First Nations, but other cultures, the Irish have famous ones. The little people are a tribe from the upworlds who were stranded here. When the light skinned people came the little people went into hiding and now they can only be seen by kids and holy people.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭hey gave us knowledge though, like how to take aspirin out of the willow, which rocks won't blow up in a fire, and the powerful vitamins in dog bones which were used in our casts to fuse broken bones. There are many stories of little people who taught us everything. Today they're still hiding, but if you make a playground, they'll come play, or a village, they'll come visit.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淟ocally they have a place here called Heart Hill which is famous for little people.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The pathway built includes a small village partway down the path which was used to teach the participants about setting up a village, because even done on a small scale it requires the same practices as on the larger.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 With only a few small four foot teepees set up in this Little People Village, there are plans to set up more to make it thirteen.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭hirteen, to our people, isn鈥檛 a bad number,鈥� Medwolf explained. 鈥淭hirteen is sacred to us. A perfect hawk鈥檚 tail has thirteen feathers.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The trail began with three rocks stacked, which is an ancient sign indicating that a trail begins. The first stop the youth spoke about included a survival technique of accumulating pure drinking water using a hole, rocks, and in this instance a plastic sheet. Condensation would accrue and pool in the middle.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 As one walked along the trail youth explained different scat and tracks found within the area from moose to elk. The youth explained each animal鈥檚 tendencies and were able to tell if the moose was a cow or bull simply by the shape of the scat.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 They also pointed out a variety of medicines and food, which grows naturally in the Moose Mountains. Some even plucked berries as they walked along, eating them because they knew what they were and could eat them without fear of becoming ill.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In addition to pointing out the various items, the youth also explained what each natural medicine was used for by ancestors showcasing their expanded knowledge from the nine week program.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 River willow was used in a tea for aches and pains in the body. The birch tree leaves were used in a tea to shrink kidney stones, while fungus on birch trees was used for a more powerful tea for kidney stones, pain, headaches, and fevers. Chokecherries were gathered and used in pemican, while chokecherry tea was used at feasts and gatherings; wild honey would be added to chokecherries to make a thick cough syrup as well.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Wild rose berries were used in stews due to high vitamin C content and the roots were pounded into powder to create tea to fight scurvy. The powder was also used on open wounds to stop bleeding, while the petals were used to improve evening vision.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Raspberry leaves were made into tea for pregnant women to make childbirth easier, while it could also help with stomach cramps.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 These were simply a few of the medicines they learned about.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The most important medicines for prayer are sage, cedar, sweet grass, and tobacco as these create a powerful smudge to help cleanse ones soul, bring in good spirits, keep out bad spirits, and help take prayers to the other side much like an arrow.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 One of the youth added humour in explaining sacred tobacco which is 鈥渁 way to show respect. We take medicines from Mother Earth and return the tobacco as an offering, because Earth doesn't accept credit cards.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Throughout the trail there were also sites set up with a deadfall trap, ancient signs indicating which way to turn, a flour making station, a clay pot station, an animal hide drying area, the small village, and at the end of the path an ancient sign telling others not to drink the water.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 One of the participants spoke about the importance of dogs, which were used as pack animals before horses were brought to North America. Additionally the young boy explained that the first casts for broken bones were developed by First Nations who would use dog bones, from those that had died, mixed with clay to create the cast.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Nine important rules were also learned about what to do if they become lost including staying in one place and not wandering, wearing bright clothing, if unsure about drinking water to drink the morning dew off of vegetation, if amongst a group to stick together, to find a cozy area but not a hiding spot, to not sleep on the ground but to make a bed as the ground is cold, keep clothes dry and wear as many as you can to stay warm, don't eat anything you're unsure about, and to make yourself as big as possible to be seen from a helicopter/search party.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 An additional survival technique they also knew was that leaves can be stuffed into clothing to be used as insulation although a resounding answer when asked if it mattered what kind of leaves was simply laughter as the youth stated, 鈥淣ot stinging nettle [poison ivy].鈥�
An important plant on the prairies
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 One of the most significant items for survival on the prairies were actually cattails.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淐attails were very important to our people,鈥� one of the participating youth explained. 鈥淐attail root was ground into flour to make pancakes, biscuits, and bread. The roots could be put in fire and baked, and they tasted like baked potatoes. The stem could be dried and boiled, rolled in salt and butter, and that tasted like corn on the cob.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淗unters also used them as duck decoys and they were used to make baskets for picking berries. For children, you could use the cattails to make small dolls.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he cattail fluff was used in the deadfall trap. You would tuck it under and around the trap, so it wouldn't freeze to the ground. It was most important to our people.鈥�
Teepees
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The youth were also given the opportunity to learn how to set up teepees.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淥ne of the main things about teepees was that they were owned by women, they put them up; if a man and woman got into a fight the man would have to leave because it was the woman's property,鈥� a participant explained. 鈥淭hese are larger than what they would have been, they used to only be 10 to 12 feet at most. The outsides were made out of buffalo hides, these were tough women, because even the canvas is heavy by itself.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t's said that they could withstand tornadoes because they were built to be one with the ground. They all face east because wind rarely comes from that direction here. On the prairies at the base of the teepee rocks were used to keep the hides in place, which is why there are teepee rings found in the prairies, the rocks were left behind because they were too heavy to carry and more could be found where they moved to. People who lived near the trees could use wooden pegs.鈥�
A legend learned
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In addition to these practices, youth also learned many legends including how fire was obtained. Coyote saw a woman burying her family, including her baby, after they froze in the night. Coyote knew where to get fire and made a plan to steal fire from the Fire Demons who guarded it. Coyote watched the cycle of guards and found help from a squirrel with a straight tail, a chipmunk with no colour, a frog with a long tail, and the woods.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Coyote stole the fire and ran while the Fire Demons chased him. As they caught up to him, Coyote tossed the fire to the squirrel who ran. The Fire Demons caught up to the squirrel and as they reached out, the squirrel tossed the fire away but not before the squirrel's tail curled up from the heat off the Fire Demons.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The chipmunk caught the fire from the squirrel and ran as fast as he could. The Fire Demon caught up and as the chipmunk tossed the fire to the frog a Fire Demon clawed the chipmunks back which is why four white lines are now seen on them.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 As the frog hopped away from the pursuing Fire Demons, they grabbed him by the tail which is why they no longer have one, and as the frog was caught he tossed the fire to the woods. The woods wouldn't give up the fire despite promises from the Fire Demons.
A successful program
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The program led by Medwolf was brought in by the White Bear First Nation through the cooperation of the National Child Benefit Reinvestment program (NCBR), the Lands Department, Health Department, as well as Sports and Recreation.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎 huge thank you too NCBR, Lands Department, Health and Sports Culture and Rec, also to the 2014/15 Chief and Council and a special thanks to the survival instructor for all the knowledge shared and traditions passed on to us all,鈥� Councilor Tanya Littlechief with Sports and Rec stated. 鈥淭ogether we made sure this happened and I couldn't have done it without all of their help and the support of the volunteers.鈥�
