Cultural camp at town's back door

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If you go into the woods, make sure Walter Quinn is with you.

Quinn, a long-time trapper, recently unveiled his new Aboriginal cultural camp located at Deeridge Estates, five kilometres southeast of Lac La Biche.

With sponsorship from Alberta Pacific Forest Industries, where Quinn is employed as a trapper co-ordinator, the culture camp offers up a traditional glimpse of Aboriginal culture and spirituality.

From authentic tipis to traditional feasts made over an open fire, the camp serves up a sampling of Aboriginal life to visitors from near and far.

"We've had people in for overnight stays, two or three days or a week. We had some people here from Korea a little while ago."

The camp, which opened about a year ago, is now in the final stages of completion and has something for everyone.

"It's for the public, all ages, to come and experience some of the traditional ways of life," said Quinn. "We want to show people that the environment offers something for everyone."

Although many of the traditional activities offered at the camp are not widely practiced anymore, Quinn hopes the camp will keep the culture alive in all races of people.

"We are trying to get the message to the people that we don't have to live like this anymore, with all the technologies we have, but we can still do it and enjoy it."

The things to enjoy include meals of smoked and dried meats, information on trapping and living off the land, and sweat lodges.

Currently, the camp features eight large teepees to accommodate a growing number of visitors. Over the next year, Quinn plans to set up at least four more teepees on the five-acre parcel of land within the rural subdivision.

Being just a few kilometres from the shores of Beaver Lake, activities also include nature hikes and lake tours.

"It's for corporate retreats or school visits with teachers. It's open for everyone," said Quinn.

A large component of the camp's programming revolves around the trapping industry, said Quinn, who works with the 450 trappers within Al-Pac's Forest Management Area. His work not only forges a partnership between industry and the trappers, it also provides the public with an insight in the trapping lifestyle.

"We can spend a day on the traplines around here because it's important for people to understand what trapping is all about."

Born in Imperial Mills, the Metis man has lived in the bush his entire life, so this venture is perfect for him.

"I've been a bushman all my life. It's something I can't leave. It is me," he said. "It's natural life. I want to show people that all the tools they pack into the bush are unnecessary. [Show] them how to use what's in front of them and know how to use what the environment offers us."