Treaty people hunting to care for less fortunate

Donations of elk by First Nations hunters to food banks and shelters in northern Saskatchewan harken back to the days when young men hunted and provided meat for all band members.

“This is the way I was taught, ever since I killed my first animal when I was nine years old,” said Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Vice-Chief Bobby Cameron. “Take a little piece for yourself, but give the rest out.”

Cameron helped organize men and women in 13 First Nations in Saskatchewan, who hunted animals in northern Saskatchewan and southern Alberta. The hunters shared the meat on their respective First Nations, as well as to the charitable organizations.

Cameron, who is a member of the Witchekan Lake First Nation, shared the elk he hunted on a broader scale.

“I represent all 74 First Nations so my contribution was to the people of Saskatchewan,” he said. “That was our intention. Let’s implement our treaty right to hunt, take as many animals as we can and let’s go back home and treat our people.”

Twenty elk totalling more than 3,000 pounds were distributed in December and January to First Nations members at a homeless shelter in North Battleford, a women’s shelter in Yorkton, and three food banks in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

“This was a natural thing to do, to help our First Nations people in the cities because a lot of them do go hungry every day so what little we can provide certainly is a good feeling,” said Cameron.

Wes Clark, co-manager of the Prince Albert Food Bank, says he was grateful for the donation from the FSIN and the Prince Albert Grand Council as meat is always difficult to get.

“It’s always very costly for a food bank to get meat processed,” he said.

PAFB received seven boxes filled with elk meat, butchered by a licensed butcher as per regulations. The cost for processing was covered by the FSIN.

As the meat was hunted by First Nations members, it could only be included in food hampers that went to Treaty card holders. Clark said more than 80 per cent of PAFB’s hampers go to Aboriginal clientele, with 70 per cent of those Treaty card holders.

“The meat was gone in a few days,” he said.

PAFB serves on average 2,500 people per month. That number has doubled in the past few years, said Clarke, as people continue to come to Prince Albert, which serves as the northern gateway.

“Things are getting a lot worse and not better,” he said, “and there are many, many contributing factors to that.”

The northern city has limited economic opportunities. With the penitentiary as its main employer, Prince Albert offers mostly government-employment, small retail jobs and a lack of stable oilfield work.

That combined with the rising cost of groceries and high cost of rent mean an inability to put food on the table. Affordable housing is strong in the city, and “although there is always room for more social housing,” Clark said the majority of food hamper recipients live in private accommodations.

“It’s really important and we’re so thankful when we see people like the Prince Albert Grand Council and FSIN, Treaty (people) standing up for their urban people,” said Clark.

Cameron said meat donations will become an annual event for First Nations hunters.

“This is a message to the government that our treaty rights are still there, still alive and still strong and we’ll continue implementing them that way, we’ll continue providing for the less fortunate who are unable to go and hunt for themselves, the way it’s been done for thousands of years Ö before treaty signing,” he said.

Cameron doesn’t believe a donation like this – meat to those living off-reserve – has been done elsewhere in Canada.

“This is a way our treaty people benefit off of our treaty hunting rights,” he said. “A lot of folks were certainly appreciative of it.”

Photo caption: 

Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Vice-Chief Bobby Cameron leads the way with a box full of elk meat to be donated to the Prince Albert Food Bank.