WEBVTT 00:00:10.343 --> 00:00:13.596 My name is Mary Shecapio, 00:00:14.597 --> 00:00:17.225 my husband's name is William. 00:00:17.225 --> 00:00:26.026 I was told to talk about the making process of this hide which I have done entirely on my own. 00:00:26.026 --> 00:00:31.364 The moose hide is used for snowshoes and they’re all mine. 00:00:31.364 --> 00:00:38.121 I’ve weaved this entire snowshoe. 00:00:38.955 --> 00:00:50.550 A long time ago, there weren’t a lot of moose around and it’s hide wasn’t always used. 00:00:50.550 --> 00:00:58.600 The elders mentioned that moose or caribou were scarce, but were around in some areas. 00:00:59.267 --> 00:01:07.442 I recall my late mother weaving snowshoes, she barely had moose babiche. 00:01:07.442 --> 00:01:15.241 She even made the babiche from the moose’s legs, she’d dry it and used it over here 00:01:15.241 --> 00:01:18.078 and was good enough to be used over here. 00:01:19.913 --> 00:01:30.006 Others would use rope on this area right here and weave it on the snowshoes. 00:01:30.590 --> 00:01:35.845 I’ve never seen it, but it was said they’d use rope. 00:01:35.845 --> 00:01:47.524 It was because they didn’t have enough babiche, they were still able to hunt with the snowshoes. 00:01:47.941 --> 00:01:58.535 It’s important to understand what it is that you are teaching, like the different sizes of these. 00:01:58.535 --> 00:02:04.624 These here are smaller and are used in this area. 00:02:04.624 --> 00:02:12.632 A rope is used at this length here. 00:02:13.508 --> 00:02:20.390 This part is used for the bigger ones for the longer pieces. 00:02:21.766 --> 00:02:28.606 You see here, it’s twice as long, so it’s attached to it. 00:02:29.357 --> 00:02:36.865 This larger weaving needle is used for that. 00:02:40.410 --> 00:02:56.176 This is for the thicker threads and it’s called a netting needle and is used all around over here. 00:02:56.176 --> 00:02:58.720 This is called a snowshoe netting needle. 00:02:58.720 --> 00:03:05.935 This one is called a thick babiche netting needle 00:03:05.935 --> 00:03:14.277 and this one is called a fine babiche netting needle used here. 00:03:14.277 --> 00:03:27.665 This is a snowshoe netting needle and is used on the part where you step on the snowshoe. 00:03:27.665 --> 00:03:38.551 Once you’ve completed making the rest of the snowshoe, you’ll need to make it like so. 00:03:38.551 --> 00:03:45.308 This rope is used over here. 00:03:45.308 --> 00:03:54.400 This is a thick babiche nettle needle and is used for this part to make it tougher. 00:03:56.069 --> 00:04:05.828 You use the babiche rope that was made from the hide using this thick babiche needle. 00:04:05.828 --> 00:04:17.090 Once making the babiche, you’ll need to coil the rope first then twist it like so. 00:04:18.132 --> 00:04:27.976 You use your feet to hold it and stretch it like so and you’ll need to pull it hard, then you do it again. 00:04:28.559 --> 00:04:35.191 When you do this, the man won’t stretch the bending loosely on this part over here. 00:04:35.191 --> 00:04:44.075 You can see other snowshoes bent over here, it’s because the babiche wasn’t stretched. 00:04:44.075 --> 00:04:46.536 That’s why it stretched like that. 00:04:46.536 --> 00:04:49.747 When you twist it, it won’t bend. 00:04:52.041 --> 00:04:56.212 It isn’t done on this part, you only have to weave it as is. 00:04:57.130 --> 00:05:05.263 If you use smoke moose hide or raw moose babiche over here, it’s going to be good. 00:05:06.306 --> 00:05:08.933 Now the man is able to go hunting. 00:05:11.394 --> 00:05:19.068 I know snowshoes and I know how to make them. 00:05:19.610 --> 00:05:32.165 You have to be careful weaving over on this part because of this width over here. 00:05:32.165 --> 00:05:44.385 If you're not careful weaving on this part, it will make a hole. 00:05:45.303 --> 00:05:47.096 The same thing happens over on this part. 00:05:47.096 --> 00:05:53.978 You’ll have to be careful on this part, so it won’t have big holes over here. 00:05:53.978 --> 00:05:59.984 Sometimes when it melts, men put their snowshoes away or even store them. 00:05:59.984 --> 00:06:13.456 It’s because the melted snow loosens up the babiche, making it irregular and moving all around. 00:06:15.124 --> 00:06:20.296 You need to be careful when using the long-snowshoes. 00:06:20.880 --> 00:06:23.591 You can break them if you’re not careful. 00:06:23.591 --> 00:06:30.306 When you step on a log, it snaps, 00:06:32.308 --> 00:06:37.355 but next time he knows not to step on it. 00:06:37.897 --> 00:06:41.109 When I first weaved snowshoes, I was good at it 00:06:41.109 --> 00:06:44.779 and it was the snowshoes that were round at the front. 00:06:45.738 --> 00:06:49.158 My late mom made me weave it here on the back of the snowshoe. 00:06:49.158 --> 00:06:52.078 That’s when I first learned how to weave, 00:06:53.204 --> 00:06:55.957 eventually I was given to weave over here at the front. 00:06:58.543 --> 00:07:05.716 And over here on the sides, I taught myself how to loop. 00:07:05.716 --> 00:07:10.096 I don’t think people are taught to loop on the sides over here as they learn it on their own. 00:07:10.096 --> 00:07:14.016 Girls learn by observing, 00:07:14.016 --> 00:07:19.647 they become better and you don’t need to explain because they know what you're doing. 00:07:19.647 --> 00:07:24.277 Boys and girls learn by watching. 00:07:24.277 --> 00:07:29.240 Boys learn from their fathers on how snowshoes are made 00:07:29.240 --> 00:07:33.786 and girls learn from their mother how to weave them. 00:07:33.786 --> 00:07:38.207 They’re taught when they’re small. 00:07:38.207 --> 00:07:42.879 Some of the kids are able to learn right away 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:50.511 and there are some who don’t, but they never stop learning. 00:07:54.265 --> 00:08:04.901 Another thing I was asked to talk about are the many types of dwellings. 00:08:05.443 --> 00:08:11.824 One of them is a wooden cabin covered with moss, 00:08:11.824 --> 00:08:15.411 it has a small opening at the top where sunlight comes in. 00:08:16.412 --> 00:08:23.336 Sometimes the opening would be covered using canvas material. 00:08:23.794 --> 00:08:27.965 Another one looks like this and it’s the long teepee. 00:08:29.217 --> 00:08:35.932 There’s also a dome shaped dwelling called a waashaaukamikw. 00:08:35.932 --> 00:08:40.811 I’ve seen a waashaaukamikw being made. 00:08:41.854 --> 00:08:55.743 The tree-barks were peeled off, raised up aligning them in a certain distance from each other. 00:08:56.827 --> 00:09:07.129 In the centre, taller poles were raised and a ridge-pole was attached in place. 00:09:07.129 --> 00:09:15.137 Other poles were attached on each side. 00:09:15.137 --> 00:09:18.849 The poles would then be placed like so. 00:09:18.849 --> 00:09:24.564 It was aligned to hold from the pole that was across the sides to attach together like this. 00:09:24.564 --> 00:09:30.903 Then other poles would be placed on top of it making it a dome like shape. 00:09:30.903 --> 00:09:32.488 It’s very nice. 00:09:32.488 --> 00:09:34.782 It’s called a waashaaukamikw. 00:09:35.533 --> 00:09:48.254 The long teepee had many people living in it, because this dwelling was big. 00:09:50.006 --> 00:09:59.807 People stayed in this dwelling, sometimes there were 3 or 4 wood stoves and it would be very warm. 00:10:00.141 --> 00:10:07.189 We can share many things from our past on how a person would build their homes. 00:10:07.189 --> 00:10:14.071 Especially the many types of dwelling that were very warm to live in. 00:10:14.071 --> 00:10:23.748 The use of boughs was a way to keep the place warm, it was done by placing them all around 00:10:23.748 --> 00:10:26.751 and included placing them in the entrance of the home. 00:10:26.959 --> 00:10:36.302 More boughs would be placed in the entrance, 00:10:36.302 --> 00:10:51.359 two poles were laid across on both sides of the entrance to stop cold air from entering. 00:10:51.359 --> 00:10:57.698 Cold air wouldn’t enter when the door was opened, 00:10:57.698 --> 00:11:04.622 the boughs were used for that, to stop cold air from entering once the door was opened. 00:11:07.958 --> 00:11:16.509 It was the same for the porch entrance, the same thing would be done. 00:11:17.176 --> 00:11:20.846 It looked very nice when the boughs were placed in the entrance. 00:11:20.846 --> 00:11:29.355 You wouldn’t notice how cold it was from the outside, because people made good homes. 00:11:30.231 --> 00:11:34.860 People were very good at making their homes. 00:11:35.695 --> 00:11:40.783 Skidoos weren’t around to transport firewood, it was all done by labour. 00:11:41.826 --> 00:11:49.875 Oh my! I never saw the process when the trees were cut down for firewood. 00:11:49.875 --> 00:12:00.261 I saw an old dwelling which had moss growth, 00:12:00.261 --> 00:12:04.223 I pulled the moss away and saw that there was firewood. 00:12:04.223 --> 00:12:14.400 It was already chopped and the firewood wasn’t spoiled yet, because moss grew on it. 00:12:15.526 --> 00:12:19.321 It must have kept it from going bad. 00:12:19.321 --> 00:12:25.119 I went with my husband during that time and remembered the location of where the camp was. 00:12:25.411 --> 00:12:32.042 Someone used to make wood stoves, because there weren’t any stores around to go buy it. 00:12:32.042 --> 00:12:42.344 Someone had to make them and they were very good wood stoves and chimneys. 00:12:42.344 --> 00:12:52.354 We can share many of our past experiences with our children. 00:12:54.774 --> 00:13:03.616 What I’m unhappy about is when my grandchildren don’t understand me, 00:13:03.616 --> 00:13:10.331 when I have to explain how things are called. 00:13:10.331 --> 00:13:18.214 They have to ask me what someone is saying and I’m very unhappy when they do that. 00:13:19.465 --> 00:13:24.345 This is because they don't familiarize themselves with their surroundings and always talk in English 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:30.518 and it’s used too often by young people your age. 00:13:30.518 --> 00:13:33.187 It’s used too much. 00:13:33.979 --> 00:13:41.237 The parents aren’t trying their best in talking Cree to them, 00:13:41.237 --> 00:13:44.114 they keep talking to their children in English. 00:13:45.407 --> 00:13:51.914 The child will lose their language if parents continue talking to them in English 00:13:51.914 --> 00:13:56.752 and they should keep trying to talk to them in Cree. 00:13:57.336 --> 00:14:02.967 When looking at the MacLeod family, they’re father was English. 00:14:03.717 --> 00:14:09.473 All of the men speak in Cree and haven’t lost the language 00:14:09.473 --> 00:14:17.523 because their mother spoke to all of them in Cree including all the women. 00:14:18.482 --> 00:14:24.905 If our grandchildren spoke Cree, they’d go through the same thing. 00:14:25.447 --> 00:14:30.619 The MacLeod family forgot their Cree but relearned it. 00:14:30.619 --> 00:14:34.915 It’s the fully Cree children that have forgotten how to speak it. 00:14:35.708 --> 00:14:39.753 Today, these children are mainly spoken to in English and it is the reason why it’s happening. 00:14:39.753 --> 00:14:42.423 A parent should try hard to talk to them in Cree. 00:14:44.508 --> 00:14:56.312 Once I see them, maybe I could share with them how a Cree person lives. 00:14:58.063 --> 00:15:04.528 Also, children shouldn’t lose their temper easily when they are asked to do a task. 00:15:05.195 --> 00:15:13.120 When I was young I was taught not to lose my temper, when I was asked to do something, 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:15.915 I would just do the work. 00:15:15.915 --> 00:15:21.754 I can say, I’m thankful that I wasn’t like that when doing something. 00:15:21.754 --> 00:15:25.925 I still listened and was able to complete the work. 00:15:28.135 --> 00:15:33.515 I amazed myself by completing the work, even though I wasn’t interested in doing it. 00:15:33.557 --> 00:15:42.149 Someone who doesn’t lose temper from their work, who continues doing so, is able to complete it. 00:15:43.317 --> 00:15:45.486 They don’t leave it behind. 00:15:46.737 --> 00:15:50.074 People should be taught about this. 00:15:50.074 --> 00:15:54.703 You don’t need to think about your task, you only have to remember why you are doing it. 00:15:54.703 --> 00:16:03.837 You need to think about finishing the work and then you’re able to move on to the next thing. 00:16:03.837 --> 00:16:07.174 Children need to be taught this. 00:16:07.925 --> 00:16:21.647 Girls also need to be taught on how to clean fish and many people don't know how to do it. 00:16:21.647 --> 00:16:27.403 She needs to learn how to clean fish. 00:16:28.612 --> 00:16:32.992 Even young adult men are able to clean fish. 00:16:32.992 --> 00:16:44.753 When he hunts, he tries his best. He learns how to clean fish. It’s to know how to clean fish. 00:16:44.753 --> 00:16:52.177 It would be great if the youth learned about cleaning something. 00:16:52.386 --> 00:17:04.398 When a bear is killed, it’s very important to learn about cleaning it and preventing it from going bad. 00:17:04.398 --> 00:17:13.907 When it’s eaten, once it goes bad the animal is wasted. 00:17:13.907 --> 00:17:19.913 Even the smallest error can ruin it’s meat. 00:17:21.165 --> 00:17:26.962 An elder who has now passed away 00:17:26.962 --> 00:17:34.428 told me about when he ate a bear that was already going bad. 00:17:34.428 --> 00:17:47.566 He told me that the reason why he looked skinny was from eating the bear that wasn’t good. 00:17:49.109 --> 00:17:54.031 You’ll need to fix a bear right away, smoke dried so it can be edible. 00:17:56.241 --> 00:17:58.786 You’ll need to do it correctly. 00:17:58.786 --> 00:18:01.997 Even when fixing beaver, 00:18:01.997 --> 00:18:19.807 you’ll need to fix a man's kill correctly and right away. 00:18:20.432 --> 00:18:26.105 It isn’t good when you leave something for too long, it doesn’t taste good, 00:18:29.233 --> 00:18:33.654 this includes moose meat, everything needs to be fixed.