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Adultᐁᐦ ᑯᑕᐙᓄᐎᐦᒡ ᑲᔦᐦ ᑏᐦ ᐁᐦ ᐅᓯᑲᓄᐎᐦᒡ
ᐋᐦ ᑯᑎᐙᓂᐎᒡ ᑭᔮᐦ ᑏ ᐋᐦ ᐅᓯᑭᓂᐎᒡ
Making Fire and Tea Boiling
While walking, people paid close attention to their surroundings, especially the landscape.
They always looked ahead to find good spots for taking breaks and accessing trees.
The leader walked ahead of the group, breaking the trail and observing the trees along the path.
Things to Remember When Making a Fire During a Winter Walk or Journey
A good spot to make fire was near the trees that had dry boughs ᒥᔮᐹᐦᑯᓐᐦ / ᒥᔮᐦᐹᐦᑯᓐᐦ at the base of the trees.
When you were on a lake, a good spot was where the sun shined most along the shore. ᐁᐦ ᐋᔥᑕᒫᔥᑌᔮᒡ / ᐋᔥᑎᒫᔥᑖᔮᒡ.
Another important factor was choosing a location with plenty of sunlight and less snow ᐁᐦ ᐹᐦᐹᑯᓂᑳᔑᑦ / ᐋᐹᐦᐹᑯᓂᐧᑳᔑᑦ.
ᐁᐦ ᓈᔅᑲᓂᐦᐄᑲᓄᐧᐃᐦᒡ / ᐋᐦ ᓈᔅᑭᓂᐦᐄᑭᓂᐧᐃᒡ they looked for big boughs that would serve as mats on the snow where people sat to rest.
– Louise Mayappo
On a winter journey—ᐁᐦ ᐱᒥᐱᒋᓈᓄᐧᐃᐦᒡ—they always knew when it was time to stop and eat in the afternoon, just like how we go home to eat after a day of work.
They would make an open fire using dry wood. Many boughs were collected and laid out on the ground before the fire was made. That’s where they would sit and eat.
A long time ago, it was said—and I was even told this myself—“Don’t take your food outside or eat outdoors while in the tent.”
The only time we were allowed to eat outdoors in winter was when an open fire had been made.
It wasn’t until the seasons changed to summer and the birds began to return that we were allowed to eat outside again.
– Matthew Ottereyes
We did not have a chain saw ᑳᒌᔥᒋᐳᒉᐸᔨᒡ, we used a bucksaw ᒌᔥᒋᐳᒋᑲᓐ to cut wood.
Small bucksaws worked very well.
– Ella Neeposh
When tea boiling ᐁᐦ ᑏᐧᐋᐳᐦᑳᓄᐧᐃᐦᒡ, long ago, there were no tea bags like today.
It was collected from trees leaves and it was like medicine too, this is what we drank.
– Coom Matoush
When boiling tea ᐁᐦ ᑏᐧᐋᐳᐦᑳᓄᐧᐃᐦᒡ, long ago, when I was living with my mother, we didn’t have a teapot. She would boil water in a regular pot.
Before making a fire, the ground would be patted down and boughs laid out — this is where we would sit.
My father would roast meat over the open fire, and the flavor from the firewood made it taste so delicious.
Sometimes, when we ran out of tea, my father would gather Labrador tea bush ᐧᐄᓯᒋᐳᒃ, and that’s what we would drink.