Little Bone First Nation recently distributed 3,500 pounds of game meat as well as other perishable food items to band members. It was a sunny morning on October 25, and the community centre on Little Bone First Nation was buzzing with preparation. Administration and volunteers were getting ready to distribute the bounty from their successful community hunt. “We have processed moose sausage. We have processed elk patties and elk steaks, elk stew chunks, elk ground burger,” said Cameron Peepeetch, the head of Little Bone First Nation’s hunting council. In September, Peepeetch led a community hunt in the area. As part of the band’s moral principles and values, only one moose was taken during the hunt. “That’s part of our ethical practices that we try and teach amongst our council and band members, to be ethical about the amount of numbers we’re taking and certain areas we’re taking them from,” said Peepeetch. The community hunt is an important part of preserving their heritage. “This year we took a few groups of young men out, and a lot of them were able to harvest their first animals,” he explained. “But a part of our tradition is that their first animals (are) meant to be given away and shared.” This tradition fed the first nation, located 20 kilometres south of Yorkton. As the clock hit 9:30 a.m., band members began to trickle into the community centre. Children were running around in the circular corridor, their parents were either helping with loading up boxes or prepping other food items in the back. Summer Dawn Creeley, a band member, told CTV News that she grew up eating game meat but hasn’t had the chance to enjoy it since she moved off-reserve. “We hunted, gathered, you know, things like that,” she said with a smile. “And for them to offer wild meat after so many years of us living off reserve, it’s a blessing for my family so that they have a taste of their culture and identity and living off Mother Earth.” She was just one of the many families that showed up Saturday morning to fill their trunks with home-made delicacies. Yorkton Mayor Aaron Kienle was also in attendance. Alongside Peepeetch, Mayor Kienle packed bags and hauled them to the cars waiting in the parking lot by the community hall. He told CTV News that “over the course of (his) time living in Yorkton, it’s been quite rare that there’s any involvement with the City and with the First Nation here.” When Peepeetch reached out, Kienle was happy to participate. “I just thought this was a wonderful opportunity for me to come out and show support from Yorkton to the First Nation here,” said Kienle. While the City and Little Bone First Nation may not have a lot of involvement, the schools in the area certainly do. Peepeetch told CTV News that the hunting council offers different courses to students. “We’ve had some come out to our hall here, but last week we also went to school to do a presentation on how to process and breakdown of white-tail deer,” said Peepeetch. “And last week we actually had 30 or more students in our hall here. We broke down a full deer.” Peepeetch said it’s nice to the see the younger generations wanting to be involved and learn about their practices. It’s part of their reconciliation efforts, “but also showing that there’s open arms both ways.” “It’s really nice to see, regardless of race, that these younger children . . . how actively involved they want to be and how much they want to participate,” he said. “It’s really nice to see that they’re not shy or they’re not scared of a little bit of blood, but they actually want to get in there and get hands on.”
