MANITOBA LIFESTYLES: ECONOMIC
PURSUITS
Hunting
Before the introduction of the rifle, big game hunting usually
required the participation of the whole tribe. The introduction of the
rifle drastically changed the lifestyle of many Aboriginal people.
Hunting became a much easier pursuit until the depletion of animals,
such as the buffalo. Deer, moose, elk and caribou still provided the
basic necessities of life and the rifle made it possible for
Aboriginal hunters to provide for their families.
Trapping
Another main source of income for the Aboriginal people was
trapping. Beaver, rat, mink, lynx, otter, wolf and other animals whose
furs were traded to general merchants provided cash, food, household
and trapping implements to the trapper and his family. Each family
would stake out their own trapline and stay by it each spring and fall
until the trapping season was over.
Fishing
Fish has always been one of the staple foods for the
Aboriginal people of Manitoba. They used snares, scoops, nets, and
spears to bring in their catch. They were able to preserve fish for
future use by drying and smoking the fillets. Today, many Aboriginal
people are involved in commercial fishing enterprises and, for some,
it provides the only source of income.
Guiding
Because of their knowledge of the surrounding environment, the
habits of the animals and the changes in weather conditions, Manitoba
Natives are invaluable as guides. They work for people who come from
all over North America to hunt and fish. Many people derive a large
part of their income from this type of work.
Manitoba Maple Sugar
Maple syrup and sugar has been produced in Manitoba for centuries
and has provided many Native families with goods from the trading
posts that bought the sugar products. Since Maples were abundant along
prairie rivers and peninsulas surrounded by water, the people that
lived in these areas had long ago discovered the importance of Maple
sap.
The process of collecting sap began in early April by making a
slanting cut to penetrate the bark and then driving a wedge of wood
into the cut. The sap was collected in buckets and later boiled down
to make sugar, syrup, vinegar, etc. Today, many Native women around
Lake Waterhen and Lake St. Martin still carry on with the Maple Sugar
practice.
Wild Rice
Wild rice is found in small rivers, lakes, and swampy areas
throughout Southern Manitoba and Native people have been harvesting it
for centuries. The Whiteshell area of Manitoba is alive with activity
at the beginning of September when groups of wild rice pickers arrive
to begin the harvest. The kernels of rice are knocked into canoes and
then taken to be dried after which the grain is trampled to separate
the straw.
Wild rice was a staple food in Aboriginal diets and was easily
transported and preserved. Today, wild rice is harvested and marketed
commercially with a large proportion being exported to the United
States.
Seneca Root
Picking Seneca root has provided many generations of Aboriginal
people with a steady income during the summer months. It is found in
areas undisturbed by cultivation such as the Interlake Region of
Manitoba.
Seneca root has long been used by Aboriginal people to treat coughs
and colds. Today it is used in the preparation of commercial cough
syrup and cough drops. Statistics Canada records (1973) indicated that
Manitoba once accounted for 80 percent of the total Canadian export of
Seneca root. At that time it was exported to nine countries. So,
although digging the Seneca roots was a seasonal occupation, it did
supplement many families' yearly incomes.
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