Travelling Inland: Dinah’s Story
Matches family at camp ca 1983.
When Dinah Shashaweskum Asquabaneskum was very young, her family travelled inland in September for hunting and came back in March. She says that in the old days people made the trip by canoe, taking three or four weeks. They didn’t travel fast; they were never in a rush. When her family reached their campsite, everyone helped to build the lodge for winter, even the little ones. When it was finished,
We had a small ceremony almost like a Walking Out. A little boy and a little girl dressed in traditional clothing would walk to the new lodge carrying something to eat. Then we would have a feast. It was like a housewarming thing. Then the elders rubbed beaver grease on the door frame. That’s like a blessing. They would say something like ‘May this building have plenty of food, plenty of animals to hunt, so the people will have enough to eat during this time we stay here’
Here is Dinah’s story about a trip with her family 40 years ago: