‘Fall Harvest’ celebrates Treaty #3

Seven Generations Education Institute hosted its annual “Fall Harvest” here last week, with more than 500 students from across the region participating in various traditional skills demonstrations.
The three-day event took place Oct. 3-5, with different students from about 15 schools arriving each day.
“This is like a celebration of our treaty,” said CEO Delbert Horton, noting Treaty #3 was incorporated on Oct. 3, 1873.
“Fall Harvest” has been held on the anniversary of the signing of Treaty #3 for the past eight years.
The demonstrations included the various stages in preparing wild rice. Students got to witness and help in each stage—first roasting the rice to remove the moisture, then dancing on it to loosen the husk.
Next they winnowed the rice by tossing it in the air from a basket to let the husk fly away, then picked through small portions of the rice to ensure there was no husk left.
Other stations showed the students how to clean and smoke fish, how to pluck and clean geese for cooking, how to make bannock, and how to make moccasins.
The students—all in Grade 4 and up—then took the food and cooked a meal for their group to share over a fire in cast-iron pans.
Last Wednesday, Reeanna Scott, Elizabeth Morrisseau, and Heidi Howells of Robert Moore School were spotted mixing bannock by hand together in a bowl.
The girls said they had made bannock before, but had never prepared it to share with other students.
Meanwhile, classmate Robin Simmons kept a close eye on the bannock batter frying in oil in his pan.
Wayne Anderson, communications technician with Seven Generations, said students sometimes are surprised by the amount of work put into preparing the food.
“They see the fish being smoked and they ask, ‘Why would you do that?’” he said. “And we tell them, ‘Think about 100 years ago when there were no refrigerators. How would you keep your food [through the winter]?’
“When I was a kid, there was no Safeway. There was no Canadian Tire,” Anderson added. “We got everything from the bush.
“That’s what we’re trying to teach these kids, and pass it on,” he remarked.
Students from as far away as Dryden attended the event. A similar festival is being held in Thunder Bay this week modelled on the one held here, Horton noted.