College-level program will teach new generations Cree lifestyle

In an attempt to better traditional skills, Cree in the James Bay region of Quebec arecreatinga college-level program that will teach a new generation of hunters, fishers and trappers.

"Some people don't have parents that are in the bush and they really want to learn, sort of new hunters," said FredTomatuk, president of Cree Trappers Association that'sspearheading the project along with officials from theCgep de Saint-Flicienin the Lac St. Jean region of Quebec.

The Eeyou-ItuunTraditional Pursuits Training Programwill be a 900-hour, one-year, vocational certificate.

The idea is for students to learnthe fundamentals of the Cree traditional lifestyle, from hunting, trapping and fishing skills to building traditional dwellings, and other skills that willallow them to live and survive in the bush.

In the past, these skills were taught by a network of family members living out on the land, according to Marc Dunn, director of environment forNiskamooncorporation who sits on the new program's steering committee. The corporationhelped the program with its application process with the education ministry.

"Those networks are not as elaborate as they once were," said Dunn. "So we need to find new and innovative ways to transmit those skills."

The program will be delivered by "teaching teams" made up of Cree land users and elders along with accredited teachers from theCgepdeSaint-Flicien.

Tomatuksaid the only way the program will survive is if it receives continual,core government funding. People attempted asimilar pilot project1990s, but failed because of a lack of stable funding, according toTomatuk.

'It's marvellous,' says instructor

About 80 per cent of the courses will be taughton the land with the other 20 per cent happening in a classroom, said Yves Marchand, an instructor at the CgepdeSaint-Flicien, who is also on the program's steering committee.

"It's marvellous," Marchand said, adding that it's a step beyond reconciliation, creatinganew educational model built on respect.

"The program being recognized by the government of Quebec really shows a recognition vis-a-vis Indigenous people. And in engaging with this process, Indigenous people are recognizing this could be a useful tool in helping to train their people."

TheCree Trappers Associationis working on a detailed curriculum, planning to tour through the Cree communities this summer to get feedback from land users.

The goal is have a first cohort of students in place by the spring or fall session of 2019.

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