How a school bus driver and 4 First Nation members came together to harvest a moose

When Darcy Laliberty got wind of a dead moose on the side of the Alaska Highway last winter, he had no idea he'd be watching the animal's eyeballs get hung from a tree a few hours later.

Laliberty, who is non-Indigenous, ended up having an "emotional" and "intense" experience with four members of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation, watching how they harvested every bit of the animal. The First Nation recently featured the story of the harvest in their local newsletter, calling it "A Story of Gratitude."

It started when a friend called Laliberty and told him about the moose, which had been struck by a vehicle and left for dead.

It was a pretty amazing experience.- Darcy Laliberty

Laliberty, who lives in Whitehorse, had been skunked on his own hunting trip earlier in the year. So with nothing to lose, he drove out to check on the animal, hoping to get some meat.

"I phoned the COs conservation officers to see if I could go ahead and start taking this animal apart," said Laliberty. "They told me it was Kwanlin Dun First Nations land and they had the first crack at it."

Laliberty hung up the phone and waited with the moose.

Working together

Meanwhile, Kwanlin Dun citizen Ray Sydney had settled into his favourite television show when his phone rang. It was the RCMP calling to let him know about the moose.

Sydney then called his brother and two other Kwanlin Dun citizens. He knew they only had a small window of opportunity to harvest the moose "so that it's healthy and clean and unspoiled."

They grabbed their hunting packs and hopped in their trucks.

As Laliberty waited in 30 C, the two trucks pulled up and the four men got out, planning their attack.

He pointed out that the moose was a cow and might be pregnant, which it was. He then asked if he could assist in the harvesting of the animal.

At first, Laliberty says his request was met with apprehension. But then Sydney recognized Laliberty as his daughter's bus driver, and he was invited to take part in the harvest.

"I was honoured humbled to be invited along," said Laliberty. "It was a pretty amazing experience."

Harvesting the moose

The harvest started with Sydney offering up tobaccofor the animal and a prayer.

"We pray for the spirit of the moose and ask that the creator guidethat spirit where it needs to go," said Sydney. "We thank the moose for giving its life so that others may survive and that we honour the moose by harvesting the hide and all parts of the animal."

With the prayer complete, the four men then pulled out their knives and, like a well-oiled machine, using their decades of experience, they got to work.

"One goes to one leg, the other goes to another leg, one on the back leg and another on the head," said Sydney, who harvested his first moose at the age of 12. "Within a few minutes half the moose is skinned and the head's off."

Soon after the lungs and heart are removed, along with the animal's intestines. Even the bum guts get used.

Then it was time to remove the tiny calves.

"When they pulled those calves out it was powerful, it was emotional, it was intense," said Laliberty.

As is custom for the Kwanlin Dun, the calves would later be offered to elders. The tender meat is considered a delicacy.

Thank you for your help and thank you for getting my daughter to and from school every day safely.- Ray Sydney

After just 90 minutes, the harvest was completed with the animal's eyeballs hung from a tree.

"It's a symbolization in the spirit world," said Sydney. "Now he has his eyes and can get his boundaries of where he is."

For Laliberty, it was like nothing he'd ever seen before.

"They harvested this animal so quickly and so efficiently and didn't waste a single piece," said Laliberty. "When we left there was literally nothing left behind except for a little blood, everyone just knew what had to be done.

"The respect for the animal and mother nature was paramount."

A token of gratitude

About two months after the harvest Sydney approached Laliberty's bus one morning at his daughter's regular stop.

He presented Darcy with a garbage bag.

Inside was ground meat and ribs, neatly packaged, from the moose they harvested together.

When Laliberty expressed his gratitude, Sydney did the same.

"I said here, thank you, thank you," said Sydney. "Thank you for your help and thank you for getting my daughter to and from school every day safely."

Laliberty was humbled and touched.

"It was a nice thing to do," said Laliberty. "It was special."