Learning Story – Processing a Caribou
The Week of April 1, 2025
What Happened?
Today we felt such gratitude to the caribou and the people that shared with us. Ted Tsetta and Allan Harman brought us a caribou to Bushkids from the barren grounds. They shared their love of the Land with us and told us stories about their respect for the caribou and the way they hunt and process the whole animal.
While we were processing the Caribou we heard the Bushkids say:
Where did you hunt this caribou?
How long did it take to get there?
How did you find the caribou? Ted told us: I use the stars, the big dipper. We follow the northern lights. The sound of the hoofs of the caribou create the northern lights.
Where is the muscle?
Are those the ribs?
I’ve been to ….. And we saw hundreds of caribou!
My dad and grandpa went hunting and brought home caribou!
Alan and Ted gifted the Caribou to the Bushkids families. They shared that one of the reasons they hunt is so that they can share the caribou with the Elders. Mahsi cho for this incredible gift.
Why is it Important?
Dene Kede
“To give the students skills for physical survival, to give students understanding and appreciation of the caribou as a spiritual entity, to give students an appreciation of Dene hunting technology in the past, to give students ideas for possible uses of caribou for economic development. By giving students a respect for the caribou, the caribou will continue to provide for the Dene. Disrespect will mean their extinction.” p. 83
Environmental awareness is promoted when we create time and space to learn about where the food we eat comes from and when we invite the Bushkids to be a part of the process. In addition to this, we took the time to start in a good way by offering tobacco and the scrapings of another moose because were working on a moosehide. Every part of the process was done with respectful hearts. With this respectful mindset, we hope that the Bushkids will be a part of a more sustainable future by being stewards of the Land and animals.
What Does This Mean For Next Time?
Today we also began working on the hide. It was set up on the frame, and the Bushkids were welcome to try dryscraping the hide. Over the next few months we will have many opportunities to work on different stages of the hide with the help of one of the Bushkids’ grandparent. We appreciate that he is willing to share, teach and learn with us as we work together on several teaching hides.