The Doig River First Nation Visit

By Arisa Shimamoto

I saw a moose's skin at the first time there. It was hard and a little bit disgusting because there were some blood vessels and hnair. When the First Nation woman wrung that out, it looked very hard. The bread was baked by me and it was very delicious and the hotdog was also delicious. But it was very cold that day. When many elementary school students danced around the fire, they looked very fun. We joined that only one time. It was a little fun.

Visiting the Doig River First Nation

By Haruna Tonomura

I was a very good experience for me to go to the Doig River First Nation. I was surprised that there were a lot of children. I met students of the Upper Pine Elementary School. I was glad they remembered me.

The location was very good, and I enjoyed the beautiful natural view. At first, I didn’t want to see the moose’s skin because I thought it was revolting, but it was very soft and beautiful. I took a lot of pictures. The process of making a moose’s hide is very long. A woman said it would cost $700 to buy.

After studying how to make a moose’s hide, we ate bannock. It was the first time I had eaten it, and it was very good. I like to eat it with jam. When I was eating, a very cute dog came. The dog liked people. I stroked his stomach. There were three or four dogs. I took many pictures of them. Then I enjoyed First Nation’s traditional dances and songs. There are similar dances in Japan. Before I came to Canada, I went to an international exposition. I learned about First Nations cultures. I saw a lot of art objects and clothes. I’m interested in First Nations’ cultures, so I really enjoyed this valuable experience.

A Visit to the Doig River First Nation

By Rina Takamatsu

I went to Doig River. I could have a good experience. I saw a moose hide and I saw the process to make the shoes, clothes and so on. I touched the skin. It was soft. That had a big impact on me. I didn’t know that. I knew our ancestors’ life many years ago. They had great knowledge.

Then I ate bannock. This tasted like bread. I saw their dance. It was wonderful. They looked excited, and I heard First Nation’s story. I’m glad I heard the story. I sometimes couldn’t understand, but I think I almost understand. I want to appreciate my ancestors because I’m so happy now.

Expedition from Thursday, May 26

By Martin Wicki

At nine o’clock, we drove out bus to the Reserve. The first station was the “Scraping.” A woman scraped the moose hair from the hide with a scraper. The scraper was a sharp blade.

On the next station, we saw the “Flouring.” In this step, one woman worked on the hide. Only with a metal scraper and a large needle, plain flour is rubbed onto the hide then scraped until it is smooth and there is no more lint.

In the third step, we saw a woman during “Soaking and Wringing.” In this step, the hide was for 1 or 2 days in warm soapy water. After this bath, the woman wrings the hide out. To do this, the hide was folded and twisted onto a long pole, then the woman turned the pole around and around in a circle. The water was slowly wrung out.

The next step is in reality the first step. Once the hide had been skinned off the moose, there is a layer of meat and fat on the hide. A woman scraped away this with a bone from the moose leg.

In the next hour to lunch, we saw different interesting details as she made a hide, and we ate bannock. For lunch we ate also hot dogs. Then a First Nation man told a story. It was hard to understand this story because it was too quiet. After this story, five men came. They made music on the drums. The children jumped around the fire to the music. Finally, we got some ice cream and went home.

We Visited Doig River First Nation

By Young Dae Jang

Yesterday, we visited the Doig Rive rFirst Nation. We learned about First Nation culture. It was very interesting. First of all, we watched stage 2 [of preparing a moose hide], scraping because many elementary students came there. So my group started to watch stage 2. The stage 2 scraping showed us how to remove the moose hair. Scraping does take time and patience of a day.

Second, we watched Stage 3, Grease and Brain. Stage 4, Soaking and Wringing, Stage 5, Flouring and Tanning/smoking. It was very marvelous.

After we watched, we ate a hotdog and bannock. Especially, I like bannock. I ate bannock with jam and butter. It had a very good taste.

Third, we crowded in the middle of the centre where a First Nation explained about First Nation history. We could listen to First Nation culture, but I couldn't understand all things. I just understood 10%.

Finally, the First Nations were singing and dancing with a steady rhythm. The dancing was turning round and round by a fire.

I really enjoyed that time. I took a lot of pictures. When I go back to Korea, I will explain about and show my family First Nation culture.

A Visit to Doig River

By Chinatsu Kamon

I went to Doig River First Nation Doig River Reserve. I saw various things there. First I saw moose skins, various parts and it smelled bad. Moose skins were made into wallets, shoes, clothes, and so on. I saw the traditional way. Next I saw foxes. But the foxes are only leather, so I couldn’t touch it. The foxes’ skins would be wallets and clothes like the moose skins. Next I made bannock and ate it. It was very delicious. Next I saw traditional dance and drum. I saw it and ate two hot dogs. It tasted good. In Doig River First Nation, many people came. Many children did a traditional dance. But the weather was very bad and very, very cold. I wish if I go there again, it is sunny.

About Doig Day Events

By Mana Nishihara

I attended a Doig Day events. I had never seen such a spectacle. First, I saw a moose hide. After I touched it with my hand, it felt strange. It was stretched and tightened around the frame. I didn’t smell something. I saw animal furs. The animal kind is a bear and a fox. Secondly, I made bannock. I experienced it for the first time. I spread jam on bannock. The, it tasted delicious. After, I heard a traditional native game and listened to the beat of the drum. Finally, I joined the round dance. The, the children were happy. It was fun. It was a good experience for me. Thank you for inviting us.

The Doig River First Nation

By Emika Uetake

We went to Doig River First Nation. There are a lot of students there. I have never seen and learned abouit Canadian First Nations, so it was very interesting fro me to see and learn about it. I heard some information about hide preparation before we went there, but I saw actually. It was different from my imagination.

Moose's skin smells liek a beast. That was a peculiar smell. Especially when someone slices off the skin or meat, the smell became strong. And the skin has a rough feel. I've touched animal fur many times, but I've never touched the skin under their fur, so the feeling was strange.

After the tour, we ate bannock. I don't know whether the bread was Canadian First Nations' traditional food or not, but it was delicious and interesting.

We listened to their traditional song. The instrument that they used looked like some animal skin. It was raining, so they had to heat that to prevent the instrument from becoming wet, I think. Their song's words weren't English. I thought their language is similar with English. Bit it was different to English. But I was a little interested in it. I want to understand what they said.

I saw their traditional dance, too. The step looked difficult. But a lot of students challenged the dance.

I wanted to learn about Canada, so the experience was very fun and interesting.

A Visit to Doig River First Nation

By Teruyo Yamada

There were many moose skins and fox skins and a bearskin. I was surprised when I saw them. I can learn about hide preparation. And I was glad to meet Upper Pine School students again. They wore First Nation clothes. It was so cute. Many people came there. I thought that this event is very famous and traditional. This event will be a good experience memory for me. It was very fun, but I felt so cold. I regret that it was raining. I wanted to go on a sunny day. But, lunch made me cheerful. By the way, I don’t like the smell of moose. It felt like rotten meat and wild animals. I thought everyone doesn’t like that smell. I got the impression that a bear skin was real. I was surprised that they left the bear’s head. And there were some fox skins. The fox’s head was also left. Then the memory of animal life came across my mind. When I was an elementary school student, I learned animal life from my teacher. We saw a lot of dead bodies of animals. But they didn’t rot and were very beautiful. A face and a body were the same state and shape. I want to go again, but only on a sunny day.

Doig River First Nation

By Chikako Hirashima

I went to Doig River First Nation Doig River Reserve yesterday, and I experienced various things. First of all, I saw the hide preparation. Fleshing work seems like hard and steady work. The hide is very soft which workers finished all process. Then, I made like a bun [bannock], and I ate it. It was very delicious. Next, I saw a bear’s stuffed specimen and a fox’s stuffed specimen, but I couldn’t touch and see very well because I was scared of them. Finally, I saw a traditional dance. I thought elementary school students enjoyed it, and what kind of hides are musical instruments made from? I was happy because a girl greeted me, and she hugged me again who hugged me when I went to Upper Pine Elementary School. It was cold because it was raining, but I experienced things that people generally can’t, so these experiences are my treasures. These are my experiences at Doig River First Nation.

Doig River First Nation

By Ayako Suzuki

I went to the Doig River First Nation. It was a very fun day. First, I talked to a lot of people about moose hair. The moose hair felt good and very soft. Secondly, I saw the Canadian traditional clothes. They were very beautiful, and I wanted to wear the Canadian traditional clothes. Thirdly, I saw the Canadian traditional dance, and I played the Canadian traditional dance. Most interestingly, I ate the bannock. It was very delicious. I like it. I think that I got a valuable experience.

Doig River First Nation

By Mayu Matsubara

I went to Doig River last Thursday. In Doig River, poeple explained to us about a moose and taught a traditional dance. When I watched a traditional dance, it looked like easy. But I tried to do it, and it was a little bit difficult. In addition, it was the first time to make bannock. A boy who I sometimes meet on the bus supported me to make bannock. I spread jam and butter on my bannock. It was so tasty.

Many elementary students visited Doig River, so, I was able to meet Upper Pine School students. They were very cute and remembered me. I was very happy. I was a good experience. I had a very good time.

Doig River First Nation

By Chiharu Ichiguchi

We went to Doig River First Nation last Thursday. But the weather was cloudy and rainy. First, we saw a moose hide. It was the first time, so it moved me very much. Second, we made bannock. It was an unexpectedly good taste, and we ate a hotdog. Finally, we watched the traditional dance. They wore traditional clothes made from moose hide. I had a good experience and I enjoyed everything. There were many elementary students. We could be exposed to many elementary students and local people.

Doig River First Nation

By Miho Yoshioka

I went to Doig River First Nation last Thursday. The weather was a little bit chilly. The people who live in Doig River First Nation taught us about a moose hide and how to make bannock. The bannock is like bread. When I was making the bannock, it was very fun and tasted good. We saw a Doig River First Nation traditional dance. It was very nice. The Japanese girls joined them and danced.

These were grand experiences for me. I had a good time.

Visiting the Doig River First Nation

By Misato Taniguchi

It was the first time to watch the process of making the hide. I was impressed by their movements because there is no waste. I watched their performance, full of admiration. They use primitive tools in all processes. I really wanted the whole hide as a hammock but they said that it may cost $700-$1,200! But if we watch all the process, we can accept the price for the hide. It is a valid price. It takes almost one month to make it be completed. And it is a perfect handmade item.

It was also the first time for me to meet First Nations. I sensed a kind of closeness because their face resembles ours. They speak in clear and sonorous voice. Their tanned face looks a little stern but whenever they smile, it is really calm and gentle.

The finny thing was that an old woman used packaged beef instead of the moose to show us how to smoke it! We burst out laughing with her. She grinned at us.

I had a wonderful day.