Old Nemaska, Québec
Old Nemaska Summer gathering
George used to live at this traditional Cree gathering place on the banks of Lake Champion, and he returns every year for the summer gathering.
“Each July we stay here as an entire community for recreation for two weeks. It is a gathering place that Cree have been coming to for generations.
Over the centuries, Cree gathered here for celebrations, weddings and feasting. This is a natural gathering place because of the abundance of fish that live in the lake.
Nemaska means “plenty of fish” and it was the best place to fish which is why people came here. That is all they lived on in the summer time back then. We still see that today. When we are here, the people fish for all kinds of fish. It is better food than the canned meat we get from the store in town.
Today we live in a mix of cultures. So here, there are programs to teach the traditional ways like woodcarving, tool making and smoking fish. We do this every summer so the kids don’t forget how it used to be.
There aren’t too many places like this left. Here you can drink the water straight from the lake, go swimming, enjoy life on the land and carry-on a long Cree tradition.”