Sharing Our Culture ...The Cree way of life today is the foundation for the people who live in the
territory called Eeyou. Cree traditions in our culture have gone through times of change,
testing and have been brought back to life by means of applying our Cree values among the
people. Today, traditions are kept alive with the tools and technology that are available
to any Cree student, trapper or townsperson. Our heritage is kept alive by teaching the Cree language from Pre-K to Grade 2 and also in Adult Ed. Classes. The lessons that are taught by the teachers to the students are researched (and prepared) by the Cree Programs. Cree Culture classes at Primary and Secondary levels are also having more field trips to give a taste to students of living off the land. Much more is done by the community which is run by the local Band, with the Cree Trappers Association set up to serve trappers and an Annual Canoe Brigade for young people to re-live the traditional route of delivering goods to Nemaska.
Our culture helps Crees know who they are as individuals and people. Since many changes have taken place in Eeyou and with the Community Master Plan underway, Cree people are taught through their culture how to live as a person and within a community. Also, with storytelling shared with students and the community, people are taught what to value and believe in the Cree culture and society. Chisasibi Cree hunters rotate trapping areas on a four year cycle to allow population of beaver to recover, in addition to managing fish on a 5 - l0 year scale, and caribou on an 80 - l00 year scale. Driving to Chisasibi in the Winter Paulette's Trip Diary Sharing Our Culture
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The Crees of Chisasibi - Sharing Our Culture and Values How does a civilization that has been here since the retreat of the last ice age preserve and share its culture? History For the past 5,000 years, the James Bay territory has been inhabited by Cree and Inuit populations. The region was named after Thomas James, an English navigator who, in 1630, was trying to find a passage to India. After this discovery, the first economic development phase of James Bay with fur-trading. In the 70's, the territory experienced a second development phase with the announcement of the Le Grande hydroelectric projects. Because of this development, the Crees of Chisasibi ( Pronunciation, Shi-SAW-si-bee) decided to move from their island home (Ft George) in 1980 to a place nearby on the mainland. Today, this is the present thriving community of Chisasibi. In remembrance of their days living on Fort George, every summer near the first of August, the community sets aside one week or so to stay on Fort George. This annual gathering is about remembering our past from the island. People just camp out there and we have games, dances , feast, cookouts, fishing and visit each other like we used to. In 2002, the Crees of James Bay signed another agreement that will allow the diversion of the 80 % of the Rupert River to flow into the the reservoir of the LG2 hydroelectric generation plant. The signing of this agreement will change their life style forever. Even if the first visits to James Bay territory date back to the '30s, the tourist traffic started to grow with the opening to the general public of the paved James Bay highway that now goes all the way to Chisasibi. The population of the James Bay territory mainly consists of two cultural communities: the Natives and the non natives. There are 11,349 Crees and about 18,331 non-natives living in this territory. (Source - Statistics Canada - 1996) Be part of the adventure people who come to
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