Oujé-Bougoumou is one of Canada`s newest First Nation villages. Even so, traditional pursuits like hunting and trapping have been important features of our economy for thousands of years. Cree is still our everyday language. Indeed, we have words in Cree that will astonish you. Bimiidasguhnigin, for instance. This extremely long word refers to the stick that keeps the toehole of our snowshoes open while we lace them. But there are many other things about us that will astonish you too...
Upon your arrival in Oujé-Bougoumou, you will receive a pair of
handmade winter moccasins. As you step into these moccasins, and then into your
snowshoes, you will be stepping into a whole different world. A world with no
diesel fumes, car horns, or insistently ringing telephones. It is a world of
such pristine whiteness that it will take your breath away. And you will
experience a way of walking in this world that will send you back, far back in
time... into the present.
For example, you will learn about our special relationship with the
land. Living close tothis land, we tend to think of it more or less a living
entity - something that can be hurt if we don`t treat it well. So we take only
what we need from it, whether animals, fish, plants, or trees, and leave the
rest to grow and flourish for our grandchildren.
Like
our ancestors, we hunt animals for our food. We do not think of hunting as a
victory over nature. Rather, we tend to think of it as part of the larger gift
of life. If you join us at one of our bush camps, you will be able to see this
for yourself. There, you can join us for "country foods" such as
moose, beaver, goose, ptarmigan, caribou, arctic hare and local freshwater
fish. You will also learn about the time-honoured ways in which we prepare
these foods. And you`ll see that, as conservators, we do not waste any part of
the animal... we sometimes use certain tendons of the moose to keep our feet
dry in our moccasins.
A visit to one of our camps offers an intimate window on our way of
life. You will watch the strong hands of a Cree woman as she scrapes a stretched
marten pelt. You will listen to our elders telling stories about the old days,
their faces gently illuminated by the flicker of bear grease lamps. You may even
be lucky enough to hear about how our culture hero, Tchakapesh, killed the last
woolly mammoth in these parts...
We do not wear eagle feathers, smoke sweet grass, or use talking
sticks. Instead, we carpet the floors of our tents with spruce boughs, we
delight in the tangy scent of wood smoke rising out of these tents, and
celebrate the good fellowship that occurs inside them. We are so proud of this
fellowship that we would like to share it with you.
Your visit will start out with a tour of Oujé-Bougoumou itself - a community
which in 1995 won a U.N. award for excellence. You will see a unique heating
plant which reflects our tradition of conservation; fed by waste sawdust, it
sends out heat via underground pipes to every building in the village. You will
see buildings that combine a traditional astchiiugamikw (tepee) style with a
modern style. Afterwards you will be taken to our reconstructed "cultural
village". There you`ll learn how we make handicrafts such as tufting,
moccasins, or snowshoes. And since your visit is a participatory one, you will
be given the chance to make a craft item yourself.
In Oujé-Bougoumou, you`ll be staying at our comfortable Capissisit
Lodge. Or if you prefer, you can "rough it" in an astchiiugamikw at
the cultural village, warmed by a crackling fire and lulled to sleep by the
fragrance of spruce boughs. In the bush, you`ll be staying in a heated canvas
tent with a spruce bough floor that will give you all the warmth and comfort of
a small cabin.
Our hospitality is legendary. Visit us in Oujé-Bougoumou and
experience it. Let our way of life become your way of life for a few days, a
week, or even longer.
Join us for a trip that includes education, adventure, and a sense of history... a trip that you will not soon forget.
For booking information, please contact:
David or Anna
Bosum
Nuuhchimi Wiinuu (Cultural Tours)
74 Opataca Street
Oujé-Bougoumou, Quebec
Canada
G0W 3CO
Tel: 1-800-745-2045
Fax: 1-418-745-3500
