Oldal 108 [108]
CANADIAN LANDSCAPES/ PAYSAGES CANADIENS
almost simmered over a slow fire. Among the foods that are unacceptable for
the stomach of the modern European man, but are for consumption in that
harsh landscape, one can find the foetus of pregnant animals and the undigested
contents of animals" stomach alike. Ihe description of these meals suggests
that the meal revolves around one key word: survival. In fact, Hearne’s descrip¬
tions of the journey also include cannibalism. He claims to have encountered
more than once an aboriginal who had resorted to this “terrible” act. However,
contrary to the horror stories that were spreading, these natives did not cher¬
ish cannibalism, nor did they smile again once such an incident occurred, they
became melancholic. Although such things do not happen in Hearne’s travels,
he mentions that some people refused to sleep in a tent with the natives for
fear of being consumed during the night (Hearne 43).
The former nomadic lifestyle of the Denesuline meant that deer still played
a very important role in their diet, even if their hunting was not always suc¬
cessful. Their hunting style did not differ much from the trapping techniques
of indigenous peoples. Although bows were replaced by firearms in their daily
lives, the bow and arrow remained the primary weapon for hunting, and they
only used other weapons when they were unable to hunt with a bow and were
in dire need of food (Hearne 213).
In some situations, they could not be selective about the food sources avail¬
able, but it is still observed that some animals, such as moose or smaller
mammals, make the stomach bitter due to the nature of their meat or their
diet. And although Hearne’s comments are based purely on his own observa¬
tions, the fact that the Denesuline did not consume certain animals even in
the coldest season may indicate that they did not eat them at other times,
either.
THE IMPACT OF LANDSCAPE AND CLIMATE IN THE DENESULINE’S
TRADITION, HABITS AND RITUALS
In the next part of my paper, I will explore how the everyday experience of the
Denesuline — as exemplified above through food — affected their worldview.
The main focus of the study will be afterlife-related beliefs and burial customs,
but I will also look at other religious practices to get the full picture.
First, let’s look at the relevant elements of Denesuline mythology. Part of
the Denesuline understanding of the world is how they viewed aurora borealis,
or the northern lights. Surprisingly, unlike the group labelled “Southern Indi¬
ans” > (Hearne 234), they did not associate the phenomenon with the dead,
but developed the view that if the lights were bright, then there was an
> Probably the Cree indigenous nation.
+ 106 »