Indigenous Traditional Knowledge

Place Name Changes on Early Maps

March 19, 2025

“This is one of the first maps that Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) made,” said Gerald Neufeld, referring to the map below. “It was likely based on the first journey inland from the Hudson Bay and James Bay posts to look for opportunities to expand the fur trade. Tomison, the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) employee from the Severn River post, had not yet found the Berens River and Poplar River.”

Neither Poplar River nor Berens River appear on this 1769 A. Graham map, marked up by Gerald.

“As the years advanced, HBC became more aware of the east side of Lake Winnipeg, and so did their competition, the NorthWest Company out of Montreal.”

Lakes and Rivers Renamed

The 1802 Arrowsmith map (below) shows that familiarity with the region had advanced quickly, said Gerald.

Today’s Fishing Lake, Viking Lake, and Moar Lake appear as Goose, Moose, and Eagle Lakes on this Arrowsmith map, 1802, marked up by Gerald..

From 1923-1926 the region’s lakes and rivers, once bearing Ojibwe names that carried stories and meanings, were renamed. “The Royal Canadian Air Force decided that if they were going to fly their airplanes in this region, they would need proper maps,” said Gerald.

No regard was given to traditional place names of lakes and rivers.

“The problem with their effort from today’s vantage point is that no permissions from Indigenous Peoples were obtained,” Gerald said. “They just went ahead and put names on the lakes and rivers. Some are Indigenous names, others are interpreted names that emulate the Indigenous names and many are names of fallen soldiers, aviators, and land surveyors. They got away with making the changes back in the 1920s, because most people in the region were unable to read or speak English.”

Today’s Bloodvein River appears as Blood River in a section of thisHudson’s Bay Company map (Peter Pond, 1785); marked up by Gerald.

Reclaiming Place Names

Land Guardian Melba Green of Bloodvein River First Nation explains the importance of named places. “Our Elders tell stories about places that were named after the plants and animals who live there, or ancestors who traveled across the land. Some names are based on the rocks or the water that flows there. Water gives life, and the land gives gifts and tools to use and to survive. These names are in our language and remind us to be respectful. They give us important information, like what to expect, or what to watch out for when we’re there.”

That’s why Gerald Neufeld’s work is important and why our communities are creating traditional place names maps that preserve our cultural heritage.

Little Grand Rapids First Nation and Pauingassi First Nation are in the process of creating place names maps to preserve the language, cultural identity, and knowledge of place and travel routes.

12 Named Places to Discover in Poplar River First Nation

5 Animal Track Patterns to Spot This Winter

December 11, 2024

Ever since November, when snow fell in Bloodvein River First Nation and was here to stay, Guardian Melba Green has been following animal tracks to gain clues about their winter activities, habitats, and movements.

“It’s good to see tracks. It means the animals live here, too, and walk among us. They are exploring and hunting. They roam alone or in packs.”

Bloodvein River First Nation Guardian Melba Green

Tracks are intriguing

“I like to think about what the animal was doing and why, based on its tracks,” Melba says.

Tracks might tell you if a fox chased a hare, whether the hare reached safety, or if a kill was made. Sometimes you can see that an animal has sped up in the snow, suggesting it was spooked. Some tracks leave you wondering. Such as, why did the squirrel turn around and head back up the tree? Did it sense a predator nearby? Or, what is this mark in the snow beside the lynx tracks? Was the lynx dragging prey from its mouth?

“It’s best to go tracking after a snowstorm,” says Melba. This is when snow is fresh and animals are out in search of food. “Old tracks are harder to identify.”

Look for tracks when snow is fresh.

Track Patterns

Melba notes that different animals move in different ways. The animal’s track pattern is the biggest clue and first thing she looks for, she says. Here are five track patterns to spot this winter.

Identify the track pattern first.

1. Hoppers

Snowshoe hare, mouse, red squirrel

The snowshoe hare’s back legs swing forward as it hops

Hoppers usually have back legs that are bigger than their front legs. When the animal hops, its front feet land first, then its back feet swing forward and land in front of the front feet.

What to look for: Clumps of four prints

Snowshoe hare tracks showing how the back feet land in front of the front feet.

2. Bounders

Mink, otter, marten, weasel

Weasel in mid bound through snow. The weasel lands on its front feet. When it bounds forward again, its back feet will land where its front feet currently are.

Bounders usually have long bodies and short legs that are all the same size. When the animal moves forward, its front feet are down. In a single motion, it lifts its front feet and pushes off with its back feet. The back feet land almost exactly where the front feet were.

What to look for: Two prints side by side, with one print slightly in front of the other (it looks almost as though the animal was hopping on two feet)

Weasel tracks showing sets of prints where its back feet land on top of the print made by its front feet.

Tracks left by an otter sliding on its belly across the snow. © Ōtake Hidehiro

3. Waddlers

Bear, beaver, muskrat, porcupine, skunk, woodchuck

Waddlers usually have short legs and shift their bodies side to side as they walk, dragging their bellies. Their front and back legs move together on one side of their body, then the other side. All four prints land in separate spots.

What to look for: A front and back print next to each other, on each side

Bear tracks with lines showing how its body sways side to side as it walks/waddles.

Bears occasionally wake up and move around during winter.

4. Zig-Zaggers

Lynx, fox, moose, timber wolf woodland caribou

Notice the woodland caribou in stride on the far right . Its back right foot has just landed where its front foot was. © Ōtake Hidehiro

Zig-zaggers usually have long legs. When the animal moves forward, the print from its back foot lands on top of (or very close to) the front print.

What to look for: Single tracks in a straight or slightly zig-zagged line

Woodland caribou tracks, showing how zig-zaggers create a straight line by stepping on top of their own tracks.

Woodland caribou travel in herds. © Ōtake Hidehiro

Lynx are zig-zaggers, also known as perfect walkers – they step on top of their own tracks

5. Snow Angel

Eagle, owl

Birds of prey touch down to capture their prey. You can usually see the tracks of a small mammal moving toward the print and messy snow in the centre of the print, where the bird gripped the prey with its talons.

What to look for: Wing, tail and talon marks, and tracks made by prey

Track Like a Guardian!

What animal made the tracks you see? Once you identify the track pattern, ask yourself these 10 questions to narrow down your list:

What animals live in the area?
Where are the tracks—such as an open area, riverbank or forest—and what animals tend to inhabit or travel through here?
What shape is the track?
How large is the track?
Does the animal have webbed feet, hooves or foot pads?
How many toes do I see?
Does the track have claw marks?
Is the track deep or shallow (the heavier the animal, the deeper the tracks)?
Is scat nearby and does it tell me if the animal is a plant eater (pellet-like scat) or meat eater (tube-like scat)?
Are there any other clues, like multiple tracks indicating that the animal travels in a pack or herd, fuzzy tracks caused by fur between the animal’s toes, or signs of a tail dragging through snow?

The Challenge of Identifying Animal Prints in Snow

Animal prints in snow are often unidentifiable—they may be too deep, fuzzy, melted, blown over, or lack detail—but it’s still fun to look for clues and do your best to narrow down which animals walk among us. Enjoy spotting track patterns this winter!

These deep and undefined tracks were likely made by a zig-zagger but are difficult to identify with certainty. © Melba Green

These tracks appear to be made by a bounder. © Melba Green

Multiple clues indicate that foxes were here: zig-zag track pattern, roughly 2″ x 2″ print size, multiple tracks (foxes live in social groups). © Melba Green

Multiple clues indicate that an otter was here: two prints side by side, snow slide trail, and a hole in the snow. © Melba Green

What do these clues tell you? © Melba Green

Feature photo: © Ōtake Hidehiro

How to Harvest Manoomin (Wild Rice)

March 11, 2024

The late Joe Owen of Pauingassi First Nation often reminisced about harvesting, traveling and listening to stories from his dad. Below, Joe describes the process of harvesting manoomin (wild rice).

Identify Harvest Time

The wild rice plant needs to be above the surface of the water, with the branch extended, and pockets for the kernels formed. Once this occurs, it takes about 10 days for the heads to fill out. At that point, the kernels are ripe and need to be harvested. If this narrow time window is missed, rain or wind will cause the kernels to fall back into the lake.

Pankissinon
(Better pick them quickly before they fall)
Kwiipit (Joe’s Dad) often used this word

Manoomin looks like floating grass before it grows up and out of the water.

Drying Manoomin (Wild Rice)

Once the kernels are harvested, they are placed in a tall metal pail angled against the heat of the fire to heat and dry them. It is imperative that they be thoroughly dried for two reasons. First, the husking process follows the drying period and the husks won’t detach from the kernel if the kernels aren’t entirely dry. The heat needs to remove moisture and result in temperatures that cause the husk to burn, but not the rice. The second reason for needing high levels of dryness is to preserve the wild rice. Heating of the kernel is needed to prepare for storage.

In the pot, a paddle is used to continuously stir the rice for 10-15 minutes if the quantity of wild rice is 3-4 pounds. This process is repeated over and over again during the initial drying/stirring process if greater volumes are being dried.

Ahkihkan okii apichii’an (They used a pail)
Piiwapihk ahkihk (A metal pail)
Oki wanaweyaanan ima ahkihkwonk
(It was stirred in the pail)
Apwi oki aapachii’an (A paddle was used)

Separating Husks and Kernels

Once the drying is done, the rice is placed on a canvas in a shallow pit in the ground. Joe’s Dad would step into the pit wearing moccasins. He would stand on the rice and stir it in an agitator fashion, with his feet moving side to side, while holding a branch or stick to maintain his balance. The agitating action would separate the dry/burned husks from the rice kernels.

Once the husks and kernels were separated, Joe’s dad would lift out the canvas and throw the kernels up and down, allowing the wind to blow away the husks.

Ahkihkwaabpihk kii siikinaan oteshpiwepinaanan, wepash ikiweniwak (husks)
Kii pahkwachihsewak (they fall off)

Pimachiowin Aki is grateful to Joe for sharing his knowledge and Gerald Neufeld for recording Joe’s words.

6 Days of Cultural Experiences with Pauingassi First Nation Guardian Colin Owens

December 18, 2023

Notes & photos from nature photographer Ōtake Hidehiro

1. Thursday | Net Fishing, Sacred Rock & Plant Medicine

Colin and his wife Cora took me to set a fishing net. We boated for 4.5km to get to the netting point and put the net into water. The net was 40-50m long or so.

Colin took me to a sacred rock. He put tobacco under the rock. It should avoid the direct sunlight and wind so that it won’t blow away, he said. It is also a good hunting spot for geese. He showed me the blind made by rocks to hide the hunter from geese.

Along the shore Cora was collecting medicine plants. She took just the tip of the twig of the shrubs to get buds. “It is good for your heart,” Colin said. It has a minty, herby, refreshing taste!

Colin also tried to get a root of sweetflag from the muddy ground for medicine.

2. Friday | The Catch

Surprisingly, we caught many fish just for overnight! We kept 32 walleyes, two big northern pike and 14 whitefish. We put a net into water again. Colin and Cora were busy cutting fish even after dark! We went to get the net out from the water in the evening. We caught a few more fish to cut!

3. Saturday | Smoke House

Colin built a smoke house for whitefish with fresh green birch trees for poles. He carefully selected the right size of tree, which would easily bend and be strong enough at the same time.

Cora cooked fried bannock and fish (northern pike) for dinner.

4. Sunday | Smoking Fish

Colin started smoking whitefish around 11am. He needs old aspen trees for the smoke. He prefers almost-rotten logs, which produce a lot of smoke. He kept feeding the fire and checking the condition of the frame and temperature. It took 6-7 hours to finish. He was checking the colour of the fish meat to know if it is done or not.

Cora cooked moose stew for dinner! It was so tasty!

5. Tuesday | Moose Call

Today Colin showed me how to make a moose call out of birch bark. Colin looked for the right size tree around town but most of the trees were too old or too small. The moose call we made became a bit shorter than usual. After we made the moose call, we drove Colin’s truck to the edge of the town and tested it on a hill. “It should work. We will try it in the bush tomorrow,” he said.

Pauingassi First Nation Guardian Colin Owens tests a moose call that he made of birch bark.

6. Wednesday | Boat Ride, Pictograph & Moose Call

Colin took me on a boat ride! We visited a pictograph. It was very interesting to see. Colin told me that looks like three turtles and some kind of animal below it.

He brought a shotgun and rifle in case we could see any ducks, geese or moose.

We tried to call a moose in two different locations and waited for quite a long time. Unfortunately no moose came out, but it was wonderful to learn the Anishinaabe way of life on the land.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with me, Colin!

Photos: Ōtake Hidehiro

How to Prepare Meat for Smoking

March 21, 2023

By Naomi Moar, Little Grand Rapids First Nation

Preparing meat for smoking takes days. After the quarters are prepared and cut up, and undesired pieces are cut off, the meat has lost approximately 1/4 of its weight. All the sinew and fat are cut away.

Cutting the Meat

Each chuck is cut down the middle and then along the ‘bottom’ to create a 1/8 inch thick slice. As you cut along the bottom, you are unfolding the meat to prepare a long piece for smoking.

Depending on how many sticks you have made for the smoke shack (I usually make five), you can smoke a whole hind quarter in about six hours depending on the thickness of your cut.
Naomi Moar, Little Grand Rapids First Nation

The smoke shack

This is where you will hang your meat. The smoke shack is made of red willow (after it turns white) for the frame and cooking rods.

The wood, fire and time

The wood to burn is poplar. The fire cannot be too high otherwise the meat will burn. Because we are removing the moisture from the meat, the session should take about six hours at a low burn.

Because of the cost of fire-retardant canvas, I have yet to procure one.

Everything I have learned, I learned from my grandmother.

Photos: Naomi Moar

Songmeter Project – First Results Are In

March 21, 2023

Thank you to contributors Councillor Eddie Hudson, Poplar River Lands Guardians Norway Rabliauskas and Brad Bushie, Dr. Jeff Wells, and Elisha Corsiga (writer)

Our Elders and their ancestors have cared for our Traditional Lands for over 6,000 years.

Protecting Pimachiowin Aki, which over 200 bird species rely on for survival, is an important example of how we care for the land,” says Poplar River First Nation Lands Councillor Eddie Hudson.

Since 2016, Poplar River Lands Guardian Norway Rabliauskas has been collaborating with scientists from Audubon’s Boreal Conservation program to better understand how songbird populations are changing in the face of climate change.

The first results of the ‘Songmeter Project’ are in.

“Songmeters record bird sounds,” says Guardian Brad Bushie, Poplar River Lands Guardians Program. Using knowledge of the land, Poplar River Lands Guardians placed the recording units at four sites across the traditional territory, he explains.

The number of bird species recorded allows us to analyze population changes over time,” adds Dr. Jeff Wells, Vice President for Boreal Conservation at National Audubon Society.

*Map of survey sites in Poplar River First Nation and its location within Pimachiowin Aki, courtesy Audubon*

Guardians placed Songmeters in four survey sites in Poplar River First Nation throughout the spring of 2016

71 bird species were detected

At least 18 of the species detected have more than 70% of their breeding range confined to the Boreal Forest biome, meaning their survival relies heavily on healthy landscapes like Pimachiowin Aki

Two species were detected on more than half of all recordings:
- White-throated Sparrow
- Swainson’s Thrush

Five species were detected on more than 30% of all recordings:
- Blackburnian Warbler
- Ovenbird
- Song Sparrow
- Bald Eagle
- American Crow

At least 20 species listed as special concern, threatened, or endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) are believed to occur within Pimachiowin Aki. The Songmeter project captured recordings of three of the bird species listed by COSEWIC:
- Common Nighthawk
- Eastern Whip-poor-will
- Canada Warbler

Common Nighthawk
Photo: Christian Artuso

National Audubon Society’s recent study, Survival by Degrees, found that over two-thirds of North American birds are moderately or highly vulnerable to a global average temperature increase of 3°C by 2080. This includes many species detected at Poplar River First Nation, such as:
- Bay-breasted Warbler
- Cape May Warbler
- Canada Warbler
- Blackburnian Warbler

How the collaboration began

“We first talked with the Guardians and community, and asked if they would be interested,” says Jeff.

Norway says the project is a good fit for his community. “One of our goals is to develop new research partnerships. Plus, the project builds on the monitoring work we have already been doing.”

Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science come together

The Songmeter project relies heavily on Guardians, and the process of collaborating starts with listening and respect.

Listening to Guardians’ advice is crucial in a project like this, where Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science combine to create strong, respectful conservation efforts, says Jeff. “Things always overlay with Indigenous knowledge.”

Guardians serve as stewards and scientists and are central to a program that pairs data collection with Indigenous ecological knowledge to track changes across the site over time.
Chad Wilsey, Vice President and Chief Scientist, National Audubon Society, in his blog about his work and experience in Poplar River First Nation

Guardians have a good understanding of the land and decide where to install Songmeters.

“Our Guardians’ hard work and understanding of the land have contributed to the project’s success,” says Councillor Eddie Hudson. “We are proud of the work they do.”

*Guardian Norway Rabliauskas installs a Son*gmeter.

The project continues

This past year, Guardians installed Songmeters in the same four locations as 2016. The 2017-2021 recordings have yet to be formally processed but since the start of the project, the number of species the team has identified has “greatly expanded,” Jeff says.

Thousands of hours of song

Analyzing bird sounds can be a difficult and time-consuming task.

“What happens with this kind of work is that you can get thousands of hours of recordings, and you can imagine someone sitting down and listening… You can only get through so much,” says Jeff.

The relatively small team picked random samples, listening to four 10-minute recordings from each day collected in 2016.

187.3 hours of recordings were sampled between May 27 and July 1, 2016
Birds of Poplar River Project – First Results

New technology to speed up the process

Recently, the team implemented BirdNET in their identification process. BirdNET is an artificial intelligence algorithm developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This bird identification machine can quickly go through recordings to identify specific bird species.

The team will use BirdNet to help identify the recordings taken in Poplar River First Nation from 2017–2021.

Looking forward

In the upcoming year, National Audubon Society and Poplar River First Nation Lands Guardians Luke Mitchell, Brad Bushie and Youth Guardian Aiden Heindmarch will work together to expand the areas where Songmeters are placed. They plan to set up Songmeters in deeper and more remote areas of the forest.

“One place takes a couple of days to get to by boat,” Jeff says. “It’s exciting to see what we might find in these places.”

He hopes that over the years more First Nation communities can use Songmeters when developing their monitoring programs. He also hopes for more collaborative initiatives with communities in Pimachiowin Aki.

“If that’s what communities want to be a part of,” he says, “there are a lot of interesting things to discover.”