Festivals & Seasons

The Bush

In Cree life, the importance of what is often called in English "the bush" (traditional lands outside of the villages) cannot be overstated. Apart from its purely economic significance, bush life and bush skills are at the heart of cree culture and identity.

Most Crees will tell you - "I'm happiest when I'm in the bush!"; and today, many Cree families have bush camps that have been passed down from generation to generation. Sometimes, they are accessible only by canoe, and include many portages; in other cases, they are near modern roads. In bush camps you will often see ATV's, snowmobiles, and power boats, but you will still find snowshoes, sleds, and our traditional dwellings.

Walking Out Ceremony

When a Cree infant is old enough to walk, he or she along with other infants of the same age are dressed in traditional Cree outfits, and given toy versions of the tools used by Cree hunters - guns and knives for the boys, and scraping instruments for the girls. They are then placed in a ceremonial tent in which the elders of the community are seated. The elders then send them out of the tent accompanied by a parent or close relative with the infants pulling behind them decorated animals which have been hunted, sometimes geese, sometimes beaver, sometimes small game. They then complete a circle around a decorated tree. When the boys have completed half the circle they are assisted in firing a rifle in the air. They complete their circle, re-enter the tent and give the animals which they have been pulling to the elders. For Crees this is a wonderful ceremony which symbolizes the expectation of productive behaviour from individuals, the collective objective of work, and the worth of everyone in Cree society. Traditionally this ceremony is carried out in the morning. Also, the opening of the ceremonial tent always faces east, toward the rising sun, which is a constant symbol of optimism and hope for the future.

New Year's Eve

"During the time of the New Year, the families go out to the bush where we stay in tents even though it is so cold. We stay warm by the wood stove. We sleep on beds of spruce boughs. There are fires and feasts. We eat caribou and moose meat and we go visiting all of our friends. We make ice and snow sculptures of husky dogs and beavers. At midnight on New Year's Eve, the men all fire their guns in the air to say goodbye to the old year and hello to the new."
Naomi Bosum, Oujé-Bougoumou