Recently in the news there has been concern for the people of Fort Albany and Kashechewan First Nations due to the flooding. This type of danger is an annual worry that has to do with the damming of rivers by large floating chunks of ice.
A lot of First Nations on the James Bay coast are situated in areas that are prone to flooding in the spring. I recall the terror of flooding when I was a boy back home in Attawapiskat. There was a lot of drama and excitement around the danger of a flood. I was confused and dysfunctional enough back then but when all the adults around me started warning us about the potential of an oncoming flood, I became very anxious. I had heard all the stories over the years about the trauma and the destruction done by the raging Attawapiskat River in flood mode. It was frightening for me to think that the mighty Attawapiskat could be dammed up by ice to the point where it could over flow the high banks of this tributary. I found it almost inconceivable that nature had the power to move water up so high and cause so much damage.
I was evacuated several times in my life due to the spring break up and the potential of flooding. During these times back in those days, rather than heading to southern cities, we moved our families out onto the land and our hunting camps far away from the danger of flooding.
One spring, we had to be evacuated by helicopter to Twin Island on James Bay, in between the mainland and Akamiski Island. In this particular evacuation, people had the choice to head out onto the land to their family’s hunting grounds. We chose to go to Twin Island
because it was easy. It took a few flights to move our family out onto the island and supplies including tents, food, clothing, blankets and hunting equipment. It was a good choice as it allowed us to extend our spring goose hunt. There on Twin Island we relaxed in the natural beauty of the land and hunted Niska or the Canada goose. My dad and brothers hunted geese during the day and my mom and my sisters plucked and prepared them for cooking. It was a time of plenty as we sat around the fire and relaxed with great meals of roasted and smoked geese, dumplings, bannock and hot tea. We spent many hours over warm fires long into the night.
We spent time walking on the pebble beaches of Twin Island and played in the pine forests. At night we would marvel at the “wawatay”, the northern lights and the spectacular ceiling of bright stars. Regularly, my dad would get on the old bush radio and chat with all the families on the land and officials back in town to find out how serious the break up was. Most of the time severe flooding did not happen and then in a few weeks we were able to return home.
It was great to be able to head out on to the land and wait out this perilous time. We were safe out there on Twin Island in familiar surroundings where my ancestors had hunted and gathered for hundreds of years. It was an escape from the intense and dysfunctional lives we lived back in the community. Out on the land we could spend quality time with each other and live a more traditional life.
These days when the danger of flooding is being announced, many people want to head to southern cities for excitement, shopping and the freedom of the open road. Still, I think many Elders prefer escaping any potential flood by heading out onto their traditional
lands. There is something to be said for going back to our original and traditional way of life when the threat of flooding comes to town.
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