Fishing to highlight Indigenous culture

2018-03-062018-03-06 Liz Draper 242 Views

While the day of fishing may not prove successful financially for the group, Chief Roger Fleury said that the day is great exposure and an opportunity to see old friends and neighbours. Pictured: Fleury thanks the group for their participation before distributing prizes.

The Algonquins Off-Reserve, Fort Coulonge held their annual fishing tournament on the Grand Marais on Saturday, where over 60 anglers dropped their lines through the ice. From left: The winners for the day included Benoit Ladouceur, Sebastien Fortin, Gaetan Soucie, event organizer Roger Fleury, Maria Boucher and Randy Boucher.

Donald Teuma-Castelletti
MANSFIELD March 3, 2018
Lines were dropped into the Grand Marais all Saturday long as a fishing tournament at the organizing group sought to highlight the traditional practice of joining in the communal activity.
Just over 60 anglers hit the river, joining Algonquins Off-Reserve, Fort Coulonge for their annual event that saw prizes distributed to the kid and adult divisions alike.
“We do this for the culture,” said Roger Fleury, Chief of the band. “We’ve always held this fishing tournament because fishing and hunting is traditional [activities].”
Fleury explained that by continuing to host events that work as community builders, the Algonquins Off-Reserve hope to share their message of respect for the land and traditional Indigenous lifestyles. He further said that fishing would be an activity that benefits the entire community, as the fruits of their labour would be shared amongst the whole community.
“We don’t say, I caught a big fish and you can eat your minnow, we share,” said Fleury.

FREE ACCESS FOR EQUITY SUBSCRIBERS

This article is available free to all subscribers to The Equity. If you are a subscriber, please enter your email address and password below.

SET UP YOUR ONLINE ACCOUNT

If you are a subscriber but have not yet set up your online account, please contact Liz Draper at liz@theequity.ca to do so.

HOW TO BECOME A SUBSCRIBER

To become a subscriber to The Equity, please use our Subscribe page or contact liz@theequity.ca