Graphic courtesy Northern Saskatchewan Trapper’s Association, Facebook.
For the second year ever, the Northern Saskatchewan Trapper’s Association’s annual convention in La Ronge will host a full day of presentations and demonstrations for young people.
Association president Adam O. Charles said they’re looking for young blood to keep trapping and traditional activities alive, and try “to get them back on the land.”
Friday will include demonstrations on skinning, fish preparation, sawing, and snare making for young people.
“I got white wish, we got pickerel, northern Pike. I also got suckers here because every species of fish is edible, up here anyway. Basically, how to survive, when all else fails, they’ll know where to go,” Charles said.
Fred Charles will join Adam in a presentation on traditional medicine, where they brief young people on “which ones you pick and what kind of sickness you got, and they work. That’s I’ve been using all my life, I’m 69 years old,” Adam said.
It can sometimes be difficult to keep young people’s attention, but Adam said he had an idea on how to solve that problem.
“I don’t think we’d be allowing their cellphones inside. Texting, that’s what distracts everybody,” he said.
He said there is no admission cost and any schools are invited to attend. He’s expecting a couple hundred kids from La Ronge and Montreal Lake area, but said roads in further communities may prove to be too difficult to travel on right now.
Saturday and Sunday will be the official start of events for the more experienced trappers to get together, which is a rare occasion.
“That’s where you make a lot of friends there, for trappers to get together once a year is the whole idea there,” he said.
“Comparing notes, where you’re trapping, how long you’ve been trapping, the conditions, all that stuff. After that we’re pretty much all on our own so to speak.”
There’s a banquet and gala on Saturday night, and Adam laughingly invited people to come out to square dance and “get that hidden talent out there to show off.”
Each day of the convention starts at 9 a.m. at the JRMCC Hall and runs all day. The Saturday banquet starts at 6 p.m. For a full agenda, you can visit the Northern Saskatchewan Trappers Association’s Facebook page here.