Moose

Overview

Chad Kwakajesuk on why protecting moose means protecting the whole system that keeps them, and the community, strong.

About this video

Moose tell you when a season is changing and show you where the land is healthy. Chad describes moose as part of the landscape's teaching, connected to habitat, water, plants and movement, not just an animal to hunt.

Protecting moose means protecting healthy habitat, safe movement areas and clean water, and with them food security, traditional land use and the chance for elders and youth to keep learning from the territory.

Transcript

Hello, my name is Chad Kwakajesuk and I'm a member of Brunswick House First Nation. I'm thankful for the opportunity to speak and I'm thankful for the land that continues to teach us. When I think about our connection to the territory, I don't think about just one animal or one season. I think about how everything is connected, how the land supports life and how life returns a favour to those who live with respect.

Today I want to talk about moose. Moose are a part of the land, the way you read the land, you learn where the browse is good, you learn where the ground feels like after the thaw. You learn how the seasons change, the wetlands, the trails and the cover where animals feel safe. Moose tell you when a season is changing. Moose show you where the land is healthy, where food is available, where water is steady enough and where travel routes still make sense.

And for us, moose aren't the only animal you hunt. They're part of the landscape teaching, they're connected to habitat, connected to water, connected to plants and movement. And when that system is healthy, our community is able to live the way we were taught. That's why protecting moose matters, but it's important to understand that protecting moose means protecting the system that protects them. Healthy habitats, safe movement areas, clean water and places where animals could feed and rest.

When we protect moose, we also protect food security, we protect traditional land use, we protect the ability for elders and youth to keep learning from territory through real experience, through travel, through observation and through respectful use. I always come back to this, our children and grandchildren, we want them to grow up knowing the land in the same way we were taught, through discipline, gratitude and care. Our goal isn't just to protect moose for today, our goal is to make sure moose continue to thrive so future generations can still experience the land the same way, with confidence that the land will provide. At Brunswick House First Nation, Lands and Resources is here to protect those values, so they remain strong not only now, but for what becomes possible tomorrow. Miigwech.