Dawson College students butcher moose in downtown Montreal

Indigenous and non-Indigenous Dawson College students butchered a moose in downtown Montreal on Tuesday. 

For Northern Quebec Crees, autumn marks moose hunting season — but for Crees pursuing post secondary education, it means less time in their home territory and more time studying for midterm exams.

"I needed my moose break. I thought since I can't go to the bush, I can't go get the moose, so I had a moose brought in at the college," said Angela Ottereyes, who is from Waskaganish, Que. 

Ottereyes is a full-time law, society and justice student while working part-time as a social and sports activity leader under Dawson College's First Peoples' Centre. 

Cree students took a break from class to help clean the moose. One of those students was Tristan Beauregard, a 19-year-old computer science student at the college. 

"I'm in the middle of the city. You don't usually see three moose heads, especially on campus. So I liked it, it brought me a little bit back home," said Beauregard, who has lived away from his Waskaganish home intermittently for about ten years.

The event was open to everyone. Several Mohawk, Mi'kmaq, Cree and non-Indigenous students and professors joined the event to learn hands-on Cree teachings and enjoy traditional food. 

It was Julia Clement's first time butchering a moose from start to finish. Clement started at 10 in the morning, first helping to skin it and then butchering and bagging the meat.

"I did not know what to expect today. I was just preparing to look at the moose, but then I put on gloves and I really got into it," said Clement, who is Mi'kmaq from Listuguj. 

"This would have never happened at Vanier ... I think that's what's most important about culture, because it creates a community for the people that usually don't have one," said Clement.

Malick Duff, 19, is from Chisasibi and studies culinary arts. He spent his time cleaning the moose nose.

"This experience was amazing. To connect with my people," said Duff. "[It] was actually very fun … to see non-[Indigenous] people work with butchering."

Duff's grandfather, William Coonishish was invited to pass down his knowledge and teach people how to harvest the moose meat. Coonishish said he and some friends killed four moose from Gaspe. 

"It was a lot of work. First step was to skin the moose, [then] we butcher it, the students helped out and I showed them how to skin, they also took off the meat from the bones," said Coonishish. 

None of the moose will go to waste. The skulls will be donated to the college's biology department. 

Half of the moose meat will be used for traditional cooking activities at the First Peoples' Centre, said Angela Ottereyes, the social and sports activity leader at the centre who helped organize this event. 

"I'm hoping to bring in more traditional food … like other Indigenous groups, if they have food they would wanna bring in, we can try to get it and just learn from other Indigenous people," said Ottereyes. 

Organizing traditional events on campus is important for Ottereyes. She said it helps her connect with Cree culture while being away from home.

"Even if you're not in your community, you'll find community everywhere," she said.