TRAPLINE VC34 Land Use Before the La Grande Complex

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1 SUMMARY OF TRAPLINE LAND USE BEFORE THE LA GRANDE PROJECT TRAPLINE VC34 Land Use Before the La Grande Complex Trapline Background Information The trapline VC34 is located at more than 175 km east of Eastmain, covering the northern part of the Opinaca Reservoir. The totality of the trapline is on Category III land. The tallyman corrected the south eastern boundary of the trapline on both maps showing the trapline before and after the La Grande project. Thomas Mayappo is the tallyman of the trapline VC34. In 1991, he replaced his father Alex Mayappo, who was the tallyman in the 70 s and still very active on the land at the time of the impoundment of the Opinaca Reservoir in Impacts Related to the La Grande Complex: The Opinaca Spillway (completed in 1980). The construction of three dikes (OA-04, OA-03, OA-02) and one dam (OA-05) completed in The La Sarcelle Control Structure completed in The Opinaca Reservoir, which impoundment occurred in 1980, flooded 377,5 km 2-252,5 km 2 of land and 125,0 km 2 of water plans - which represents 55,9 % of the total superficies of the trapline. The reservoir has a drawdown range of four meters The access road going from the Route de la Baie James to the La Sarcelle Control Structure, built in 1977, running north-south on the western part of the trapline. The creation of the Boyd-Sakami diversion, downstream of La Sarcelle Control Structure, flooded 0,2 km 2 of land and 0,1 km 2 of water plan. Other Hydro-Québec Infrastructure on the Trapline: (not considered as part of the La Grande Complex) One 25 kv line running from the Muskeg Substation to the Opinaca Spillway and the La Sarcelle Control Structure, in the western part of the trapline. Trapline Land Use Before the La Grande Complex In the 70 s, the tallyman s family came to the trapline by plane, the family paying for its own plane fare and, as stated by the tallyman s brother, the family being prosperous enough to afford travelling by plane. The plane would sea land in front of one of their many camps, on Mistamiskwas Lake, on a lake further northwest, on another lake southeast or in front of their main camp on Opinaca Lake further northeast. On some 1

2 occasion only the women (and the supplies) would board the plane and the men would paddle up to the trapline. Yet, the trip from the community to the trapline was rarely done by canoe in the 70 s because of the distance. The family acquired their first snowmobile around 1977 yet, the trip to the community was done only once because that year, the plane could not bring back the canoe. So, following the trail that came out to the trapline from the southeast, the men of the family had travelled by snowmobile pulling a sled with the canoe on it. The trip was considered too long and too difficult to do during spring time and was not done again. The snowmobile was used for travelling between main camps on the trapline and, as noted by the tallyman, it was not used on the trapping routes. Up to 14 log and moss houses and 5 tent frames were found on 15 different campsites. Their main camp site (#1) on Opinaca Lake counted four log and moss houses that were still in good condition at the time of impoundment. One log and moss house and one tent frame were located on the campsite (#3) on the lake northwest of Mistamiskwas Lake. Another log and moss house was found on that same lake. One spring tee-pee (camp #6) and four log and moss houses were built around Mistamiskwas Lake, one of them being a main camp (#2) that was still in good condition at the time of impoundment. One tent frame (#4) was located on a smaller lake southeast of Mistamiskwas Lake, southwest of Ukaw Lake. One log and moss house was found on a branch of Opinaca Lake north of Ukaw Lake as well as a tent frame on a lake further north. Two log and moss houses were located along the Opinaca River, one on the northern border of the trapline that was still in good condition at the time of impoundment, the other on a branch coming inland. A temporary tent frame is found on a lake east of this branch. Finally, a log and moss house was located at the eastern border of the trapline, on a branch of Ell Lake coming into the Opinaca River. Alex Mayappo, the tallyman s father, had a typical trapper seasonal schedule, leaving the community with his family in September and returning in March. Depending on the years and if they could afford it, they would come to the community for the Christmas holidays. In the 60 s, the Hudson s Bay Co. plane would offer free travel to the trappers during their fur pick-up round, including the in and out travels during Christmas time. In the 70 s, when the fur pick-up business was taken over by the Band, those trips were done at the trapper s expenses. About 7 or 8 people, including Thomas and Hugo Mayappo, were based at the main camp (#1) spending the winter on the trapline and moving around to the other camps according to the areas trapped one year or the other. While in the 60 s, there was many visitors on the trapline - people coming to visit and also to borough supplies - visitors became rare in the 70 s because most of the trappers were travelling by plane, flying over the other traplines rather then travelling through neighbouring traplines. Yet some visitors still came around occasionally. A beaver inventory was done in September following a canoe route that went around the trapline. Leaving from the main camp (#1), the route went northwest on Opinaca Lake, turning east following the north border of the trapline on the Opinaca River up to 2

3 a first camp, coming back south to a first larger lake on the eastern border of the trapline to another camp, then to any of the camps into Mistamiskwas Lake on the south, and from there progressing again north west to Ukaw Lake and back to camp #1on Opinaca Lake. Before winter freeze-up, beaver were trapped in the creeks along a canoe route leaving from the main camp and going south into the north western branches of Low Lake. The winter intensive trapping would be done from one year to another in different areas of the trapline, letting the resource rest and reproduce for 2 or 3 years before coming back into an area. Not all the resource would be harvest even if up to 100 beavers could be trapped one year in one area. A first winter trapping route left from the main camp and covered trapping areas in the western sector of the trapline. Going by snowshoes, the trappers would trap along the Opinaca River until they reached the camp close to the eastern border and then covering trapping areas south of Opinaca Lake on their way back to the main camp and also northeast of the camp. A second trapping area covered the south eastern sector of the trapline with camp # 2 as main camp. Upon arrival on the trapline, fall trapping and survey would be done along the Opinaca River east and west of camp #11 and then south of camp #2 going through Mistamiskwas Lake until Ukaw Lake. The winter trapping area done by snowshoes covered all the lakes and rivers in a large area that encompass Mistakiskwas Lake, Ukaw Lake as well as Waputikamekw Lake. A third trapping area covered the north-eastern part of the trapline, with camp #3 as a main camp. The Opinaca River crosses the area which includes all the smaller lakes and rivers on the north and the east borders of the trapline. The area was travelled by canoe in the fall and by snowshoes in the winter. Fishing was good all over the trapline and the family would fish fall, winter and spring time. Their best sturgeon fishing area covered all the southern part of the Opinaca Lake east and west of camp #1. Sturgeon net fishing was also done on Mistamiskwas Lake where whitefish, walleye, suckers and pike were also caught. Three other areas were good for sturgeon, whitefish, walleye and pike, the lake where camp #3 is located, the Opinaca River branch further north where two other camps are sited, and the northern branches of the Opinaca Lake. A small lake just east of these branches was good for whitefish, while the western part of the trapline, the Opinaca River in its wider part was also good for sturgeon and lake trout. Beside beaver, marten, otter, lynx and fox were also trapped and all their skins cleaned by the women. Rabbits were hunted both by men and by women while bear, which was all over the trapline, was hunted whenever they had the rare chance to see them. Caribou was seen but rarely killed (only once by the tallyman) in one of the two caribou hunting areas where they where tracked down. Moose was not very abundant on the trapline yet it was found in a small area at the southern border and numerous in a larger moose hunting area located just outside the trapline. The big game was hunted only for the needs of the family while on the trapline and not brought back to the community. enough to be eaten while on the trapline as it could be kept frozen all winter and early spring. After loading the plane with all the fur and the equipment, there 3

4 was not enough room to bring back meat to the community. Sturgeon or any other kind of fish wasn t brought back to the community either. During spring time, the tallyman s family and other visitors gathered for spring goose hunt in a small goose area around camp #2 on Mistamiskwas Lake. Yet most of the spring goose hunt happened on the James Bay coast where the family would head for after leaving the trapline in March. They would then spend the summer in the community fishing and small game hunting around the community. The tallyman s family identified two burial sites, one on the shore facing camp #3 and another one east of the main camp #1: a religious service was held at those two sites before the impoundment of the reservoir. The tallyman s father mentioned before his death that there were four burial sites on the trapline but showed his sons the location of only two of them. The burial site of a family that starved to death and buried in their tee-pee is located somewhere on the north-east part of the trapline. One birth place was identified close by one the main camp #1 : it is the birth place of a cousin, Minnie Mayappo. The sturgeon fishing spot located in front of camp #3 is considered a valued site as it was a good fishing spot as well as a gathering place where the family would meet with people of other traplines on their way back to the community. The spring goose hunt area located in front of camp #2 that was mentioned earlier as a gathering place is a valued area for the same reasons. One other gathering area is valued by the family, a site located on the Opinaca River on the northern border of the trapline where the family would meet trappers of Wemindji during fall and spring time. The sturgeon area located in front of camp site #1 is valued because it was a commercial fishing spot. During the 60 s, the family was in radio contact with an agent, a man from (or related to) the Department of Indian Affairs Office of Moosenee, Ontario,who would regularly come by plane to pick-up the freshly fished sturgeons as soon as a plane load was available, the last trip being done in June before the family headed back for the community. Sturgeon was not smoked, on occasion it was dried, but just in sufficient quantity for the needs of the men paddling down to the community. The sturgeon business provided good extra revenue to the family as this person would sell all the fish on the behalf of the family. 4

5 The family is sceptical that the measures will be done and fells that Hydro-Québec does not thinks of all the consequences on the way of life, protecting themselves, not helping out the Crees. Hydro will never be able to pay back all the damage caused to the Crees. 12

6 Baie Wapakw Passe Upistikwayaw Spring and fall gathering place Opinaca Ell Valued commercial sturgeon area Gathering place iskunasu naca VC34 Spring gathering place Mistamiskwas Ukaw Uskawanis Low