It was a beautiful, sunny fall day for the sixth annual Feast in the Highlands, an event that usually has snow and sleet to dampen the coals of the campfires!
For the past six years, the Moose Working Group has organized a gathering in the Cape Breton Highlands to celebrate the annual moose hunt and spread the word of its activities in moose management.
Thanks to the group, voluntary guidelines have been implemented for the Mi’kmaq hunt, hunter reporting forms are in place to gather important information on the hunt, and community meetings have been held in all the Nova Scotian Mi’kmaq communities to hear the concerns of hunters.
This year’s event was bigger and better than ever. Clifford Paul, Moose Management Coordinator explains: “Our annual feast in the Highlands is a much anticipated event which seems to be attracting more and more visitors each year. At this year’s event, we turned the feast into a three-day knowledge sharing camp which came complete with an opportunity to camp in teepees and take part in the harvest of moose. In the evenings, the teepees were warmed with campfires–providing an inviting venue for family storytelling, hand drumming, and just being part of a truly enjoyable outdoor experience. One bull moose showed up in the moonlight and grunted a few times–our drumming must have attracted it to our camp.”
“In the future, we may need to bring in more teepees, just to keep up with the demand as families seem to be spending more and more of their quality time in the Cape Breton Highlands.” “And, oh yes–the feast was phenomenal!”
clifford@uinr.ca
