Culture

you want to keep your rights and your traditional territories, you need to exercise those right

Treaty rights to hunt & fish mean nothing when you can't afford to exercise them
Our Aboriginal rights could feed our people.

The Robinson treaties of 1850

, , for food and medicine.

A traditional diet is part of our culture and guaranteed to us as Aboriginal people and in the treaty.

Map of homeland

this is an estimation of the territories of the pays plat band

another map on google

Robins insect, wild bird, fish animal guide

Lake Superior facts

Edible plants in Ontario

Species of Fish in Pays Plat Territory

minnows are abundant in many of the lakes around pays plat and grow to a few inches long, they are great bait fish for almost any fish. Want to know more
	smelts this small fish is not native to lake superior, they arrived after the boat ladders and canals were built to allow ships to sail into the great lakes. Want to know more
	clams. live under the sand in rivers and lakes, they are filter feeders and move with a single foot. these are one of the otters favorite foods.
	crayfish will go after worms or leaches on a hook and wont let go, one day i caught about 20 of them in the Macintyre river in thunder bay. you can pick them up by grabbing them behind the big claws. they are also good to eat Want to know more
	lamprey these ugly guys spawn up at fox creek that flows into pays plat river, they hatch and grow there for a while and then migrate down stream to go out on the lake after the trout and salmon and pike will eat some as they migrate. Want to know more
	blood suckers also known as leeches will stick to you given the chance, salt will help them let go. these critters are good bait for many fish like pickerel, trout and pike. I had one of these guys on me once when i was 6 in thunder bay. Want to know more
	Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater game fish belonging to the family Percidae. Perch are boney and very good to eat. perch can be caught in the river up stream past the pond. Want to know more
	whitefish lots of scales on this fish, they are oily and very good to eat, the traditional way to eat whitefish is boiled, there is something about a boiled whitefish. they used to be so abundant in the lake that you could spear them when they were spawning. Want to know more
	sucker is good to eat but very boney, it is a bottom feeder and will take small insects, minnows and worms. spawns in the spring up streams. Want to know more
	largemouth bass is a freshwater game fish in the sunfish family, you can catch some on cavers hill at wabasta and nishin. bass are very good to eat and fight good too. Want to know more
	Walleye is a freshwater fish native to most of Canada. you can catch walleye in the river and pays plat lake, . very good eating fish with not much of a fish taste. Black Sturgeon River Want to know more
	northern pike known simply as a pike (also called jackfish is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus (the pikes). i won the youth division fish derby for pike with a fish 12 pounds 11 ounces gutted pike. these fish grow huge and put up a good fight. Want to know more
	lake sturgeon also called rock sturgeon, is a north American temperate freshwater fish, bottom feeder a partly skeleton, an overall streamlined shape and skin bearing rows of bony plates on its sides and back, these fish were caught almost to extinction for their eggs, caviar Want to know more
	brook trout\speckled trout is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family . the speck is very good to eat and you can catch them up at the rapids in Pays Plat River. Want to know more
	rainbow trout is a trout and species of salmonid The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout"). they spawn up the creeks in the spring and is a good time to catch them by hand. my first rainbow wasnt that big but it was pretty big for a small boy like me, Want to know more
	Lake trout is a freshwater char. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, and grey trout. fish almost to extinction it is making a come back as a commercial fish in Lake superior. Want to know more
	ling The common ling is a large member of a family of cod-like fishes. the ling has a long slender body that can reach 2 metres in length; it is generally a deep-running fish, spending much of its life at depths of 100 m or more; younger fish are found at shallower depths. Want to know more
	salmon is one of the best tasting fish i have ever ate and pink salmon is good too and is a bears favorite fish. sockeye salmon pacific salmon Atlantic salmon and pink salmon. i never had a salmon on my rod before but hope to get one soon. Want to know more

Animals in Pays Plat Territories
pawgwasheeng

black bear this bear usually afraid of humans but will come into communities when it is hungry or careless residents don't keep their garbage out of their reach. this is a wild animal and should be treated with respect. A number of people have been killed by black bears in ontario in the last few years so you should watch out for it. If your walking in the bush make noise so it can hear you and you dont accidentally bump into it. want to know more
Moose these animals walk with us within the reserve, moose call in the fall when they mate and some of the calls are challenges to other bulls. The cow will let the toughest bulls know when younger smaller bulls are bothering them with a long moan. This is the best tasting meat I have ever ate, and hope we get one soon. want to know more				Bull or Cow moose track the difference
wolf a member of the dog family this predator hunts in packs and alone, there are some that hang around the reserve and i have seen the tracks which are bigger than my hand. Wolves communicate by howling and although dangerous I have not heard of one or a pack attacking or killing humans. want to know more
fox foxes are small-to-medium-sized animals they eat rabbit partridge and mice. Foxes are slightly smaller than a medium-size domestic dog. with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail. want to know more
lynx A lynx is a part of the cat family and can take most small game, it is not dangerous if you leave it alone. lynx have huge paws to help them walk on the snow and chase their prey such as rabbits, partridge and other small creatures. want to know more
muskrat build their homes on the sides of the river banks and bogs, these are trapped for their furs and occasionally eaten. want to know more
porcupine this creature has very sharp quills with barbs so they don't come out easily, these animals are dangerous for does that can get a mouthful of quills when chasing them. My dad and shaun say that they haven't seen any in the area for a long time, they used to be abundant.
beaver they will develop their territories very quickly, taking huge trees down for the branches. sometimes they get killed while felling a tree but not very often. i have eaten beaver and find it good tasting and very rich, fatty but good. their pelts are in demand and are trapped for this reason. want to know more
rabbit they run around early in the morning and late at night when the sun is out all the rabbits hide in the bush. when a rabbit hears you he stands still if it looks like they will run away whistle and they will stop running. there are two ways to kill a rabbit one snap his neck two reach under his ribs and if you feel a little ball squeeze it that is his heart. and one more thing in the winter they turn white in the summer they turn brown Want to know more
marten marten run in the tree tops hunting what ever it can, a lot of squirrels and chipmunks birds and when he is on the ground he will take out rabbits. Marten running down a rabbit. want to know more
mink A semi-aquatic mammal, the mink has dense, oily under fur for protection in the water, and stiff hairs between the hind toes to aid in swimming. Both sexes are capable of mating at ten months. Mink prefer areas in which there are water bodies such as streams, lakes or ponds, and avoid open areas. Forested, log-strewn or thicketed areas offer prime habitat. Den sites are usually dominated by coniferous trees such as spruce, balsam and cedar. want to know more
skunk these guys like garbage and if you don't have it laying around you wont have a problem with these guys or the bears, these animals stink when they are frightened or provoked they will spray.. it is said that the smell of skunk in the air kills sickness and disease in the air want to know more
otter these are the predators of the rivers and ponds, these critters will eat their weight in clams in a few days. very quick swimmers. want to know more
chipmunk the chipmunk is smaller than a squirrel and has the stripes on his back. these little guys will come to you if your patient and you got some food. they are rodents to some people because they will chew through everything like mice. Want to know more
squirrel bigger than the chipmunk they do not fear man unless you bother them, and they will turn on you if you scare them and they will attack you. a good survival food not much meat on them. Want to know more
bat some bats have no eyes, they don't need them as they navigate and hunt for bugs with sonar. usually night creatures but are seen flying in the daylight. they will not land in your hair if you have lice. Want to know more
mouse A mouse or mice live inside your walls, under sheds and underground, and can eat the food in your cupboard and will bite. a good cat or trap will take care of them but they are a nuisance. Want to know more
mole these guy crawl around underground in tunnels, they are creepy crawly creatures and make a good meal for snakes and cats. they eat bugs and worms. Want to know more


Traditional Diet ISSUE Our Treaty and or Aboriginal Rights Treaty Rights are obtained from signing a treaty and as we know the pays plat band did not attend or sign the 1850 Robinson Superior Treaty Aboriginal Rights are inherent rights, they are rights that you are born with and no one can take them away from you, Our Aboriginal rights define our culture which is one of hunting, fishing, trapping, foraging, and gathering, we must be more protective of our territories and utilize their resources more.. For the benefit of the people of pays plat The survival of our culture depends on our ability to exercise our Aboriginal Rights within our Traditional Territories. With our moose becoming more and more scarce in the area it is necessary to have to travel sometimes a many miles or more to find one. This situation makes it impossible for many families to hunt their moose. Our culture and traditions cannot be exercised because of the cost of traveling to find the scarce resource. We need to think about using our traditional territories to feed our people their traditional food and especially our elders, handi capped, single parent, and anyone that cant hunt for some reason and who can no longer hunt their own food. it is our Right not a privilege How can we protect Our Rights to hunt, fish, trap, forage and gather on our territories, We need to use it to Feed our Families. Pays Plat has a huge territory approximately 4000 square miles . At present it is not being utilized by the band to the benefit of their people and that has to change, we need to go back to the days when the band provided for their people, Who is ultimately responsible for these mandates.
Map of homeland this is an estimation of territories google map

Survival skills How to start a fire without matches how to clean water to drink how to build a shelter with an axe, if you don't have one you should not be in the bush how to tell direction with out a compass, or the sun If you get real hungry dont worry about it, you can go weeks without food, one or two days with no food is a fast and good for your body.