Listuguj students harvest their first moose through outdoor program

A group of students at the Alaqsite'w Gitpu School will carry the experience of moose hunting for the rest of their lives.

"You can't put that in a textbook," said Jacob Gale, the treaty education coordinator at Listuguj Education, Training and Employment.

"They'll never forget that experience."

The school, which is in the Mi'kmaw community of Listuguj on the Quebec-New Brunswick border, selected eight students between Grades 5 and 8 to go moose hunting in Kedgwick, N.B., late last month.

It was the first time hunting for many of them.

"I just wanted to connect to the land and be with my culture," said Karter Isaac.

He said the group spotted the moose within the first half hour.

"Travis [one of the instructors] looked if it was actually a moose in the binoculars and then he scoped in," said Isaac.

"He missed his first shot and he said it was a warning shot. And then he hit the moose on a second shot in the hump on the back."

For Gale, it was important to teach and demonstrate Mi'kmaw treaty rights to hunt and fish.

"We're reclaiming that," he said.

"Sharing those teachings with our students and having them gain that sense of pride for being outside, learning about our culture, learning about their identity … all those things make a big difference."

This week, the students helped butcher the moose to cut steaks, roasts and hamburger. Next week, they will learn how to make sausage and jerky that will be shared with the community.

Student Serena Barnaby said it wasn't her first time hunting, but it was the first time she got to experience butchering the animal.