On March 18, a group of Cree youth set out on snowshoes from Waskaganish, trekking northeast across the frozen landscape of Eeyou Istchee toward Eastmain. For eight days, they moved by foot and sled across snow and ice, not only covering over 100 kilometres – but retracing the steps of their ancestors, connecting with the land, and learning survival and cultural teachings along the way. This year’s Journey Through Our Heart: Regional Winter Journey, hosted by the Cree Nation Youth Council, welcomed participants aged 16 to 35 from the Eeyou Istchee communities of Waskaganish, Mistissini, Chisasibi and Nemaska. The CYNC made it a cross-country Cree experience, inviting several participants from Ermineskin Cree Nation in Alberta.
The gathering brought together regional guides, tallymen and Elders to help the youth on this physically demanding experience. With only their snowshoes, the youth pulled small sleds packed with clothes, cookware and essential items for surviving a week on the ice of James Bay. Volunteer roadrunners watched over the excursion and were equipped with radios, GPS, and snowmobiles to ensure safety and updates throughout the trip and to provide food, water or first aid if needed.
Deputy Youth Chief Kaitlynn Hester-Moses from Waskaganish was a lead coordinator. She said the aim is to revitalize Cree land-based knowledge and intergenerational connection, emphasizing that the two go hand-in-hand.
Inspired by her annual spring and fall trips to her family’s trapline, Hester-Moses says it’s her duty to serve and nourish Cree culture, language and community.
“I have had the privilege and honour to practice our tradition and speak our language, now it’s about assuming the roles that allow me to pass this on to the next generation.”
Although she hasn’t been able to partake on a winter journey herself, being this year’s lead coordinator was a valuable learning experience.
Serving as the contact between the youth, guides and families waiting for updates, Hester-Moses said, “Every day there was a new story coming in, and every night a positive update. I love that the youth got to experience being on the land without cellphone service. They disconnected from technology to reconnect themselves with the land.”
Aydon Hester, a participant from Waskaganish, was there representing his home community and his family. It was his father, a former junior guide, who encouraged him to sign up for the journey. “He said you’re going to have fun, make lots of friends and make memories too. That’s the reason I wanted to go,” Hester recalled.
One thing he immediately learned was that the traditional way of doing things isn’t as easy as it is now. “I just imagined my great-grandparents and ancestors, that’s what motivated me to push and keep going forward,” Hester said.
Hester gained valuable knowledge before the journey even began, when his grandparents gave him tips for staying warm while packing. They told him not to overdress, because sweating means you get cold quicker. “And wrap garbage bags on your feet so you won’t get wet toes,” he said.
“As a coordinator, I worried, but I knew the youth were in good hands,” said Hester-Moses. “I just hoped and trusted they would take care of each other. Even though we weren’t out with them, we started the day at 7am or 8am and finished around midnight or later, not until the youth were settled and the roadrunners had returned.”
Haley Roan-Moonias, along with Daisy Smallboy and Reilly Mackinaw, joined from Ermineskin Cree Nation. It was her first time visiting northern Quebec. Back in Alberta, she works as a wildland firefighter and loves being out in nature. Even with her firefighting experience and passion for hunting, “the idea of a winter journey was very new to me,” she stated.
Roan-Moonias said that she had packed in a rush and was banking on being able to buy some journey essentials upon arriving. “I was sure there was going to be a Walmart nearby, and then I arrived, and it was very different than I expected. I was stressed for a second but then a bunch of people started to give me everything I needed – thermos, hand warmers, and even two pairs of long-johns and wool socks from the lady who was hosting us,” she said.
This spontaneous act of generosity became the journey’s first lesson – in Eeyou Istchee, no one walks alone.
Before hitting the trail, all participants took part in a three-day Ice Safety and Rescue course. Trained by Boreal River Rescue instructors, they learned to assess ice conditions, prepare for cold weather injuries, and travel safely across potentially unstable terrain.
“The ice training was intense – but I like intense,” said Roan-Moonias. “It gave us time together before we went out into the bush. That’s where friendships started to form. Plus, we got to learn how to save people, so I guess that’s always a good bonding experience,” she said.
In the first two days, the group covered 47 kilometres. “One of the most challenging parts are the first days of the journey. It tests you physically, mentally and emotionally because you are starting with people you don’t know,” explained Hester-Moses.
“Along the way, they learned to trust each other and to work as a team. There is always that moment when they realize that all they have out there is each other. They use all that they have to face what the land has to offer them – a shared experience of survival.”
Guides like Romeo Blackned from Waskaganish played a vital role in keeping the participants safe and grounded. “We want to show the youth what our people used to do before… how our people lived off the land,” said Blackned, who taught the youth how to hunt ptarmigan and rabbit. “Every morning, we showed them how to carry their gear and read the land.”
“Romeo was the best,” said Roan-Moonias. “I was always trying to keep up with him. In my culture, you’re not supposed to walk in someone’s footprints, but I will follow that guy. I wish to step in his prints, he’s such a strong and admirable individual.”
Under the guidance of tallyman Jeremiah Hester, the youth participated in a moose butchering after he surprised them with a fresh harvest. It was a hands-on opportunity to learn traditional practices of preparing meat and sharing food on the land. “I helped skin a leg or two, and I also cut out the heart and the lungs,” beamed Roan-Moonias. “It was pretty cool, and I loved it all because I’m a hunter.”
On March 25, the youth completed their journey in Eastmain.
“The sharing of culture – and how valuable it is – that’s what stuck with me,” said Roan-Moonias after the journey was done. “We need to protect it and help one another. We went there and made a good foundation for our future. When you build a bridge, you need to make sure you have a strong foundation. The stronger you make it, the farther it can go. All I know is, we’re stronger together.”
Hester-Moses expressed her deep pride for the participants and future aspirations evoked by the journey’s completion. “I envision a future where we have access to our land where we protect and practice our culture. A world where we fluently speak our language, instead of telling it as a story of how our people used to live. I understand that we will always adapt, but we must move with our culture and language.”