It was such an amazing experience in Eeyou Istchee, Nemaska. It is in the James Bay area. I went there with our General Manager of Qarjuit Youth Council Caroline Martel for the Cree Nation Youth Council’s 32nd Annual General Assembly. On our first day, we went to Old Nemeska by boat where the AGA was being held. We were camping and doing meetings simultaneously. We got to cover a lot of stuff and it made us learn a lot about their organization and how they work. After everything, they gifted Qarjuit a paddle with their logo on it, which symbolizes that we as Inuit and Cree will row forward together towards a better future for youth. One of the youths got a moose on our last night and we got to try raw moose meat and I drank the blood of the moose! Everyone cheered and started clapping when I drank the blood. Haha We got to go blueberry picking by boat, we had a bonfire and had a barbecue of steak! We got to have goose stew with dumplings. How they make it is the same as how we make it, so it was a little taste of home for me. We were having our meeting in a big cabin. Caroline and I were staying in our own cabin that they rented for us. We met very nice youth and elders along the way and we couldn’t have asked for anything more!!!! Three of the Cree Nation Youth Council members will be coming to our Annual General Meeting in Ivujivik in late September of 2022.
We hope that we will have more collaborations like this in the future! Alianartupaujaaluulaurtuq tunnganartukallausutilu allait! Nakursasialilaurqunga aijuviniugia katinnganirjuatillugit Nemeska mi!
SUSIEANNE KUDLUK
Former Vice President of Qarjuit Youth Council