(Dramatic orchestral music)
- [Ken] My name's Ken Whiting.
I'm a world champion whitewater paddler
and I've led trips and taught kayaking
around the world.
As an athlete and explorer,
my lifelong passion has been to
challenge myself,
meet interesting, new people,
discover beautiful places,
and share these experiences with others.
This is the story of these adventures.
This is Paddle Tales.
Hello everyone, I'm Ken Whiting
and this is the tenth episode of Paddle Tales.
Its a series that goes to some of the most
amazing places in the world
and goes on cool paddling adventures
along the way.
Now, in this episode,
we're going to the land of the Cree,
where the great outdoors is more than
a reason to visit,
its a way of life.
But before we get started,
please hit the subscribe button
if you haven't already because
we have lots more great content
coming your way.
Now, if you haven't ever been to Québec,
what I can tell you is that it has
something for everyone.
Because it has lots of everything.
Its got big and energetic cities,
beautiful little villages,
stunning coastline,
awesome food,
and microbreweries.
But one thing that it has more than
anything else,
is pristine wilderness.
And so we're leaving the big cities behind
and diving deep into a land
rich in culture and surrounded by nature.
In this episode of Paddle Tales,
we're exploring
Eeyou Istchee Baie-James.
(Peaceful music)
As big as the state of California,
but with a population of only a few thousand,
Eeyou Istchee Baie-James is one of
the most untouched, pristine lands
in the world.
For the outdoors lover,
it's a paradise with countless rivers
and lakes to explore.
Including the biggest naturally occurring
freshwater lake in the world.
And an endless forest that's
teeming with life.
(Birds chirping)
Obviously too big to explore
in a single trip,
we make our way to the Chibougamau Marina,
on Lake Chibougamau.
A beautiful and full- service lodge
that's ideally situated as a base for our trip
and a great place to unwind from the long drive.
The plan for today is to launch directly
from the marina and explore the lake by kayak.
Joining me for the paddle is Audrey Perreault
from the local tourism board.
Now Audrey really must have drawn the short straw,
because not only is she stuck with me
for the day, but she's gotta keep up
paddling herself and her little one,
who's expected in only a few short months.
The fact that she's joining me is a testament
to how the outdoors is more than just
a feature of the region, its a way of life.
So what do most people that visit this area come for?
- I'd say there's two main things,
in the summer would be fishing,
that's a really big thing.
We have trophy fish like walleye,
northern pike,
speckled and lake trout.
So people like to come here for that
because the fish are quite big.
And pretty much like hiking,
paddling,
that's kind of a thing because there's a lot of
lakes, there's a lot of woods,
even close to the cities and the towns
its really accessible,
nature is really accessible here.
- Well there's one thing for sure,
driving through this area,
you're not lacking water.
- No!
- Rivers, lakes, ponds, marshes.
- Everywhere.
Pretty much everywhere you look
and if you wanna go to town,
get some groceries or do another activity
cause there are other activities offered in town,
its really close so you can do plenty of things
and even discover the Cree culture
because Oujee-Chibougamau,
which is one of the closest Cree communities
is just 45 minutes away.
We have a beautiful museum there
so that's another day trip that can be done
when you're staying here.
- I think we're gonna have to make that trip.
As we continue further down Lake Chibougamau,
the sense of remoteness grows
and the depth of the wilderness really comes into focus.
Its amazing to think about how many opportunities
there are for adventure in this area.
I mean, as beautiful as this lake is,
there are literally thousands of other
equally remote and unique rivers
and lakes that we could have chosen to paddle.
This one just made sense because
we were staying at the marina.
On top of that, we're only paddling about
a ten mile section.
And so, even on this lake,
there's still a ton of room for discovery.
The bottom line is that you could spend
a lifetime exploring this area
and still only scratch the surface.
This land,
is this Crown land,
is this Cree land,
what is this land?
- That's a good question.
Cause our region is particular in many aspects.
One of it is with the signature of the things
of the northern Québec agreement.
Our land was all divided into three categories:
category 1 and 2 lands are reserved for the native peoples.
- Yeah.
- As for category 3 lands,
they are what we call public land.
And in the rest of Québec,
they would be called Crown lands.
Anyone can go with their boat
or their paddle equipment,
walk around the lake,
that kind of thing, that's fine.
If you wanna do it in category 1 and 2 lands,
you have to ask permission from the Band Council.
- Gotcha.
So we're obviously in zone three.
- Right now we are, yes.
- Although there is a lot more water
to explore on Lake Chibougamau,
I'm really interested in learning more
about the Cree of the area,
who represent the largest group of
First Nations in Canada.
And so I make the short drive to the community
of Oujé-Bougoumou,
which translated means
"the place where people gather."
The Oujé-Bougoumou Cree have a very long
history in the region.
But the village itself is quite new.
After having been displaced and relocated
repeatedly in the twentieth century
due to mining activities,
the village was completely rebuilt in the nineties.
One of the key developments within the community
is the Cree Cultural Institute,
a museum, archive center,
library and cultural center,
and a place for both native and non-natives
to learn about the Cree culture.
- While you're at the Cree Cultural Institute,
(in foreign language) means generations to generations.
Where we teach all the crafts and arts,
whether it comes with the language.
- This is your history, here.
- It is part of history.
I guess the elders knew that culture,
language are slipping away,
and they wanted to keep it,
so they decided they needed a building.
Working with the Cree nation government
gives you some ideas that they wanted a place
where we could keep it in a place
where they could teach the younger generations
that should know about a people whose culture
is their identity and they wanted to keep that
so they created a place.
- Yeah.
A pretty nice place. (Laughs)
That's for sure.
It really is inspiring to see
what has been done with the
Oujé-Bougoumou village.
I'm excited to see more and so I head
a few miles out of town
into the bush to a place called
Nuuhchimi Wiinuu Cree Cultural Tours.
Here, Ann and David Bosum welcome guests
year-round to share their Cree culture.
The couple have built a variety of
traditional dwellings that showcase
how the Cree people have lived for countless years.
And which guests can choose to spend the night
in for the full effect.
- So we do all kinds of activities here
with the visitors.
So they experience our culture in the summer time,
and we also promote it in the winter.
- People can come here, anytime of year,
pretty much, and stay in one of these
many different types of traditional
Cree lodges.
- They wanna find out where they're gonna sleep,
I tour them first,
and then they make up their minds
where they wanna sleep.
- I've never really thought of myself
as into aromatherapy but this smells good.
(Soft rock music)
(Laughs) I like the look of this.
Oh wow!
- As you see, this is one of the most
traditional buildings that Crees lived in
in the old days.
Before they even had canvas.
What you see here is all made of wood.
These are sticks for roasting.
- Ahhhhhh!
- Last time when we had a few here,
we had roast meat and we roasted it there.
But there's an old story with these things, too.
We have a sasquatch comes in, you can stick it.
- Roast sasquatch.
I like it.
Down by the water,
I find David Bosum carving away,
and its cool to see that what he's making
is a paddle.
For me, the paddle is unlike any other
piece of paddling gear.
Its your connection between hand and water,
and in some cases,
the incredible power of Mother Nature.
Although the paddles that David is making
are designed as much of works of art
than for everyday paddling,
its definitely symbolic
of the importance that paddling
and the outdoors have
within the Cree culture.
This is all local wood, I'm guessing.
- Yeah, yeah.
I don't usually get them much here,
I get them out in the island.
- What kind is that?
- Red spruce.
These are black spruce.
The black spruce has too many knots.
- Gotcha.
And the red and green color,
is that a traditional color for.
- Yeah. It is supposed to make it look good.
- Visible on the water.
- Alive. Because some people say
that if you make it just one color,
they look sleep all the time.
- As my time in the Eeyou Istchee Baie-James
region comes to its end,
I have to admit
that I really didn't know what to expect from this trip.
The truth of the matter,
is that even though the highway that leads
here is in great condition,
you're still bearing much off the beaten path.
And there isn't a ton of information
or imagery out there
to help set your expectations.
But that's exactly what made this trip
such a treat.
Its like sitting down to watch a movie
that you know absolutely nothing about,
only to discover that it's one of
the best movies you've ever seen.
I love surprises,
and I love learning.
And this trip has provided both
with flying colors,
and I'm looking forward to exploring more
of this wild and wonderful region.
Well that brings this episode of
Paddle Tales to an end.
I hope you enjoyed it,
and if you did,
please hit the thumbs up button.
Subscribe to Paddle TV if you haven't already,
leave a comment down below,
and stay tuned for a sneak peek
at next week's Paddle Tales adventure.
(soft, cheerful music)
Next time on Paddle Tales,
Luke Hopkins is grabbing his stand-up
paddle board and heading to one of
the most vibrant and exciting cities
in North America.
The city of Montréal.
A striking union of European charm
and North American attitude,
Montréal is a historic and multicultural place
that pulses with energy.
Set on the banks of the St. Lawrence River,
Montréal also boasts some of the best
freshwater surfing that you'll find anywhere.
Join us as we explore all sides of Montréal,
next time on Paddle Tales.
(gentle music)
(water splashing)