Waskaganish trapper Bob Moar Sr. spoke with Ernest Webb about the logging on Muskuchii Mountain and elsewhere on his trapline. Here is what he said. (Translated from Cree.)
They seem to destroy wherever Crees have hunting grounds. When I go to the territory by plane, it’s expensive. I’m never sure if there is anything there for me—the pelts.
When we went in the fall with my traps, I didn’t recognize where I used to trap. It’s all clear. That’s where I got my hunting. We used to get everything there. Nothing is stirring there anymore. The trees are all gone, nothing is there. The ptarmigan, everything is gone.
With all the land being destroyed we don’t see one cent or even a 2×4 with all the trees being taken, all the money. More and more strangers (as opposed to visitors—ed.) will come in when they open up the moose hunt.
I will lose more of my belongings I’ve lost three canoes so far. I found one though. When I went to pick it up, it wasn’t there. I lost $600 with the plane. I only found it one week later 20 miles from where I left it.
The north side of the mountain is where I was. It’s all logged over there. Before, the north side used to be all moose trails. Now that it’s logged nothing makes any signs or trails. They think they’re doing the moose a favour. But they are driving them away.
When they’re told not to log at a certain place, that there is moose there, he doesn’t listen. Everything is driven away. All the animals can’t stay where it’s been cut.
The moose can’t stay where there are no trees, where there is no food for them. There was a lot of caribou also. Now there is nothing, It’s like a swamp now. I don’t know why they do this to the Eeyou, the hunters where they get their living from.
