From Partridge to Chicken

Ernest Ottawa. Jean-Marc Niquay
March 30, 2011
Manawan

"In my dreams, the moose told me: go back, go see your parents."

Ernest Ottawa, Nehirowisiw

Over the past few decades, the way of life of Indigenous people has changed drastically. In their dreams, young people no longer talk to hares or moose and in return, they no longer respond to them. Chicken delivery boxes have replaced the partridge hunt. And that’s the case in several areas of life. What’s not passed on is lost and adds weight to the hearts of elders who want nothing more than to offer their knowledge as a legacy to future generations. One day, when Ernest Ottawa wanted to serve his children partridge, he told them, "Eat, it’s just like chicken!"