A young boy travels north to visit his Moshom, or grandpa who is taking him to see his old trapline that his family had when he was a boy. Moshom hasn't been to his trapline since he was a child.
Moshom explains that a trapline is "where people hunt animals and live off the land." When their plane lands, they are met by Moshom's old friend. They greet each other in their native language of Swampy Cree. The boy notices that in the north there is a lot of space and the houses are far apart.
Moshom shows his grandson the broken down building where he went to school after his family left the trapline. At school all the students had to speak English. To speak their mother tongue, Cree, they would sneak into the bush.
At the river at the end of the highway, Moshom, his friend and his grandson take a motor boat out onto the river. The boy sees beaver dams, eagles on the wing and paintings on the rocks. Eventually they arrive at Moshom's trapline.
Moshom tells him that while on the trapline, his family slept in one large tent to keep warm. Everyone shared the work, even the youngest children had jobs to do. He also shows his grandson one of the places he used to set traps to catch muskrats. This animal provided his family with meat, and the pelts were sold to buy flour, sugar and tea. While fishing on the way back, Moshom tells his grandson they also fished on the trapline and everyone shared what they caught with others.
At a community feast later that night, Moshom, who is an Elder, blesses the meal. His grandson serves him first because as an elder, Moshom eats first. It is a delicious meal of bannock, vegetables, berries, wild meat and fish.
On the flight home, Moshom remembers and can see his trapline. So can his young grandson.
Discussion
In this touching story about a Cree grandfather and his grandson, Robertson weaves a story of remembering that incorporates many aspects of indigenous culture and values. On an obvious level, there is the inclusion in the storytelling of many Cree words on almost every page; kiwetinohk which means "north", wakomakanak which means "family" and kiskisiw which means "he remembers" are a few examples. But On The Trapline also highlights many important features of Cree culture and life, as through Moshom. For example, Moshom tells his grandson how every person on the trapline worked together and had a job to do, even the young children. He also relates how food was shared with others, demonstrating the generosity that enabled indigenous communities to survive. At the community feast, the value of older Cree members is highlighted by the young boy first serving his grandfather, an Elder, demonstrating respect for his wisdom and knowledge.
On The Trapline is a remembering of a way of life that vanished when Moshom's family left the trapline and settled into a house in a community. David A. Robertson writes in his A Note from the Author, that his father lived on the trapline until he was nine years old. His family left the trapline at the time and moved to Norway House, situated on the banks of the Nelson River in Manitoba. His father accompanied his own father on the trapline on and off but eventually never returned after his teens. In 2018, David accompanied his father back to the land. For his father, it was the first time in seventy years and for the author the first time ever. As Robertson writes in his note, "Reconciliation is more than just healing from trauma. It's connecting, or reconnecting with people, culture, language, community."
The illustrations for On The Trapline were rendered using an earthy pastel palette on paper and then composed digitally. These were created by Swampy Cree and Red River Metis author, illustrator and artist, Julie Flett. Her family have a history as trappers and traders as well as hunters and fishers. Her son and nieces are reclaiming their traditions and skills through the learning of their language, living off the land and beading.
On The Trapline provides an excellent and informative introduction to the Indigenous experience in the early 20th century.
Book Details:
On The Trapline by David A. Robertson
Tundra Books 2021
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