Snaring rabbits
Much as Patrick’s older brother, David Cross, passed his knowledge of hunting down to him, David would do the same for his son, Brandon. Patrick holds the antlers of his first moose, hunted in Tioweroton, with David and Brandon. (Courtesy: Patrick Cross)
Story told by Patrick Cross
My oldest brother Stephen taught the second oldest in the family, David, how to hunt. So then David taught me how to hunt. After that, I was always connected to animals. I didn’t just know how to use a rifle, we also snared rabbits.
Here in town, we always had brown cottontail rabbits.
Every morning before school we would go out to the village and check the snares to see if we caught any from the night before. We had to go early in the morning because the rabbits are busy at night and we had to make sure that no dogs would get to it.
Sometimes a fox would get to it and if they did then there was nothing left because they needed to eat too.
In the summer, the snowshoe rabbit’s coat was brown, or they run away. They would go from brown to white in the wintertime for camouflage.
In the winter when they are white, they like to sit and hide. The best time to take advantage is when the snow is melting and they’re still white while everything else is brown, so it is easy to spot them. They don’t move because they think they’re hiding. That’s when I would catch the most rabbits.
It’s easy to find the rabbit trails because they will use the same ones and you can see them in the snow. That’s where you put the snares. Or if I would shoot a rabbit, I would aim for the eye, this way it just flips and dies. You don’t want it to suffer.
There were many times I would bring back six rabbits at a time.
My mom made an excellent rabbit pie with her own crust and her own sauce.
The other rabbits I would clean, wash, gut and quarter, then sell it.
There was a guy named Martin Two-axe, who lived across the street from me and started buying the cleaned rabbit off me for $1.50.
I used to do it right in my house in the basement. I would hang it upside down, with a paper underneath to catch the guts. And I had a cat who would always go for the rabbit’s head, he loved it.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Tahonhtané:ken Katkahrháhrha'
Patrick’s nephew Lewis is beaming with pride as the two hunters hold their quarry of snowshoe rabbits. (Courtesy: Patrick Cross)
Patrick Cross ROKÁ:RATON
Rakhtsì:'a Stephen wahorihónnien' ne tekeníhaton iè:rate' thakowá:nen nonkwahwatsí:rakon, David, tsi ní:tsi aható:rate'. Thò:ne ki' David sahakerihónnien' tsi ní:tsi akató:rate'. Ohnà:ken thí:ken, tiótkon teiakwahnerenhátie' ne kontírio. Iah nek káhonre' tekeweién:te', né: ò:ni' tahonhtané:ken wa'akhiiatkahrhá:ren'.
Tiótkon shiionkwaià:taien' ne athéhsa nikontiia'tò:ten tahonhtané:ken ne kèn:tho kaná:takon.
Thia'teiohrhon'kehtsherá:ke ohén:ton sha'akwaterì:waienste', tiótkon shos kaná:takon ieniákwe' tánon' eniakwátken'se' tsi nón:we niionkwatkáhrhare' tóka' ken othé:nen ionkwaié:nen ken' shitiò:karahs. Ó:nen'k tsi ohrhon'kéhstsi eh ieniákwe' ase'kén teiotiweienhnharà:'on ne tahonhtané:ken no'karahsnéha tánon' ó:nen'k tsi orihwí:io eniatión:ni' tóhsa othé:nen è:rhar akontsté:riste'.
Sewatieren'shòn:'a tsítsho wa'kontsté:riste' tánon' tóka' eh nenkontí:iere' kwah iah othé:nen thaonsakaién:take' ase'kén wa'tionatonhóntsohse' takontskà:hon' ò:ni'.
Né: akenhnhà:ke, athéhsa niiotihwharò:ten ne tekonthwen'karóntha' tahonhtané:ken, tóka' ni' enkontè:ko'. Tenkontahsohkwaté:ni' athéhsa tsi niió:re' karà:ken nenskontia'tò:tenste' ne akohserà:ke tsi kontatkwiráhrhos.
Aside from rabbits, sneaky raccoons are strung up all the same by one of Patrick’s snares. (Courtesy: Patrick Cross)
Karà:ken nikontiia'tò:ten ne akohserà:ke, ionon'wéskwani akontién:ton' tánon' akontahsehtánion'. Nè:'e ne tewate'shenní:io tsi nikahá:wi' nó:nen ioniehtanawen'enhátie' tánon' shé:kon karà:ken nikontiia'tò:ten tsi náhe' akwé:kon noià:shon athéhsa ní:ioht ne ki' watié:sen' akonwanatkáhtho'. Iah tekontorià:nerons ase'kén kón:nehre' ionatahséhton. Thò:ne enkheié:na' né:so kón:ti tahonhtané:ken.
Watié:sen naietshén:ri' ne tahonhtané:ken ionathahón:ni ase'kén ne sha'oháhas énkontste' tánon' enwá:ton' enhsatkáhtho' oniehtakónhshon. Eh nón:we enhsatkahrhá:ron'. Tóka' ni' tóka' enkaròn:tate' tahonhtané:ken, kakahrà:ke enkate'shenní:ioste', nek tenwahnhonterí:ia'ke' tánon' enkénheie' ne ken' ní:ioht.
É:so ieioiénhton ià:ia'k nikontihátie' tahonhtané:ken sewatia'taientátie'.
Ake'nisténha tó:k nikana'tarí:io tahonhtané:ken tekaswà:ne eniontena'tarón:ni' tánon' eniakón:ni' akó:wenhk ora'wísta' tánon' akoshè:rha'.
Ok enkheia'tóhare' nonátia'ke' tahonhtané:ken, enkhekahrostatáhko' tánon' tenkheia'tià:khon' sok enkatenhní:non'.
Shaià:ta rón:kwe Martin Two-Axe ronwá:iatskwe', teionkeniháha tánon' tahatáhsawen' wahakhní:non' thí:ken kaia'tóhare' tahonhtané:ken $1.50 wahakária'ke'.
Kheh akonhontsó:kon tsi tewakenónhsote' eh nitiéhrhahkwe'. Tenkenonhwetsháweronste' tsi entia'taniión:ten', skahiatónhsera' nà:kon éntien' ne akaié:na' thí:ken okahrósta'. Tánon' takò:s wakenaskwaién:tahkwe' néne tiótkon tahonhtané:ken aonón:tsi én:wake', kwah í:ken tsi iawé:ka'skwe'.
Edited by: Aaron McComber, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translated by: Karonhí:io Delaronde