The Lheidli T’enneh are part of the Carrier Nation. Mourning widows 'carried' her husbands' cremated remains around with her in a small bag for a year after his death. This tradition, however, was no longer practiced by the time Europeans came to the Lheidlit'en.
| "Once there were no lakes and rivers. There was no Tsi Chakoh and only one village, Chanulac. Our elders at Sai-k’uz tell us this is where ‘Utas was born. As a child, he ran off with his grandfather’s bowl containing all of the water in the world. When the bowl tumbled and broke, ‘Utas splashed the water with his hands and created the lakes, creeks, and rivers. Since then, we have followed the Tsi chakoh and its seasons. Dak’et is when we travel to the Tsi Chakoh’s many lakes, where we fish whitefish. In Khit, we follow traplines for small game, such as beaver and muskrat. At this time we also ice fish for trout. We return to the lakes for Oluth–to capture suckerfish and trout. We prepare our nets for when the salmon will arrive, and we hunt ducks and geese in the Tsi Chakoh’ s marshes. Shin is when the salmon arrive. It is our most important resource. We also hunt bears attracted by the rotting fish, and pick and process berries. The food we gather must last us through the winter " (Yinha Dene Language Institute). |
