Food has a way of bringing people together — and also sharing culture and history with those who may be on the outside looking in.
That’s exactly what happened at the Gull Island Innu Gathering earlier this fall, when Greg Rich captivated a crowd with a traditional — though seemingly unusual — way of preparing porcupine. The annual gathering is about returning to the land, and way of life, that supported the Innu for generations.
“You blow it up from the backside,” said his daughter Megan Rich, as a way of inflating the animal.
“It makes it easier when you’re singeing it over the fire when it’s firm like a ball.”
That’s after, of course, the animal is gutted and restitched closed so no air escapes.
Megan Rich harvested the animal from the land with a stick, while on her way home for a short break from the gathering.
After seeing the animal scurrying along a stretch of road about 20 minutes into her journey, she knew what had to be done.
“You don’t get these very often. So you know it’s going to be a good meal,” she said. “I guess that’s why it’s exciting.”
Porcupine’s taste is unique, she said. There’s no comparison to chicken or beef.
The quills, once plucked from the carcass, are saved for jewelry. Megan Rich sent them to a friend in Quebec to make earrings.
After a handful of deep breaths through its backside, the porcupine was prepped and ready for the fire.
The sizzle was immediate as the harvest was placed on a bed of hot coals. Once it was blackened, Greg Rich scraped the quills with a knife.
“I got this by watching my mom do it all the time,” he said, adding his family eats a lot of country food.
Laughs about the process aside, Megan Rich said harvesting game and cooking it is about bringing the family together.
“It’s something that we’ve always done with my grandparents when they were still alive, and it’s something that I’m doing with my parents now and my son,” she said.
“It’s just being with each other, enjoying each others’ company and enjoying the way our ancestors used to live. It seems like something that’s kind of fading, I guess, the culture. It’s nice that they’re able to experience it.”
Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.
