American Eel: A Food, a Medicine and Responsibility

The American Eel has long been a sacred food, medicine and responsibility of the First Nation People in Eastern Ontario. The First Nation Peoples knowledge of the American Eel was based on centuries of observation and use. The St. Lawrence River and its tributaries provided a rich environment for American Eels and the species flourished in this environment. Populations numbering in the billions were not unusual during the pre-contact times and this species sustained the First Nations People, especially during the hard winter months. Presenters will convey the importance of American Eel to our First Nations through stories, anecdotes and the traditional knowledge of our peoples. Our narrative will begin long before contact and travel forward to the present and into the future.