The Gathering: Land and Sea spends a week on the land in Gull Island

During the third week of September in Gull Island, Labrador, there are canvas tents as far as the eye can see.

It's a time when the Innu communities of Labrador get back to nature and live off the land at an event known as the Manishan Nui gathering. This past fall, there were more than 250 tents and some 2,000 people in attendance. 

Steady heat rises inside the tents from wood stoves, and floors are lined with fragrant spruce bows.

It's a smell that brings Lorraine Rich back to her childhood. 

"Many years we would be out in the country for three months. I would always go with my dad, checking his traps," said Rich. 

Lorraine and her husband, Gregory, are roasting a traditional Innu delicacy, a caribou head. 

Their two-year-old grandson watches as his grandfather places the head near the wood stove. 

Lorraine is glad to have him here to experience this weeklong exposure to his true culture.  

"I want him there to see what I saw, the stuff I've learned from my dad, the stuff I've learned from my mother. I don't want it to die down. I want to have it continue," said Rich.

"I'm so afraid that we'll lose that if we don't practise it."

It is that very fear that is at the heart of this weeklong gathering. Elders want to share their knowledge with youth and pass on Innu culture. They highlight the importance of practising their traditions, speaking their language and eating wild food. 

In a tent nearby, Elizabeth Penashue shows her granddaughter how to properly clean a partridge. As she plucks the feathers from the bird's body, she reflects on her concerns for the young people in her community. 

"What's going to happen? The children? Too much alcohol and drugs. They need help, the children," she said.

"Sometimes I look out my window. Young people walking on the road. She looks very sad and then I feel so sad. I'm concerned. I wish the children had more help."

The Gathering is a dry event. The policy from the very beginning has been no alcohol and no drugs — a policy many people in the community support.

Fourteen-year-old Oksana March looks forward to coming to the Gathering with her family every year. She finds contentment in traditional ways of living. 

"I like listening to the fire before I go to sleep. It's calming and peaceful. Less drinking. Less smoking. More people being sober so they can spend time with their family," said Oksana. 

Young and old are concerned about mental health issues in Sheshatshiu. 

In 2019, Sheshashui declared a crisis after a rash of young people attempted suicide. 

And over the years, residents have found it hard to cope with the sorrow from a high number of deaths in the community. 

"We have lost 125 people since the Gathering started. That's nine years ago. That's a lot of people," said Rich.

Organizers of the Gathering arrange daily activities to encourage social interaction among all ages. There are physical challenges like strong man and strong woman competitions and a tug of war that draws a huge crowd of onlookers to cheer on the teams. 

For Chief Etienne Rich, the joyful sounds of the camaraderie are a relief. 

"When I sit outside my tent … and when I go for a walk, God, everywhere you go there's people laughing. They're playing around and the kids are very happy," said he said. 

He's encouraged by the high attendance at the Gathering and by the positive feedback he gets each year. He said he'd like to see more community meetings throughout the year in Sheshatshiu that bring elders together with youth. 

"Everyone should be involved in the community. You probably hearing that old saying it, takes the whole community to raise a child," he said. "It takes a whole community to raise a child."

Lorraine Rich is encouraged by any talk of building a stronger, more resilient community.

She says the Gathering has become an important part of instilling pride among the Innu, particularly the youth.  

"I'm hoping they're learning something as they watch others. That's what I'm hoping and I hope it continues," said Rich.

Land and Sea spent a week in Gull Island, Labrador. You can watch that story, called The Gathering, above. 

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