Northern Exposure...Summer Beaver: Gas Station....

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Gas Station....

Here is a picture of the one and only gas station. I am not sure of how much the gas is here but likely more than back home (I will find out when someone is awake). I was on a walk this morning between 10:30 and 12:00 and there was not a stir in the villiage. Not one person to be seen (well maybe one), they sleep very late in the day. The gas is stored in the barrels that you see in the picture. They use snowmobiles, 4 wheelers, cars, trucks and motor boats. They drive them up in the winter over the winter access roads across the frozen lakes. The picture on the left is of the friend I made this am. He followed me on my walk. The dogs here are husky and some german shepherd cross.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...: hey hows my favorite nurse practioner this morning.

If i was a betting man I would say that the gas station has been broken into a few times by the look of that fencing.

Question.... in the background I see hydro lines and transformers were does the power come from.

You worry me when I read you are out wandering about alone...Be safe and will talk soon luv ya Rob; May 18, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Anonymous said...: You shouldn't be out walking alone! sillyness!! Miss you. Be careful!; May 18, 2008 at 12:56 PM
CA said...: you CRAZY what u doin wanderin in tham parts u askin for trouble thank god dog didnt bite u ass. next time bear or crazy guard. play safe or ur grounded for life. bye missin u still no peoples. cant read the paper of the crash you can tell me later. bye again. we luv u; May 18, 2008 at 3:35 PM
Anonymous said...: hey Cindy these photo's sure bring back memories - Kelly & I are thinking of moving back up North again?? just kidding! You are definitely in another world but you will be richer for the experience, the people & their way of life - sorry we missed you before you left but we are thinking of you & will keep in touch - the time will fly by so make the most of this experience as it no doubt will be somewhat life changing! Say hi to everyone up there & see if you can arrange a hunt for Giffer & I - warm personal regards from Dave & Kelly; May 18, 2008 at 6:54 PM

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Pemmican, one of the ladies had made this for the feast.......

Pemmican was a staple of the Plains people’s diet with the name originating from the Cree word, “pimikan”, or ‘manufactured grease’. Pemmican was made from buffalo meat, although antelope, deer, elk and moose were also used. It was a mixture of dried meat pounded to a powder, a quantity of rendered fat, Saskatoon berries or choke cherries, and sometimes peppermint leaves. The whole mixture was stored in parfleches, or skin bags, where it could be stored indefinitely. Pemmican was portable and highly nutritious with 1 kilogram equaling 5 kilograms of fresh meat. It was one of the most important contributions native people made to the survival of the Europeans through the harsh Canadian winters.

How to Make Pemmican
To make pemmican the Indians began by cutting meat into thin slices or strips and drying it either in the sun or over a fire. After the meat was dried, it was spread out on a stone-headed mauls and then pounded. This pounded meat was called "beat meat" by the natives. "Beat meat" was then mixed with melted fat and marrow. One early European observer noted that 40 pounds (18kg) of fat were added to 50 pounds (22.6kg) of beat meat. Sometimes a paste made of fruits or berries were added to this mixture.
Pemmican was stored in folded rawhide containers called parfleches. They were flat which made them easy to store and transport. Parfleches were greased along their seams to keep out air and moisture. Pemmican could therefore be kept fresh for years. Three-quarters of a pound (.34kg) of pemmican a day was a sufficient ration of food, although a hard-working traveler might eat between 1 and 2 pounds a day.
"... to make this essential food, the women would cut buffalo meat into very thin strips and hang them on hooks or a rack over a slow, smoky fire. The fire was used mainly to keep flies off the fresh meat. After a day or two the fire was discontinued and the meat was allowed to dry in the sun and wind. Three or four times a day the women would crack the meat open to allow the outsides of the strips to dry. After the drying process, which took about a week, the meat was broken into small pieces and put inside a flour sack. The women then pounded the meat into powder. This powder was mixed with dried berries, and melted buffalo fat was used to bind the substance together into balls. The pemmican balls were then placed into bags made of green (untanned) buffalo hid, and sewn up tightly. A bag of pemmican, made properly, could be cached in the ground for several years and still remain usable.
Rubaboo is the name for a stew made of pemmican and any wild vegetables at hand. Boiled in a pot of water, the chunks of pemmican would fall apart. Additions - the likes of onion, turnip, asparagus, parsley, sage, bullrush root, cattail heads, dandelion root, wild parsnip, wild carrot, mushrooms, pine nuts, daylily roots, or wild rice, would turn it into an appetizing stew.

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