Friday, April 21, 2006

Maintaining Good Order...

Years ago when Quebec Inuit would hunt with their kayaks, they had a system of taking care of each other when traveling from one place to another. The basic rule was: the guy behind you is your responsibility. Thus when paddling, you always kept in touch with the paddler directly behind you. If he needed assistance, you were the one who provided it. In this way hunters learned the value of staying close by, within helping distance, and could send messages quickly up and down the line. The result was the group stayed together. Of course, in the melee of the hunt itself, the system could get a bit confusing...
This same system was used in more recent times when travelling by ski-doo during the winter and that's where I learned it. Once, traveling at night on the way home from a fishing camp my sled hitch broke stranding me in the middle of nowhere with few supplies. I was at the back end of the line and thought I would end up passing the night in a snow house - if I succeeded in building one, which was hit and miss. Most attempts had been wonky at best up until then. I knew nothing of the 'system', but was astounded at how quickly everyone ahead of me circled back to give assistance and help me get home safe and sound.

2 comments:

bonnie said...

Sounds like a good system!

Michael said...

Well it saved my bacon that night! Being left out to fend for yourself in - 30°C weather can really test your survival skills...