All animals have a master and the Caribou Master is called Papakashtshishku. The life of the Innu was governed by the Caribou Master. Long ago, we were voicing our needs to the masters of the animals inside the trembling tent. “It is there that you will find me,” he confided to the hunters. As Papakashtshishku predicted, it was there that the hunt was good.

Whether we succeed to kill or we come back empty-handed, everything depends on the respect that the hunter gives to the animal masters. Those who show respect to the masters will be loved by them. The animal who is given by the master will be paralyzed on the spot and offer himself respectfully to the hunter.

All parts of the caribou are respected. Everything that belongs to the caribou is used in some way. The life of the Innu is linked to that of the caribou; their survival depends on it. Skin, bones, fat, meat, head, internal organs, and the antlers, all are used in order to help the survival of the Innu and out of respect for the animal who has offered himself.

Source : Aitnanu, la vie quotidienne d’Hélène et William-Mathieu Mark, Éditions Libre Expression, Montréal, Musée canadien des Civilisations, sous la direction de Daniel Clément, 1993.