“Well, for the younger generation, even the past couple of years probably, I don’t think some of them younger parents with their young children, I don’t think some of them have the caribou as much as other people. Even for my granddaughter, I would bring some caribou meat if I have some, and if I get some, I save it for them because I know they like it. And the blood in the caribou is really rich with vitamins especially when they really need it in their bones. And I save bone marrow for them because they need it. And for us, we eat only meat off the store. There’s hardly any nutrients, vitamins, I don’t think so. So preparing caribou meat for them, take the time to do it for them especially when I have it. And my other grandchildren at home, when we boil caribou meat, we make sure that they get to eat the meat. And we also use a broth to make soup. So we need to practice our culture – our way of life is important. Any wildlife, like caribou or moose or fish, we need to feed it to the children.”
A ball of moss and lichen covered with caribou hide. Mantla says these were made as toys for children. She made this one for her granddaughter.