Manitoba·NewFrom accessing food to teaching the next generation how to take care of the land, members of a northern Manitoba Cree Nation are using their skills to give back to their community.Along with helping community members, a hunting club is teaching youth how to be caretakers of the landFelisha Adam · CBC News · Posted: Oct 14, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 30 minutes agoDiamond Willow Traditional Hunting and Gathering Club processes and distributes food throughout the year to low-income families, elders and community events. (Submitted by Crystal Constant)Members of Opaskwayak Cree Nation are using skills they were taught decades ago to help others in their community.Crystal and Omar Constant grew up in the outdoors, often hunting, fishing and trapping with their families when they met as teenagers. Since 1987, the couple have been going out on the Saskatchewan River to fish and hunt, not only for themselves but for members of their community, about 525 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.“The teachings came from my parents and from my uncles … that whatever you guys do, you share,” Omar said while attending to a fishing line.Not long after others from the area started to take notice and wanted to join them. Soon, the group of two grew to 13 and got a name: Diamond Willow Traditional Hunting and Gathering Club.Omar Constant and a member of the Diamond Willow Traditional Hunting and Gathering Club on the Saskatchewan River. (Submitted by Crystal Constant)“We are gifted from the land and the land belongs to all of our people. We share that back with not just ourselves … we share it with our people,” Crystal said.The club processes and distributes food, including moose, sturgeon, berries and birds throughout the year and right before Christmas, to low-income families, elders and community events, such as weddings and funerals.“One year we packed up 22 bags of care packages … where we had fish and some moose meat and ducks or geese,” Crystal said. There’s always big smiles and that’s what fills us.”The administrator at Rod McGillivary Care Home in Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Carla Constant (not related to Omar and Crystal) oversees the daily activities of the 28 elders who live there. The centre tries to incorporate First Nations traditions as much as possible, including a monthly feast and “Fish Fry Fridays.” “It’s nostalgic because that’s what they’re used to eating,” she said. “You could just see their face light up.”Elders at Rod McGillivary Care Home in Opaskwayak Cree Nation get traditional foods several times a year from Diamond Willow. (Submitted by Carla Constant)Carla said it helps lower negative response behaviour in elders with chronic diseases such as dementia. “It seems to take them back … they’re more calm after,” she said.The cost of hunting supplies comes out of pocket for the members of Diamond Willow Club, including gas, bait and shotgun shells. While prices have gone up since Crystal and Omar first began decades ago, it’s not something they are letting deter them.”Even if it was $100 [for a box of shells] , we would still be doing this because it has that passion inside myself, and as long as we carry that passion … that’s what drives us,” Omar said.Diamond Willow educates youth, university groups and adults from Opaskwayak Cree Nation and neighbouring communities in traditional ways of hunting and fishing, as well as how to be caretakers of the land. (Northern Manitoba Food, Culture, and Community Collaborative)The couple’s home has become a gathering place not just for other members of the hunting club, but for those who want to learn.Diamond Willow educates youth, university groups and adults from Opaskwayak Cree Nation and neighbouring communities in traditional ways of hunting and fishing, as well as how to be caretakers of the land. “Sharing that information — how important it is that we are attaining what the land offers and doing so in a very humane way, but also not overtaking, just taking what you need,” Crystal said. The hands-on sessions include canoe safety, fish netting, fish canning, duck and goose cleaning, and fish scale art. The goal, members say, is to ensure the community can continue hunting and fishing as the Constants learned from their elders decades ago.WATCH | Opaskwayak hunting club aims to keep traditions alive:Opaskwayak Cree Nation members use traditional skills to help othersOpaskwayak Cree Nation’s Omar and Crystal Constant grew up hunting, fishing and trapping. Now, they’ve formed a hunting and gathering club and are using their skills to help their northern Manitoba community access traditional and healthy foods, while also teaching the next generation how to take care of the land.ABOUT THE AUTHORFelisha Adam is a reporter for CBC Manitoba focused on covering local stories. She previously worked as a video journalist and reporter in Montreal. She has covered politics, international affairs, community initiatives, healthcare, and education. Share your story ideas, tips and feedback with Felisha.adam@cbc.ca.
‘There’s always big smiles’: How Opaskwayak Cree Nation members are giving back to their community
