Being Black is northern Sask. can be isolating. This teen finds strength in trapping

Anna-May Zeviar · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 13, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Winters successful Saskatchewan are notoriously harsh. But for some, the crisp chill aerial successful a bluish wood is inspiring.

"Even the aerial is conscionable mode easier to breathe," Mary Roberts said. "You tin conscionable travel retired and conscionable fto your thoughts loose, and fig things retired for yourself."

Mary Roberts, 16, has lived successful bluish Saskatchewan since she was two months old. She was calved successful Saskatoon, and has spent time in the Caribbean, wherever her begetter is from. But when her parents' matrimony ended, her ma brought Mary and her brother back to Nipawin to beryllium with family.

That household includes her aunt and uncle, Kerry and Janet Barks. Kerry is Métis. When helium was a young child, Kerry was taught however to trap and cleanable pelts by an Indigenous elder. Now he's passed that cognition down to his niece and nephew.

WATCH | Filmmaker Jenalene Antony introduces america to Mary Roberts, who says her bluish trapping manner is inspiring her aboriginal goals: 

These days, Kerry runs the family fur trading concern called K&J Northern Furstretchers. He said trapping and fur trading are becoming mislaid arts.

"It's going to beryllium mislaid if our younger procreation similar Mary and different radical don't prime it up," Kerry said. "It's our Canadian heritage, you know. It's my heritage. I'm arrogant to beryllium a trapper."

The kids' mother, Joyce Roberts, said trapping makes for an breathtaking beingness that teaches important skills beyond hunting and processing fur.

"So overmuch successful that accomplishment is teaching patience, teaching it's OK to beryllium peaceful. It's OK to beryllium quiet," Joyce said. "I cognize astatine times with Mary, she often needed that increasing up."

Trapping is besides not for the faint of heart. Mary's member JJ Roberts said radical request to beryllium brave retired determination successful the forests, wherever they could perchance travel look to look with wolves, bears oregon different unsafe animals.

Mary is not deterred.

"My brother, he's mode stronger than me. Also, he's taller than me," Mary said.

"But similar … conscionable due to the fact that the guy's stronger doesn't mean you can't spell retired and bash it, too. Like, I would emotion to smack down a moose earlier I crook 18."

Mary has faced different challenges increasing up successful bluish Saskatchewan. She is 1 of the lone Black radical successful her community. It's been pugnacious astatine times.

"There's a batch of stigma with Black fathers, and I don't person 1 successful my life," Mary said. "My ma has got a batch of comments being like, 'Did you follow them? Are those your grandkids?'

"I've travel crossed mixed people, and I presume close distant that their parents are their parents. I've had radical ask, like, 'What benignant of Black are you?' You know, 'What are you?' There's ever idiosyncratic making a weird comment."

Mary said those antagonistic comments bash wounded her feelings, but that trapping has helped her header by giving her the assurance to stock her cognition with others and inspired her to bring positivity into the world.

Mary and her uncle Kerry often spell to section schools to thatch others however to trap, process fur and marque clothing. She said there's a batch much she wants to learn, too.

"I person cousins that are First Nation and Métis. I decidedly respect however the Indigenous radical tally things and however they usage everything, similar adjacent the beadwork," she said. "Like, thatch maine your ways."

K&J Furstretchers has a Facebook leafage wherever they often post down the scenes videos of the household moving unneurotic oregon showing disconnected their wares. 

Mary yet hopes to go a fur manner influencer. She said it's not astir wealth and fame. She wants to enactment smiles connected people's faces.

"Like, fur mitts, I deterioration them due to the fact that they're warm. I deterioration them because, well, they're beautiful," she said.

"They're thing that shows however galore generations person gone by wearing fur mitts. And I deliberation that should beryllium the main focus. Not who has the prettiest fur mitts. How arrogant are you wearing them?"

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