Participants of the Lac La Ronge Winter Festival King and Queen Trapper Competition. (Submitted photo/Kevin Roberts)

By Derek Cornet

accomplishment

Lac La Ronge Winter Festival awards King and Queen Trapper titles

Mar 5, 2023 | 6:26 PM

Lac La Ronge Indian Band Coun. Gerald McKenzie of Grandmother’s Bay and Clarissa Burns of Prince Albert are this year’s Lac La Ronge Winter Festival King and Queen Trappers.

The King and Queen Trapper Competition was held over two days, starting Saturday and ending Sunday afternoon. There were 10 competing in the men’s category and another 10 for the women.

McKenzie won with 41 points and Burns won with 37.

“I didn’t think I was going to win by that much,” McKenzie said. “The guys … get injured and muscles are sore. Some of them are playing hockey at the same time and it’s been a long season as well. I only entered two events and I think we have two more to go. Having fun is the main thing.”

Participants competed in 12 different skills sets including snowshoe racing, axe throwing, log sawing, tea boiling, bannock making, nail pounding, rope winding, trap setting, portaging, animal calling and the buckskin competition.

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McKenzie credits his lifestyle for doing so well in the competition, noting he still gathers, cuts and burns wood at home. He also added he has been travelling the King Trapper circuit for 42 years and a lot of it comes natural to him.

“I just want to encourage everyone to get into a hobby because this is pretty much a hobby for us,” McKenzie said. “I want to encourage our young people to talk to one of us and see what we can do for them to help them get into the trappers competition, because it keeps you fit all year around and it’s a lot of fun.”

Burns is also currently on the Queen Trapper circuit, having recently won titles in Prince Albert and The Pas, Man. She begins training a couple of weeks before the competitions begin in February.

“I got out in my backyard and do some fire building and axe throwing and log sawing,” she said. “I set up little stations in my backyard.”

Burns has been participating in trapper events for 20 years and she mentioned her family has been involved for three generations. She said there’s a lot of good competition in La Ronge and Stanley Mission and she credits her wins to luck.

Aside from 2022 festival when the Queen Trapper title was won by Sylvia McKenzie, Burns had been a winner at the Lac La Ronge Winter Festival five consecutive times.

“I just want the festivals to keep going, and the young people to get involved and come out and learn our survival skills and our way of life back in the day,” she said. “Just try it out and you never know, maybe you will fall in love with it the way I did.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno