LIFE ON THE FLATS Part 2 - Life in Crow Flats - Page 1 - Photos taken April 22-23, 2002 Kassi's Country. Pictured left is Zhelma lake located between Schafer creek and the Kassi camp. The Kassi camp is situated on the tree covered area just visible in the background. In the camp they have two canvas tents used for accommodations. They have a third tent set up for visitors and another tent set up for supplies. Each of the two tents pictured right are used as accommodations and are equipped with a wood stove, cooking utensils, and bedding supplies. Each of the tents can comfortably sleep 5-6 persons. Eiderdown sleeping blankets provide warmth for sleeping as the temperature can fall well below minus 20 degrees at night. The canoe picture here will be used to hunt Muskrats after the ice melts on the lakes. The ice usually melts some time between late May and early June. Rosalie Abel readies bannock and hot tea after a 3 hour snowmobile trip from Old Crow to the Kassi camp. Note the spruce bows that are used to cover the tent floor. Trapping Muskrats. The manner of life of a Muskrat is somewhat similar to that of the Beaver in that they build houses to shelter themselves from the cold of winter. They build their houses on the ice a considerable distance from the lakeshore. They make their houses, which we call push-ups, from mud and grass, which they retrieve from the lake bottom. Their diet consists mainly of roots of grass that they dive for on the lake bottom. Danny Kassi along with April and Tyrell prepares to set a trap by removing the top of a push-up with a shovel. He will then skim all debris such as ice, snow, and grass and mud from the water surface with a dipper. Next, he will set the trap inside the push-up and re-build the top from snow. Danny checks his traps twice daily. He removes the top of the push-up, retrieves the muskrat and then resets the trap. After retrieving the Muskrat, Danny dries and cleans the fur by rubbing the Muskrat in the snow. Pictured below. Each day's catch of Muskrats are skinned and the pelt is placed on Muskrat pelt stretchers and set in the sun to dry. The meat is prepared for eating by either roasting or boiling. Pictured below Danny and his daughter Kecia skinning Muskrats. Part 1 - Moving to Crow Flats Part 2 - Life in Crow Flats - Page: [1] [2] [3] Part 3 - Moving Back to Old Crow