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Lobster in Area 28 (Part 2)
Story by Chief Charlie Dennis
The sad part of our story is that with the 50 traps we put out, we only got one small lobster that was undersized and we had to throw it back in. This went on for about two weeks, until one day, my friend Lawrence and [...]

Lobster in Area 28
Story by Chief Charlie Dennis
The Bras d’Or Lakes have always been known to have harvestable lobster. I talked to old fishermen, like Alfred MacKay, Clearwater, and other fishermen from Alder Point who remember fishing in the Lakes. There were so many lobster in those years that you couldn’t squeeze another lobster in [...]

Eagles on the Bras d’Or

Story by Chief Charlie Dennis
This is a personal observation from information gathered over the years while talking to some of the hunters from Unama’ki. 
Hunters observe that the number of eagle feathers found along the shoreline around the Bras d’Or Lakes have declined. Most of the eagle feathers that are collected by [...]

A Story by Charlie Dennis
Tribute to Frankie Francis–Friend & Cousin
In our Fall issue, Charlie Dennis described Frankie’s many business ventures that varied according to season. In late fall, Frankie would fish for eels in the Lakes’ mudflats, drawing from the knowledge he had picked up from the Elders. 
After fishing for eels, and before the ice [...]

A Story by Charlie Dennis
Tribute to Frank Francis Frankie – Friend & Cousin

I met Frank when my grandfather and I were visiting at his family’s home. Originally, we lived near the new elementary school, up on the hill where the Eskasoni Supermarket is today. Every chance I got I would spend visiting my grandparents who [...]

A Story by Charlie Dennis
Here is a story that’s a bit different from the others that I’ve told in the past. My stories usually begin with facts and fishermen in Malagawatch. With this story, I’ll throw you off a little and tell you about something a bit different. This is a story where you can [...]

A Story by Charlie Dennis
I was visiting Uncle Simon Gabriel on one of many evenings after a long day of fishing oysters in Malagawatch. Gabriel lay on his bed next to the warm stove.  His mouth was full of chewing tobacco and there was a spittoon nearby.
Often something was said by him or me that [...]

A Story by Charlie Dennis
My stories usually begin in Malagawatch or ‘Big Harbour Island’ as it’s called on the map. My principal Elders are Gabriel Sylliboy and Noel Francis. Other people were involved in some of the stories that were talked about around the campfire about the futuristic view of predicting the next day’s weather.
My [...]

A Story by Charlie Dennis
Noel Francis was one of the true oyster fishermen that fished oysters in the different oyster beds in the Bras d’Or Lakes. During most of the oyster season, he and his son would be fishing in Malagawatch and River Denys Basin. At times, he would fish alone as the boys would [...]

Alfred MacKay:  All-around fisherman from Big Harbour Island, Malagawatch 
I met Alfred back in the 1970s when I was buying oyster from the public fishery in the fall. Alfred lived southeast of what we call Malagawatch Reserve. In order for him to get to his home, he had to drive through the Malagawatch community on a [...]

by Charlie Dennis
For many years, my good friend Gabriel, or Kaplie’l in Mi’kmaq, fished oysters in Malagawatch Pond. I met Kaplie’l back in the late 1950’s. My grandparents and dad used to go to Malagawatch for a visit or get supplies of white maple and poplar for basket making.
Kaplie’l and his brother Sa’n Denny had [...]

A Story by Charlie Dennis
This is in reference to my story in the last issue of Martin about the Oysters and my old friend Gabriel. If some of you took a guess (or were stumped!), the important tool was Cod Liver Oil. You are probably wondering ‘What the?!’ Why would a person use oil to [...]

A Story by Charlie Dennis
I was a young boy when I used to go to Malagawatch with my Mom and Dad to gather maple to make baskets. There was a man there named Gabriel Sylliboy. Gabriel and his brother stayed in a meager cabin typical of the times then, an oil lantern, an old tin [...]