Meghan and Kashtin

Big City, Saskatchewan


Below are photos of my twins Meghan Michelle and Kashtin Michael born September 11, 1992. Their birth mother is Melanie Fafard who grew up in the community of La Ronge. The children were two years old when they met Debbie. In the past ten years we have developed a special bond with the children.

 

We have spent a great deal of time and resources to travel to the city to see the children. When they were pre-schoolers they spent more time with us, once well over a month. We did a lot of outdoor things when they came north to visit.

Kashtin and Meghan with friends.
Kashtin and Meghan
Kashtin and classmate Christmas Fun
Meghan and her Class singing Carols

In the winter of 94 when they were two, Kashtin and Meghan first saw how I snared for snowshoe Hares. I took them to Lac La Plonge dam. I drove along the access road slowly looking for places where there was a lot rabbit tracks. Once I found such a location I would take the twins with me to set some snares. Brass snare wire is used as it is very pliable and does not break easily when twisted.

 

The next day the whole family gets into the Jeep to see if we caught any snowshoe hares? We always caught at least one but usually a couple rabbits. I have shown Meghan and Kashtin how to clean a rabbiit, to prepare it for a delicious meal. Many years ago all our relations depended upon small animals for food. The Metis and First Nations consumed small animals for food, as it was necessary. There was no fridges, no coolers, so animals were killed as needed for food and supplies.

Meghan Michelle
Kashtin Michael
Me hugging Kashtin
Sleepy eyed Kashtin less than a month old

Rabbits, ducks, wild chickens such as Ruffed Grouse, the Spruce Grouse, Hungarian Partridge, Ptarmigan were shot or snared In the Spring season we would push a canoe through reeds in search of eggs from grebes and mudhens. Once in a while my dad would find grouse eggs and were they ever good.

 

We also lived off a lot of fish year-round. In the summer it was easy as we just threw a net into the lake and anchored it and we would check it daily. In the winter it was a little more difficult because we had to drag the net under the ice. In order to do that you had to set a jigger in which travels a hundred yards and a hole is chopped at that location and the rope is then used to pull the net under the ice. A real kewl tewl!

Meghan just a few says old
Meghan
Kashtin and Meghan new to Winnipeg
A few days old, they fit in a box together

I have passed the fishing fun onto to the twins. We have gone fishing at Jim's Camps at Nidtowiak Falls Camp on Nistowiak Lake a few minutes downstream from Stanley Mission. You have to go through Big Stanley falls in a small aluminum boat. Kashtin and Meghan had a fun ride down then back up the rapids during the summer of 93.

 

The twins love fresh fish off the lake. I look forward to the times when we will go and fish again. We have also ice fished south of La Ronge at a place called Emerald Pond. We pulled tiny trout that were too small to eat so we threw back into the hole.

 

Kashtin and a proud Dad
Dad reading and Kashtin looking
Hard carrying two at once.
Midnight snack, I used to feed the babies late at night as I would be up studying anyway.

When the twins were at the age where they started eating, they did not eat anything out of those baby-food bottles or prepared foods. We made all their food from scratch using a blender. The twins have always eaten what I cooked, or what Debbie cooked. I love cooking outside at the park when the twins visit during the summers. We'd all go out and cook under open fire while Kashtin and Meghan would take turns fishing off a rock not far from where we are cooking.

 

We also go to a beach area north of La Ronge. Back when we were still living in Beauval we had a picnic out at La Plonge. We saw a young bear and I chased it up the tree when I drove towards it as it was walking along the camping road. He had thrown open garbage cans from the park. The bear was still up the tree when we left. I even shot one with a slingshot the one evening we were having a good meal out at Wadin Bay.

First Christmas 1992
1993 Wanuskawin with their mother. Meghan always sat in front, Kashtin preferred the rear and loved to snooze.
Terrible Twos
Meghan was such a clown and Kashtin not sure

I hope to teach and show my children enough knowledge about the outdoors, our culture, heritage, traditional activities about how we lived before there was a telephone and the internet. I hope to show them enough knowledge that someday, heaven forbid, that may may need it. I look at the world today and I am afraid what there is in the future for my future grandchildren. The world is in a mess with hungry children, homeless children all over the world. I feel so fortunate that I have these two kids that I call my own and love with all my heart.

 

If they ever need their dad, he will be there for them. They know they can call their dad anytime for anything, even a simple hello! Meghan and I email each other whenever she has access to email and has a minute for her dad. Usually she is busy chatting to all her friends. I will put up more photos as I dig them out of wherever they may be in this mess we call home. LOL. Its all my fault, I love piling paper - my own filing system, but I know where every piece of paper is - that is until someone decides to clean up the place!

Debbie, Meghan and Kashtin by the La Plonge River near Beauval.
My niece Kelly Jane with the twins.

City Soccer

Winnipeg feeling cheeky!

 

 

 

 

Kashtin with his usual nose bleed.
Twins enjoying Dad's Grad in Winnipeg

 

 

They loved their soothers.

Meghan not too happy bout sumthin

Look up, who's that?
meghan, Kashtin and Debbie at my grad 99

The twin's biological mother Melanie

Dad snoozing with kashtin

A Proud Dad with the kids

Enjoying Lac La Plonge Lake near Beauval

 

Melanie Fafard biological mother to the twins. Meghan and Kashtin would be no more than a day old at the Royal University Hospital September 12, 1992

Meghan and Kashtin at the Lac La Plonge campground.

Kashtin on Christmas morning when the stocking are emptied

Meghan on Christmas morning when the stocking is empties

Kashtin and his many talents, built this snowman

Meghan helped her brother some

Some can be eaten, others are to play with

Weather was a little cool that is why the kids have their jackets on.

Kashtin flying a kite using a fishing rod and line as a controller

Debbie, Meghan and Kashtin outside a small village along the Yellowhead on our way to my pow wow grad in Winnipeg in May 2000.

Kashtin waiting his turn, while Meghan does what dad does best; study in the can.

My grandma Monique with her great-grandchildren Meghan, Kashtin and my nephew Ben Cohnstaedt son of Delores Cohnstaedt.

Meghan, KAshtin and Debbie

Bikers

Pocahantis and a Canadiens pyjama gifts

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning

Dad's getting crushed

Alright! Start your engines!

More Soon

 

 


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