Honoring Her Ancestors, Without Eating Animals

How one First Nations woman honors her indigenous Canadian culture’s traditions while abstaining from the hunt

Morgan Klettl juliennes carrots beside her mother Tracey, who stirs a pot of elk stew on the stove. Morgan’s sister Callie teasingly offers to taste-test dinner in progress, spoon in hand. The family laughs together, sharing stories as they sit down to dine. The meal is fairly traditional; a variation of one their Mohawk and Cree ancestors may have partaken of in decades gone by when they lived off the land, hunting, trapping and gathering. There is often venison, moose, and elk on the table surrounded by wild greens and the sounds of familial togetherness.

Not everyone present will be partaking in this traditional feast. While her family indulges in the spoils of the hunt, Morgan does not. She will forgo the meat and dairy for a vegan meal, such as a raw pad Thai she has prepared or a salad made of foraged edibles. She hasn’t consumed an animal product for over five years, since deciding veganism was the best path to health, respecting her body, and honoring the environment around her. She is vegan in a culture that has long thrived on hunting for sustenance and survival, the only one she knows of in her cultural community.