Apprehension

It's almost time.  I can barely believe it.  Tomorrow morning at 7:30am, I take off on an Air Creebec flight and fly to Moosonee, where I will then board a snowmobile to take me across the frozen Moose River to Moose Factory Island!  

Moose River feeds into the southern region of James Bay, which feeds into the southern region of Hudson Bay (I've helpfully provided this map in case your memories from grade 9 Canadian history elude you).  Can you believe?  I've never been further north than Ottawa up until now.

Moose Factory is a centuries old settlement, founded by our friends at the Hudson Bay Company in 1673.  At the time it was called Moose Fort.  In the decades that ensued, it was destroyed and re-built a couple of times, until 1821, when invaders finally lost interest.  It's been dubbed Moose Factory ever since.  In 1905, a treaty with the Cree was signed that established the area as a legit Indian Reserve.  

So this trip will be my first time to ever (knowingly) reside on a reserve.  Obviously, I've heard many things about reserves and First Nations culture, from the "noble Indian" all the way down to "drunken Indian" stereotypes.  I expect reality will borrow from the whole spectrum, and I'm eager to witness and explore it all for myself.

All my bags are packed I'm ready to go.....