Charlie Small

Charlie Small is a First Nations Cree from the James Bay region. The tamarack bird tradition was taught by his father Oliver. Since the early eighties, Charlie has been making the tamarack bird. The James Bay Cree hunters originally used a lifesize tamarack bird as decoys for their annual Spring and fall hunt. It is made from the larch (tamarack) tree by twigs from the center core and wrapped with different size twigs which are shaped as a Canada Goose. This leaves a fresh aroma from the fragrance of the tree. It was first created by Mr. John Blueboy, who is a Cree from Moose Factory, Ontario. Today it is an aesthetically pleasing piece of art with a rich background of the Cree hunters.