François Auger
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François Auger, an Aboriginal Elder from Calling Lake, Alberta, was highly involved in the traditional social and spiritual life of his community. Aside from running a trapline in the area of Orloff Lake,
which is close to Calling Lake, Mr. Auger also conducted Sweats at the local Sweat Lodge owned by Raymond Cardinal, also from Calling Lake.
Mr. Auger represented a mix of traditional bush life and modern technology. He travelled along the trails between his line cabins on an all-terrain vehicle, a far cry from dog-team and toboggan. He stressed the need for recording aspects of traditional culture like the Sweat, so that a permanent testament to traditional Aboriginal folkways could be maintained. With this in mind, Mr. Auger along with Raymond Cardinal, described the Sweat Ceremony in great detail to Terry Garvin in 1995. Details of what was described can be found in Mr. Garvin’s book, Carving Faces, Carving Lives: People of the Boreal Forest.
