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The caribou herdsIn the past, the aboriginal people of northern Manitoba, northern Saskatchewan and the adjacent portions of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut depended on the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou for food, clothing and shelter. Their days circled around the caribou, following these migratory animals during hunting seasons. When caribou were scarce, starvation -- and even death -- sometimes ensued.Modern times have reduced their dependence on caribou -- but not the significance of the animal to the culture and lifestyle of aboriginal people. With the high cost of transporting food and other goods into northern Canada, caribou meat continues to be an important country food. In the late 1970s, population estimates caused some groups to fear the caribou herds were becoming endangered. There was concern, too, that rising industrial development and the large number of people coming north could hurt the caribou's environment. Fortunately, the changing times also brought about changing attitudes, and for the first time Canadian federal, provincial, and territorial governments turned to caribou hunters to work together as a team in "co-managing" the herds. That, in turn, gave rise to the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou Management Board.
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