It was May, and there were small signs that spring was arriving in northern Quebec. The hardwoods had tiny buds and the pines no longer creaked in the winter winds. Small patches of snow were still visible, but they would soon disappear in the rays of the sun. But spring does not come easy to the north country of Quebec. The ice on Mistassini Lake was not surrendering. It was still thick. Elijah Awashish made his way along the shoreline of the vast lake, hunting and trying to find open water to fish for trout and walleyes. He had a family to feed.