Dozens of Native women eager to learn how to hunt and use traditional methods of preparing the animal will gather this weekend for the first-ever all-female deer hunt on Oneida Nation of the Thames territory.

Up to 50 women registered for the hunt organized by 13 Moons Land-Based Learning, a First Nation community group that helps people reconnect with the land.

“Social media has exploded,” said organizer Dayna McDougall. “Women are messaging and calling, and they’re saying, ‘You know, it’s nice to feel included!'”

Traditionally, McDougall said hunting has been more of a male responsibility in this field, but she said it shouldn’t be divided based on gender roles.

“We want to empower our women to learn both roles so they can teach their sons,” McDougall said.

She notes that the whole animal will be used, with women skinning and butchering the deer after the hunt and preparing the meat for the community. The hide is preserved and later used to teach leather-making techniques.

For this first outing, many young people showed interest, including Tia Kennedy, who had already hunted with her boyfriend. She explains that she feels connected to the land when she goes out before dawn, walks the hills and listens to the natural world.

“It’s about sustainability. It’s about taking care of Mother Earth. It involves reciprocity and respect,” Kennedy said. “I love being there and just building that relationship with Mother Earth.”

She adds that it’s also a workout and everyone will go home sweaty and hopefully with a deer.

“I think it’s important for our women to feel included, especially in hunting, because it really helps us understand our full potential and our responsibility as guardians,” McDougall said.

Organizers said they were surprised by the number of women willing to participate and arranged for a shuttle from Oneida to the hunting camp.

One young participant had one piece of advice for all the newbies heading out this weekend, one she learned from her father, who is an experienced hunter on Oneida.

“Keep all your negative energy away,” Orianna Elijah Brown said. “We have a saying that deer can sense our negative energy, so when we have bad thoughts, they will know and stay away.”