A Métis friend of mine has recently been seen on the Game Show Network as part of the cast of the reality show, Family Trade. He is not the star, but his media appearances contrast with the humble beginnings of his own family, who until relatively recently, lived off the land itself.

Skariwate, of Vergennes, Vermont, grew up in this area of Turtle lsland, located a stone's throw from the picturesque waterfalls of Middlebury. His family connection to the area was his Métis grandfather, who was the last subsistence trapper on Otter Creek. Skariwate, also known as Darrell Tucker, speaks proudly of the influence the adaptable lifestyle of his grandfather, Frank Wade, had on him.

"He was the first survivalist that I ever knew." Skariwate told me, "Born in the year 1900, he lived to be 95 years young. He never had to read a book to certify himself as a survival "prepper." His whole life was based on what he could find on the end of his working trap lines. More often than not, he was successful."