Jeffery sasakamoose, elizA SASAKAMOOSE, & CORA AHENAKEW - we were raised well.
There were four siblings long ago, and the story I heard was, they should have had a different last name, it was a French last name. I don’t really remember the name, it’s “Chatelet”. Yes, its Chatelet. That was the name they should have had these four siblings, they used to use this last name, like the Sasakamoose, they don’t know how to say or where it came from. I had traveled a lot back in the days, northern Manitoba was one of them, a place called Easterville. There was a lot of Cree people, one of them I was talking to asked me, what my name was, I said Jeffery Sasakamoose. What does your last name mean, or come from he asked me. I told him I don’t even know I had asked many people about my last name and I still don’t know. He spoke Cree, but it sounded different, and meant differently. He said, in my Cree language here, Sasakamoose, means someone who is very weak, who can’t feed himself and you fed them from your own hand to his mouth. That is what he told me, what Sasakamoose meant in his Cree language this old man from Manitoba.
And Masuskapoe, I was told this story, there was this one man who was very ill, and he was told by this other elderly man, if you want to feel better, it was already cold by this time, the lake had frozen into ice. This old man said to the sick man, if you want to live, and feel better than you have to have full faith on God, and you have to go sit on the frozen ice outside with full faith in God, until the ice melts. This is where is the last name Masuskapoe came from. The sick man sat on the frozen ice as it melts, he had melted the ice to the ground, until he sat towards the sand, the ground.
I heard that Ahtahkakoop and his people used to go gather at Cypress hills. In the summer they gather over there, with the Black foot, but they end up fighting and then move back. In the Winter time they camp together. Red-berry Lake, Barry Ahenakew used to tell me our people used to gather over there, camp and hunt there. The priest named Hynes and Chief Ahtahkakoop used to take our people there to go gather food, to hunt in the winter time. Ahtahkakoop had chased about three moose, and had killed them and brought meat back for his people. There were other hunting grounds they used to go, one was by Montnebo called Fur- lake, and Big Shell lake. I always believe this, that Big Shell Lake towards the pastures, we are supposed to own this land, by Ahtahkakoop and Whitefish. Remember when they wanted to put Elk there, they had to get our reserve permission to not hunt there. If we didn’t own that land, why did they ask us. There is a lot of us that believe this. We own land there. Burton Ahenakew’s son, Glen will know the area. If we ever want to go look for a mark.
No one mentions about Park Valley. Our people used to go there and pick up berries. It was a berry picking place. Also cooks and cooks used to go there to work with the farmers. They got along with the farmers good back then.
Eliza
Park Valley, the cooks used to move there, a long time ago different families will go there with wagons and stay there to gather up berries and roots. I remember when we used to go there, there were pines and a stream, spring, where we used to get water there. We were told not to take any small children with us, if we take them with us, these small men, will take us. (dwarfs) small people. This wasn’t true. I think the older people were just trying to scare us (laughter) because there was a park there. The older people did not really want us going there, they used to cut and dry up the wild meat around there.
Jeffery
We had an uncle who used to go hunting at the park, and they would drag- out wild meat, they would cut the wild meat and dry it in the bushes. Then and the caretakers would come out and look for the wild meat and find nothing. (laughter) they were hunting without the care-taker’s consent.
Eliza
This was the reason the children were not allowed there, so we do not see any of this sneaky hunting and hiding the wild meat, they were doing. (laughing). Because we would have asked a lot questions from the care-takers and our people were afraid that we will tell on them. (laughter) At Red-berry Lake they used to go pick choke cherries over there, there was lot berries over there. A lot of choke cherry bushes across the river. Our people would gather them for winter. Barry Ahenakew used to drive us there, he knows a lot of stories and places.
Jeffery and Eliza
Sasakamoose is from our great-grandparents. I do not really know where it originated from, but this is where, Chatelet came from then Sakebow. Our grandfather was Alexann. (First name) Sasakamoose. Then our father Joseph Sasakamoose. Our grandma was Julia Favel from Little Pine, but we do not know any relatives. We had one Gilbert, who knew us very well, but passed away. Our dad’s cousin Edmund Jackson, we met him. And Evelyn Lewis (Jackson) who was married to a Lewis.
My father had brothers, Uncle Ronnie, there was only 2 men, brothers. There is about 400 of us, Sasakamoose and there was one sister, Annie Isbister married an Isbister.
Our grandfather’s relatives had passed away from consumption, sickness, Tb, respiratory illness.
We used to play hockey by the river, towards Debden, where the other Sasakamooses live now. That was my father’s first homestead. But we moved here because of school, my father did not want us walking too far. It is about 2 miles straight across, he used to make us a path to walk to school. Then he saw how education is going to play a part in a person’s lives. He moved us closer to have education. Today my own family four of my children are teachers and my grand kids are teachers. This is what he saw, how education is important in our lives, he too, was a smart man even though he did not go to school. He knew how to count; total acres are in a field and how many bus holds. These he knew so well. Even when we went to Alberta, he counted the acres of the fields we are going to be doing. He knew exactly how much we did. He was also a very hard worker, he never quit. He would wake up very early and start to work until nighttime, this is where he had to stop, when it is too dark outside. This is what he had taught us. He used to get us to load up some wood at nighttime and in early morning we would go to Debden to sell the wood for spending money. He used to get along with those French people in Debden, I do not even know how they used to understand each other as my father spoke mainly Cree and barely spoke English and the French was the same (laughter) they spoke little English too. And they would tell stories to each other and laugh at times. We used to stop and visit a lot.
Hector Demers, a butcher, my father used to have cows and when we used to run out of food, he would load up a steer. I knew when he was doing something, he would be getting ready. He was getting a steer ready that evening. And in the early morning about 3am he had load up the steer and drive to Debden 6am to sell the steer, he had to sell it without the Government knowing because we were not allowed to sell our cows. But the butcher will buy the steer off my father for groceries, Hector Demers.
Eliza:
Our father used the cows a lot back then, I remember when there was a dead calf in the winter and our father had dragged it to plow us a path for us to walk to school. It was hard, so it made us a path.
Eliza and Jeffery
Our mother was very hard- working woman, and we grew up that way.
She was so good at sewing together clothing for us. I tell my children this all the time, there is this story about these 2 boys, Sedric Starblanket and Wesley Knife. They come down to visit at times. In the Fall, we already had new clothing, and they did not have much clothing, not even jackets. And then my mom had this good cloth still and made the boys new parkas with buttons or zippers and on top she had put some ribbons on the parkas. The boys were so proud of their new parkas, especially Sedric, he had run around so his ribbons will flow. She used to make parkas for them.
Eliza and Cora
Today, we sew, me and my sister, we learnt from our mother how to use sewing machines too. We inherited that from her, she was also so clean around the house. She used to tell us to always sweep, sweep under our beds every day, every day, if you did not sweep that floor, you go back and done it. We try being like that today, but at times we forget (laughter). No dirty dishes, you do not let them sit. All day she used to sew and make blankets and sell them. She used to take sewing classes and made jeans and shirts.
Jeffery
She used to make lunches, bake bread, use sandwich spread and one cake. She used to make a bunch and on Sports days on Sundays, she would go sell them. We were raised very well, our parents were so hard-working, we were not hungry, we always used to help though, we picked up berries all the time. We also had to work in the garden. I remember when Jeffery stole berries off these old ladies because he had to fill up his pail. (laughter). I remember my father made a homemade cooler, log-cooler, where we used to live, my father made an ice cooler in a little house, it was a cold place, it is like an underground road cellar. It had a good door too. They used to also use old wells, where we used to store milk, berries and meat.
Church was always packed, they used to always have good food, a lot of food in the basement. Then we would go watch soccer afterwards where our mother used to sell her lunches. There was this one man named Ervin Dreaver, he would walk from Mistawasis to join us at church and then play soccer then he would walk back. He enjoyed coming down to visit. I bet this is how my auntie met her husband, her husband is from Mistawasis, they got married. His name was Samuel Dreaver.
I had finished Grade 8 here on the reserve then I had to leave for Prince Albert All Saints School and then PACI.
In the fall they used to herd cows over here from other reserves like Witchikan, Pelican lake and Whitefish. Also, from here, Mistawasis and Muskeg. They would herd these cows to Shellbrook and load them in a train. It was a big herd almost every household had their cows in there. But they did not get their cheques, not until the following year. There was a lot of families that waited for these cheques, and the reason they did not get paid, is because the money went to Indian affairs most likely end up in Ottawa then back to Regina and then to Indian agent then to farmer instructor. They waited over a year to get their cheques. Our people were not treated good back then, when they sell their cows, they had to wait to get paid, and these cows were branded “ID” Indian Department. There was a foreman who kept track of these cows on who had how many head. The families would make a distinguishing feature in their cows to identify them, like cutting the right or left ear-tip off.
Many of them were not allowed to sell their own cows. My dad was almost charged for butchering his own cow due to being hungry. Malcolm was there too, the time they butchered it, Malcolm Greyeyes. They needed the food.
Where the NADAP building standing right now, that is where our school used to be. It was a one big school with a big basement. I remember when I used to haul wood to the basement and potatoes, all sorts of vegetables before winter. We used to pump the water every weekend to use for the whole week. Me, Walter and Lester. So, they had running water upstairs, but we had to pump by hand. Upstairs they had living quarters I do not know how many rooms, there was a whole family of teachers that lived there. I also remember these older girls late Grace Ahenakew and Sylvia they used to make a big pot of soup with vegetables from the garden. And upstairs these teachers had aspirins, cough syrup and all sorts of dispensaries, A few bandages. I remember when we could not speak English, we tried to speak it and we were horrible at it. All we spoke was Cree and our teacher would not like that. I remember I was in Grade 4 I was trying to figure out math, it was hard to understand for me. And at the school there was this dip where we always play, and the late David Ahenakew we were sitting there, and I kept thinking about math, the numbers, and all sudden it clicked in my mind. I knew what the math is all about, just like that, I was suddenly good with numbers. Math became my best subject, Algebra. I knew what math meant and can figure it out in my head, and it was a good use because I ended up doing good with carpentry. I inherited that from my father. It was like switch turn on, I can see the numbers. After that, I had no problems with numbers. When I was in Grade 9, we used to laugh about choosing our classes, me and Walter Isbister. We used to sign-up in Home Economics, and we used to get a schedule and once we stepped into the Home Ec. Classroom, we saw nothing but girls. We were embarrassed, we ended up laughing about it and dropped the class. That was funny.
PACI- Prince Albert Collegiate Institute- we all went to school there, there was no grade 9 here, so we had to board at the Residence in Prince Albert.
We had to leave and board there. That was such a cultural shock for us, going to a school with a lot of white people, facing racism.
It was not so bad for me (Jeffery), I signed up for the sports, especially Track and Field and I had to join in with the white kids. Shell lake, Blaine Lake, and Rosthern these are the places I had to travel with the white kids to compete. My boys Stanley, Lenny and Barry used to be all very good track running.
I remember this one man named Dumius Arcand, he had told me a story about when he was a young boy, they left Duck Lake to come this way. And they came upon a river, there was no bridge at the time, wagons had to right through the river. He had said that their horses got stuck in that river, and these horses were not strong enough. So, his father had to climb up a hill to get help. He said your grandfather, Alexand came with a team of very strong horses, and strong harnesses and chains, he wrapped the harnesses to those horses and the chain on the wagon and pulled them out. That was my grandfather Alexander. He had a red beard. He did not used to talk he knew sign language, only when he was a young man, he used to talk a lot. He was very ill, and his speech got effected, after that he could not talk. He knew how to communicate to people with sign language. He once visited a man who knew how to sign language one time and they would understand each other through sign language. They would tell stories and laugh.
When I was small, I used to harness one side of the horses on the wagon and my mother would do the other side, and sometimes Steven will do the harnessing. When you go across the river where late Freddie used to live by that big field. I used to help my dad farm there, I was a small boy at the time. That was the time I was riding a big horse, my horse kept going towards the side of the road, where he stepped on a beehive. My horse jumped and threw me off, I had a broken arm and collar bone. Next day the farm instructor took him to pa and the doctor put a sling on my arm. Then he took me to the All-Saints school where Edna Knife went to school at the time. I stayed there for 2 nights then the farm instructor brought me back home.
My father had a lot of cows and horses, he had 19 mares, there was 20 but it was sick, and he had to kill it.
Before my father died, he had cancer, he was still a hard worker, he was still hauling wood. We used to have a lot of wood, he may used to sell the wood or give them away. He did not use any power saw, just an ax. He was 76 years old, and our mom was 78 years old when they passed. Cancer took both.
There used to be a lot of cabins back then, by Mont ne boo, and in Whitefish area where Metis people lived.
I remember I used to stay with my uncle and auntie many times at the north-west of the reserve, I remember this bachelor named Enjeeyan, they would snare rabbits, and they cook them. At nighttime, they would eat the rabbit, play music and tell stories, and dance. Sometimes all night. They used to have a lot of fun. These bachelors used to have a lot of fun. But one of them had to leave Enjeeyan Gerard had to leave. While he was living alone, he was excited when someone came knocking at his door, he jumped up and yelled “Kevin” here it was a nurse. She went to the wrong house looking for someone else.
This is where the late Doris Bear was raised at this area called Hawk-eye, at north- west of Mont ne bo, just outside of the reserve, it was a no-man’s land, because it was not a good land.
Eliza-
Martin Robinson married my aunt, Matilda. They had Doris, Deloros, Dawn and Calvin. Dawn drowned when she was 15. Martin was a Metis ended up being a treaty, he lived here. This is where these relatives came from, Flora Beds and Agnus Ratt, those were his aunties, they used to visit.
Jeffery
We never had a catholic church here. We always had an Anglican church. Hynes was the one that started it all. All the material came from a train to Polwarth, and they all took their own time to build the Anglican church. I remember when I was riding behind the wagon from Mont ne bo, me and John. We were playing fighting, and John had shallowed a peanut in a wrong way, he could not breath right. My father brought him into the house, he was turning red, how could not walk right or breath right. Then he got rushed to pa for x-ray, he could not get surgery too because of the way he had shallowed that peanut. He was sent to United States, he was to get operation over there, he got put on waiting list. So, one day we went to church, and John sat beside me and my father too. We sat where we always sat, third row on the right side of the church. Suddenly John coughed so hard, so hard that my father tried to take that peanut from his mouth, he coughed so hard that he ended up shallowing that piece of peanut. Then he his breathing went back to normal. This happened inside of church. The hospital ended up cancelling the operation for him. It was a miracle.
Before Christmas me and Gordon Williams were coming home from school in Prince Albert we took the bus, and I had enough money to get to Debden, and he only had enough money to get to Polworth. I did not want to leave him alone at Polworth, because he did not know anyone around there, it was already getting dark, and the weather was getting cold and stormy. Before that though, there used to be like a radio thing where you can leave a message for people, it was CKBI. I had left a message for my father that we left home on a bus that night to Polworth. So, we got off, it was storming. We waited for a while at Polworth, Steel was the name of the owner of that little store there, and Mrs. Steel. So, we began walking on the old highway, and I remember we took a turn into this road, there was only one house around there in the bushes, where Samuel Peekeekoot lived. We were walking on deep snow on open field. It was blowing snow everywhere. I came across a black popular, I climbed that tree to see what is ahead of us, I was feeling sick, all a sudden I saw a light. I yelled at Gordon to walk that way where the light was shining from. Then I told him to stop and stand still there. I climbed down, and I yelled at him again to walk towards the light was shining, then while he was walking towards that way, he would end up around to walk back to me again then I would yell at him again to walk towards where the light was coming from. We ended up on the highway, we would turn left again and there was nothing. We came back, we ended up seeing a little house in the bush, and I knocked. An old man bachelor named Henry Burns opened the door and we explained ourselves to him what had happened to us. He told us to spend the night there in his little house. The next morning my father had plowed his way to that old road nobody uses, he plowed his way to Samuel’s house and then to Polworth to search for us. Then Steel had told him that me and Gordon walked off. Because my father had had a dream that night that we had frozen to death. I woke up that morning and went outside I remember seeing someone walking on those open fields and here it was my father. He came to find us. If I did not climb that tree, we would not have seen this little house. We would of probably froze that night.
My father was the first one to have a vehicle here. It cost him $400. There were not many roads too back then, just the ones the cows used. We used to ride a Kaboose to school when it was winter.
We were so blessed the way we were raised. We were raised so well, now today I see it. Everything we were taught we need it today, ever since this sickness came, people are planting their own now, own vegetables. What we plant helps us feel better, it feeds us better. Your heart, your body and soul. And when a person feels better about themselves, they pass the good feeling towards others. You pass the positiveness to others. It does not get us sick. This is how it should be. This morning my wife said that there used to be a lot of visiting back in the days, now there is nothing like that. People used to visit from evening until late at night, then they would go home. She was talking about John George Starblanket and Muriel they used to visit anytime of the day, at night until midnight. They would come anytime. She said she remembers her father used to visit there; she had seen him when elders come there to visit, they would get so comfortable and just lie down using their jacket as a pillow and visit each other at times talking about Jesse James. They were happy. I remember too, we used to go visiting a lot, to Whitefish, Polwarth, Hawk-eye, now today we lost that, we do not ever visit anymore. We lost that, the closeness, we need it back. I, myself, is very Thankful and had been truly blessed, my siblings, we love each other. We need more families to love each other, not to fight and hate each other. We were blessed to love other people no just us. That is how we were raised. To pray for each other and other people. Give a lot and you will be blessed. That is all. Thank-you.
My father used to gather up his oats in the Winter and take off to Stoney Lake on a sleigh. He would trade for wild meat, moose meat. Then my father would share that moose meat to others.
Cora
We were raised well, like what my bother said. In the summertime, I used to help a lot back in the days, most of my life. I cannot do that anymore. There are other people that can do that now. I do little things. I make star quilts; I was taught how to sew. I retire now. Sewing keeps me busy. I cannot seem to not do anything. Because I am so used to doing stuff. We got to have faith, only God changes us and our ways. We are praying our children to do better. Sometimes it feels so hopeless, but only God can change that. I pray for my children. I do not really talk as much, I went to high school until grade 8, I got married. From there I lived almost a separate life than my siblings so the things they had seen I did not get to see. I was more controlled, even my visiting. Things were different for me. But we worked hard too, my husband was a hard worker I worked along with him. We had our kids, and sometimes other kids like my kid’s friends. Also, the pets I had to take care of along the way. It was a good life. We raised our kids. But my life was not that good, but I had done what I was to do as a mother.
And Masuskapoe, I was told this story, there was this one man who was very ill, and he was told by this other elderly man, if you want to feel better, it was already cold by this time, the lake had frozen into ice. This old man said to the sick man, if you want to live, and feel better than you have to have full faith on God, and you have to go sit on the frozen ice outside with full faith in God, until the ice melts. This is where is the last name Masuskapoe came from. The sick man sat on the frozen ice as it melts, he had melted the ice to the ground, until he sat towards the sand, the ground.
I heard that Ahtahkakoop and his people used to go gather at Cypress hills. In the summer they gather over there, with the Black foot, but they end up fighting and then move back. In the Winter time they camp together. Red-berry Lake, Barry Ahenakew used to tell me our people used to gather over there, camp and hunt there. The priest named Hynes and Chief Ahtahkakoop used to take our people there to go gather food, to hunt in the winter time. Ahtahkakoop had chased about three moose, and had killed them and brought meat back for his people. There were other hunting grounds they used to go, one was by Montnebo called Fur- lake, and Big Shell lake. I always believe this, that Big Shell Lake towards the pastures, we are supposed to own this land, by Ahtahkakoop and Whitefish. Remember when they wanted to put Elk there, they had to get our reserve permission to not hunt there. If we didn’t own that land, why did they ask us. There is a lot of us that believe this. We own land there. Burton Ahenakew’s son, Glen will know the area. If we ever want to go look for a mark.
No one mentions about Park Valley. Our people used to go there and pick up berries. It was a berry picking place. Also cooks and cooks used to go there to work with the farmers. They got along with the farmers good back then.
Eliza
Park Valley, the cooks used to move there, a long time ago different families will go there with wagons and stay there to gather up berries and roots. I remember when we used to go there, there were pines and a stream, spring, where we used to get water there. We were told not to take any small children with us, if we take them with us, these small men, will take us. (dwarfs) small people. This wasn’t true. I think the older people were just trying to scare us (laughter) because there was a park there. The older people did not really want us going there, they used to cut and dry up the wild meat around there.
Jeffery
We had an uncle who used to go hunting at the park, and they would drag- out wild meat, they would cut the wild meat and dry it in the bushes. Then and the caretakers would come out and look for the wild meat and find nothing. (laughter) they were hunting without the care-taker’s consent.
Eliza
This was the reason the children were not allowed there, so we do not see any of this sneaky hunting and hiding the wild meat, they were doing. (laughing). Because we would have asked a lot questions from the care-takers and our people were afraid that we will tell on them. (laughter) At Red-berry Lake they used to go pick choke cherries over there, there was lot berries over there. A lot of choke cherry bushes across the river. Our people would gather them for winter. Barry Ahenakew used to drive us there, he knows a lot of stories and places.
Jeffery and Eliza
Sasakamoose is from our great-grandparents. I do not really know where it originated from, but this is where, Chatelet came from then Sakebow. Our grandfather was Alexann. (First name) Sasakamoose. Then our father Joseph Sasakamoose. Our grandma was Julia Favel from Little Pine, but we do not know any relatives. We had one Gilbert, who knew us very well, but passed away. Our dad’s cousin Edmund Jackson, we met him. And Evelyn Lewis (Jackson) who was married to a Lewis.
My father had brothers, Uncle Ronnie, there was only 2 men, brothers. There is about 400 of us, Sasakamoose and there was one sister, Annie Isbister married an Isbister.
Our grandfather’s relatives had passed away from consumption, sickness, Tb, respiratory illness.
We used to play hockey by the river, towards Debden, where the other Sasakamooses live now. That was my father’s first homestead. But we moved here because of school, my father did not want us walking too far. It is about 2 miles straight across, he used to make us a path to walk to school. Then he saw how education is going to play a part in a person’s lives. He moved us closer to have education. Today my own family four of my children are teachers and my grand kids are teachers. This is what he saw, how education is important in our lives, he too, was a smart man even though he did not go to school. He knew how to count; total acres are in a field and how many bus holds. These he knew so well. Even when we went to Alberta, he counted the acres of the fields we are going to be doing. He knew exactly how much we did. He was also a very hard worker, he never quit. He would wake up very early and start to work until nighttime, this is where he had to stop, when it is too dark outside. This is what he had taught us. He used to get us to load up some wood at nighttime and in early morning we would go to Debden to sell the wood for spending money. He used to get along with those French people in Debden, I do not even know how they used to understand each other as my father spoke mainly Cree and barely spoke English and the French was the same (laughter) they spoke little English too. And they would tell stories to each other and laugh at times. We used to stop and visit a lot.
Hector Demers, a butcher, my father used to have cows and when we used to run out of food, he would load up a steer. I knew when he was doing something, he would be getting ready. He was getting a steer ready that evening. And in the early morning about 3am he had load up the steer and drive to Debden 6am to sell the steer, he had to sell it without the Government knowing because we were not allowed to sell our cows. But the butcher will buy the steer off my father for groceries, Hector Demers.
Eliza:
Our father used the cows a lot back then, I remember when there was a dead calf in the winter and our father had dragged it to plow us a path for us to walk to school. It was hard, so it made us a path.
Eliza and Jeffery
Our mother was very hard- working woman, and we grew up that way.
She was so good at sewing together clothing for us. I tell my children this all the time, there is this story about these 2 boys, Sedric Starblanket and Wesley Knife. They come down to visit at times. In the Fall, we already had new clothing, and they did not have much clothing, not even jackets. And then my mom had this good cloth still and made the boys new parkas with buttons or zippers and on top she had put some ribbons on the parkas. The boys were so proud of their new parkas, especially Sedric, he had run around so his ribbons will flow. She used to make parkas for them.
Eliza and Cora
Today, we sew, me and my sister, we learnt from our mother how to use sewing machines too. We inherited that from her, she was also so clean around the house. She used to tell us to always sweep, sweep under our beds every day, every day, if you did not sweep that floor, you go back and done it. We try being like that today, but at times we forget (laughter). No dirty dishes, you do not let them sit. All day she used to sew and make blankets and sell them. She used to take sewing classes and made jeans and shirts.
Jeffery
She used to make lunches, bake bread, use sandwich spread and one cake. She used to make a bunch and on Sports days on Sundays, she would go sell them. We were raised very well, our parents were so hard-working, we were not hungry, we always used to help though, we picked up berries all the time. We also had to work in the garden. I remember when Jeffery stole berries off these old ladies because he had to fill up his pail. (laughter). I remember my father made a homemade cooler, log-cooler, where we used to live, my father made an ice cooler in a little house, it was a cold place, it is like an underground road cellar. It had a good door too. They used to also use old wells, where we used to store milk, berries and meat.
Church was always packed, they used to always have good food, a lot of food in the basement. Then we would go watch soccer afterwards where our mother used to sell her lunches. There was this one man named Ervin Dreaver, he would walk from Mistawasis to join us at church and then play soccer then he would walk back. He enjoyed coming down to visit. I bet this is how my auntie met her husband, her husband is from Mistawasis, they got married. His name was Samuel Dreaver.
I had finished Grade 8 here on the reserve then I had to leave for Prince Albert All Saints School and then PACI.
In the fall they used to herd cows over here from other reserves like Witchikan, Pelican lake and Whitefish. Also, from here, Mistawasis and Muskeg. They would herd these cows to Shellbrook and load them in a train. It was a big herd almost every household had their cows in there. But they did not get their cheques, not until the following year. There was a lot of families that waited for these cheques, and the reason they did not get paid, is because the money went to Indian affairs most likely end up in Ottawa then back to Regina and then to Indian agent then to farmer instructor. They waited over a year to get their cheques. Our people were not treated good back then, when they sell their cows, they had to wait to get paid, and these cows were branded “ID” Indian Department. There was a foreman who kept track of these cows on who had how many head. The families would make a distinguishing feature in their cows to identify them, like cutting the right or left ear-tip off.
Many of them were not allowed to sell their own cows. My dad was almost charged for butchering his own cow due to being hungry. Malcolm was there too, the time they butchered it, Malcolm Greyeyes. They needed the food.
Where the NADAP building standing right now, that is where our school used to be. It was a one big school with a big basement. I remember when I used to haul wood to the basement and potatoes, all sorts of vegetables before winter. We used to pump the water every weekend to use for the whole week. Me, Walter and Lester. So, they had running water upstairs, but we had to pump by hand. Upstairs they had living quarters I do not know how many rooms, there was a whole family of teachers that lived there. I also remember these older girls late Grace Ahenakew and Sylvia they used to make a big pot of soup with vegetables from the garden. And upstairs these teachers had aspirins, cough syrup and all sorts of dispensaries, A few bandages. I remember when we could not speak English, we tried to speak it and we were horrible at it. All we spoke was Cree and our teacher would not like that. I remember I was in Grade 4 I was trying to figure out math, it was hard to understand for me. And at the school there was this dip where we always play, and the late David Ahenakew we were sitting there, and I kept thinking about math, the numbers, and all sudden it clicked in my mind. I knew what the math is all about, just like that, I was suddenly good with numbers. Math became my best subject, Algebra. I knew what math meant and can figure it out in my head, and it was a good use because I ended up doing good with carpentry. I inherited that from my father. It was like switch turn on, I can see the numbers. After that, I had no problems with numbers. When I was in Grade 9, we used to laugh about choosing our classes, me and Walter Isbister. We used to sign-up in Home Economics, and we used to get a schedule and once we stepped into the Home Ec. Classroom, we saw nothing but girls. We were embarrassed, we ended up laughing about it and dropped the class. That was funny.
PACI- Prince Albert Collegiate Institute- we all went to school there, there was no grade 9 here, so we had to board at the Residence in Prince Albert.
We had to leave and board there. That was such a cultural shock for us, going to a school with a lot of white people, facing racism.
It was not so bad for me (Jeffery), I signed up for the sports, especially Track and Field and I had to join in with the white kids. Shell lake, Blaine Lake, and Rosthern these are the places I had to travel with the white kids to compete. My boys Stanley, Lenny and Barry used to be all very good track running.
I remember this one man named Dumius Arcand, he had told me a story about when he was a young boy, they left Duck Lake to come this way. And they came upon a river, there was no bridge at the time, wagons had to right through the river. He had said that their horses got stuck in that river, and these horses were not strong enough. So, his father had to climb up a hill to get help. He said your grandfather, Alexand came with a team of very strong horses, and strong harnesses and chains, he wrapped the harnesses to those horses and the chain on the wagon and pulled them out. That was my grandfather Alexander. He had a red beard. He did not used to talk he knew sign language, only when he was a young man, he used to talk a lot. He was very ill, and his speech got effected, after that he could not talk. He knew how to communicate to people with sign language. He once visited a man who knew how to sign language one time and they would understand each other through sign language. They would tell stories and laugh.
When I was small, I used to harness one side of the horses on the wagon and my mother would do the other side, and sometimes Steven will do the harnessing. When you go across the river where late Freddie used to live by that big field. I used to help my dad farm there, I was a small boy at the time. That was the time I was riding a big horse, my horse kept going towards the side of the road, where he stepped on a beehive. My horse jumped and threw me off, I had a broken arm and collar bone. Next day the farm instructor took him to pa and the doctor put a sling on my arm. Then he took me to the All-Saints school where Edna Knife went to school at the time. I stayed there for 2 nights then the farm instructor brought me back home.
My father had a lot of cows and horses, he had 19 mares, there was 20 but it was sick, and he had to kill it.
Before my father died, he had cancer, he was still a hard worker, he was still hauling wood. We used to have a lot of wood, he may used to sell the wood or give them away. He did not use any power saw, just an ax. He was 76 years old, and our mom was 78 years old when they passed. Cancer took both.
There used to be a lot of cabins back then, by Mont ne boo, and in Whitefish area where Metis people lived.
I remember I used to stay with my uncle and auntie many times at the north-west of the reserve, I remember this bachelor named Enjeeyan, they would snare rabbits, and they cook them. At nighttime, they would eat the rabbit, play music and tell stories, and dance. Sometimes all night. They used to have a lot of fun. These bachelors used to have a lot of fun. But one of them had to leave Enjeeyan Gerard had to leave. While he was living alone, he was excited when someone came knocking at his door, he jumped up and yelled “Kevin” here it was a nurse. She went to the wrong house looking for someone else.
This is where the late Doris Bear was raised at this area called Hawk-eye, at north- west of Mont ne bo, just outside of the reserve, it was a no-man’s land, because it was not a good land.
Eliza-
Martin Robinson married my aunt, Matilda. They had Doris, Deloros, Dawn and Calvin. Dawn drowned when she was 15. Martin was a Metis ended up being a treaty, he lived here. This is where these relatives came from, Flora Beds and Agnus Ratt, those were his aunties, they used to visit.
Jeffery
We never had a catholic church here. We always had an Anglican church. Hynes was the one that started it all. All the material came from a train to Polwarth, and they all took their own time to build the Anglican church. I remember when I was riding behind the wagon from Mont ne bo, me and John. We were playing fighting, and John had shallowed a peanut in a wrong way, he could not breath right. My father brought him into the house, he was turning red, how could not walk right or breath right. Then he got rushed to pa for x-ray, he could not get surgery too because of the way he had shallowed that peanut. He was sent to United States, he was to get operation over there, he got put on waiting list. So, one day we went to church, and John sat beside me and my father too. We sat where we always sat, third row on the right side of the church. Suddenly John coughed so hard, so hard that my father tried to take that peanut from his mouth, he coughed so hard that he ended up shallowing that piece of peanut. Then he his breathing went back to normal. This happened inside of church. The hospital ended up cancelling the operation for him. It was a miracle.
Before Christmas me and Gordon Williams were coming home from school in Prince Albert we took the bus, and I had enough money to get to Debden, and he only had enough money to get to Polworth. I did not want to leave him alone at Polworth, because he did not know anyone around there, it was already getting dark, and the weather was getting cold and stormy. Before that though, there used to be like a radio thing where you can leave a message for people, it was CKBI. I had left a message for my father that we left home on a bus that night to Polworth. So, we got off, it was storming. We waited for a while at Polworth, Steel was the name of the owner of that little store there, and Mrs. Steel. So, we began walking on the old highway, and I remember we took a turn into this road, there was only one house around there in the bushes, where Samuel Peekeekoot lived. We were walking on deep snow on open field. It was blowing snow everywhere. I came across a black popular, I climbed that tree to see what is ahead of us, I was feeling sick, all a sudden I saw a light. I yelled at Gordon to walk that way where the light was shining from. Then I told him to stop and stand still there. I climbed down, and I yelled at him again to walk towards the light was shining, then while he was walking towards that way, he would end up around to walk back to me again then I would yell at him again to walk towards where the light was coming from. We ended up on the highway, we would turn left again and there was nothing. We came back, we ended up seeing a little house in the bush, and I knocked. An old man bachelor named Henry Burns opened the door and we explained ourselves to him what had happened to us. He told us to spend the night there in his little house. The next morning my father had plowed his way to that old road nobody uses, he plowed his way to Samuel’s house and then to Polworth to search for us. Then Steel had told him that me and Gordon walked off. Because my father had had a dream that night that we had frozen to death. I woke up that morning and went outside I remember seeing someone walking on those open fields and here it was my father. He came to find us. If I did not climb that tree, we would not have seen this little house. We would of probably froze that night.
My father was the first one to have a vehicle here. It cost him $400. There were not many roads too back then, just the ones the cows used. We used to ride a Kaboose to school when it was winter.
We were so blessed the way we were raised. We were raised so well, now today I see it. Everything we were taught we need it today, ever since this sickness came, people are planting their own now, own vegetables. What we plant helps us feel better, it feeds us better. Your heart, your body and soul. And when a person feels better about themselves, they pass the good feeling towards others. You pass the positiveness to others. It does not get us sick. This is how it should be. This morning my wife said that there used to be a lot of visiting back in the days, now there is nothing like that. People used to visit from evening until late at night, then they would go home. She was talking about John George Starblanket and Muriel they used to visit anytime of the day, at night until midnight. They would come anytime. She said she remembers her father used to visit there; she had seen him when elders come there to visit, they would get so comfortable and just lie down using their jacket as a pillow and visit each other at times talking about Jesse James. They were happy. I remember too, we used to go visiting a lot, to Whitefish, Polwarth, Hawk-eye, now today we lost that, we do not ever visit anymore. We lost that, the closeness, we need it back. I, myself, is very Thankful and had been truly blessed, my siblings, we love each other. We need more families to love each other, not to fight and hate each other. We were blessed to love other people no just us. That is how we were raised. To pray for each other and other people. Give a lot and you will be blessed. That is all. Thank-you.
My father used to gather up his oats in the Winter and take off to Stoney Lake on a sleigh. He would trade for wild meat, moose meat. Then my father would share that moose meat to others.
Cora
We were raised well, like what my bother said. In the summertime, I used to help a lot back in the days, most of my life. I cannot do that anymore. There are other people that can do that now. I do little things. I make star quilts; I was taught how to sew. I retire now. Sewing keeps me busy. I cannot seem to not do anything. Because I am so used to doing stuff. We got to have faith, only God changes us and our ways. We are praying our children to do better. Sometimes it feels so hopeless, but only God can change that. I pray for my children. I do not really talk as much, I went to high school until grade 8, I got married. From there I lived almost a separate life than my siblings so the things they had seen I did not get to see. I was more controlled, even my visiting. Things were different for me. But we worked hard too, my husband was a hard worker I worked along with him. We had our kids, and sometimes other kids like my kid’s friends. Also, the pets I had to take care of along the way. It was a good life. We raised our kids. But my life was not that good, but I had done what I was to do as a mother.