Our Story: Aboriginal Voices on Canada's Past

by Tantoo Cardinal

  “I just wanted to make sure you were OK. That’s all. Divorce or no divorce, that’s allowed, isn’t it?” No response. “Hello, Richard …?”

  “Yeah, I’m here. Look, I can’t talk long. There’s not enough phones around here, so there’s a lineup. And we think they’re tapped anyways. Lisa, I’m here because I want to be here. I want to make a difference. Recently I’ve had trouble convincing myself that I can do that in a bank. Granted, all I’m doing here is making big pots of soup. But it’s something. It makes me feel good. And I know Donnelly would have been happy.”

  “Yes, Donnelly would. But you’re not Donnelly. You’re Richard. I saw what they did to that Spudwrench guy. They beat that warrior to a pulp. I saw it on television, Richard. You’re in danger. Get the hell out of there.”

  Richard was silent. “I know. His real name is Randy Horne and he’s a good guy. He didn’t deserve what happened to him. None of these people do. Most of the people here are expecting to die here, Lisa. You can feel the fear here, and the anger. I can’t walk out. Yes, I’m scared. I don’t think the SQ or the army know the difference between a Mohawk and an Ojibway, and I don’t think they’d bother to ask. But that doesn’t change anything.”

  Lisa was running out of arguments. Richard wasn’t listening to reason. “Richard …”

  “I don’t think I ever told you this, but a long time ago, I was supposed to be called Donnelly originally. And he was supposed to be Richard. When he was three, our parents changed his name to Donnelly.”

  This definitely was news to Lisa, but she was still unsure how that fit into the whole picture of what was happening on television and in their lives. “No, I didn’t know that. But what—?”

  “My parents had decided to name him Richard after my mother’s father, because he was sick and she wanted him to know, out of respect, that his name was passed down to their first-born. But, surprise, he got better, and my other grandfather started getting sick. It looked unlikely that my mother would have any more children so, boom, a decision was made to change my brother’s name to Donnelly while my father’s father was still alive, and then figure out what to do afterwards. But two months after he died, my mother got pregnant with me, and they decided to avoid all the paperwork and just name me Richard. Her father didn’t mind, as long as somebody had his name. Quite a story, huh?”

  Somewhere out there in what she considered the darkness of Richards logic, Lisa struggled to find a light that would show her the way. But it eluded her. Instead, she grew more confused with the growing explanation.

  “Donnelly would have been here. He was a better Indian than I was.”

  “Its not a contest,” she answered harshly. She didn’t like the direction this conversation was going in.

  “No, it’s not. It’s life. And life is better than death. You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution, as the saying goes.”

  “And being part of the solution involves making soup and having guns pointed at you? There have got to be other solutions. There are always alternatives. Don’t let Donnelly kill you.” She was practically yelling at the television.

  Again silence and the far-off sound of a police siren. “Don’t worry. He won’t. He’ll keep me alive. And … there are other reasons …”

  His continuous vagueness was upsetting her. “What kind of other reasons can justify you walking into a war zone?! There are people who care for you, you know.”

  “Yes, I know. I know that very much. But Im just way too tired to get into all this.”

  “You’ve never touched a gun in your life. You haven’t even been in a fist fight since high school. There are other people who can do this! People who know how to fight for their causes. Richard … you know you’re out of place there.” Her tone softened. She really did care, it seemed, more than an ex-wife should.

  Again, male voices in the background. Wind across the receiver. And finally Richard again. “Thank you. But there are things happening here that don’t involve you. If you were here, you’d understand.”

  “Richard—” she began.

  “Goodbye, Lisa.” And with that, he hung up. The finality of the phone click startled her. The Richard she knew was gone. All she was left with was a dial tone, and Peter Mansbridge on the television. Without thought, she returned the phone to its base and leaned back on the couch, trying to make sense of what had just happened. There were motivations in Richard’s mind that she couldn’t fathom. And she didn’t know what to do …

  Part of Lisa wanted to jump in her Passat and drive into the next province, and try to shake some sense into him, though her conscious mind told her she’d have a heck of a time making it through the police barricades. Another part of her mind wondered if she really wanted to do that, or was it just an impulsive reaction: a sense that she needed to save him, like a mother protecting a son. He did, after all, jokingly refer to her as “Mom.” Maybe she should just turn off the television and go to bed. Nothing in the world, or at least her world, could change what had happened, and what was happening. And as her mother used to say, “A good night’s sleep can solve a lot of problems.”

  Then, just as quickly as Richard’s phone call had ended, she saw him once again. He was walking in the distance, toward the general direction of the camera. But somebody was with him, walking beside him. A woman. A Native woman. And he was holding hands with her.

  She used the last of the energy in the battery to turn the television off.

  Acknowledgements

  This book is the result of the combined efforts, over two years, of an outstanding group of organizations and individuals. The Our Story Advisory Committee that included Paul Chartrand, University of Saskatchewan, Charlie Coffey, Royal Bank of Canada, Kim Crockatt, the Nunavut Literary Society, Dwight Dorey, Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, and Kelly Lendsay, Aboriginal Human Resources Development Council of Canada provided invaluable advice and help in selecting the participating authors.

  The evolution of this book from a concept to final publication owes much to leadership and financial support of Enbridge Canada and the Canadian Studies Programme of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and the valued counsel of Bruce Westwood of Westwood Creative Artists. These organizations should be commended for their commitment to bringing Aboriginal culture and storytelling to the Canadian public in new and innovative ways.

  The actual work of putting together Our Story fell to a tight-knit team. Alison Faulknor of the Dominion Institute was the driving force behind this project. From assembling the book’s stellar advisory committee to working individually with the authors, Alison artfully guided Our Story to fruition. Maya Mavjee and Amy Black of Doubleday Canada enthusiastically embraced this project from the outset. Together, they provided invaluable help to the authors and gave the entire collection coherence and direction.

  Finally, the authors. All of us associated with this project owe a great debt of gratitude to each of the writers who contributed to this volume. Told with skill, passion, and understanding, their stories are an important reminder of the power and confidence of contemporary Aboriginal culture and the role First Nations will continue to play in shaping Canada’s past and future.

  Rudyard Griffiths

  The Dominion Institute

  About the Contributors

  TANTOO CARDINAL is a renowned actor whose many film and television credits include Dances With Wolves, Black Robe, Legends of the Fall, “Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee,” and “Tecumseh: The Last Warrior.” Among her many distinctions Tantoo Cardinal is the recipient of a National Aboriginal Achievement Award. She was born in Fort McMurray, Alberta, in 1950, and now lives in Calgary.

  ADRIENNE CLARKSON has had a distinguished career in broadcasting, the arts, and the public service. A noted writer, she has contributed many articles to newspapers and magazines in Canada and is the author of three books. She served as Ontario’s Agent General in Paris from 1982–1987, promoting the provinces interests in France and Italy. She ho
lds numerous honorary degrees from Canadian and foreign universities, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1992. Adrienne Clarkson became Canadas 26th Governor General in 1999, the first immigrant and second woman to hold this office.

  RUDYARD GRIFFITHS is the founder and the executive director of the Dominion Institute—a national charity dedicated to the promotion of history and citizenship. He holds an honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Philosophy from Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Rudyard Griffiths edited The Great Questions of Canada and The LaFontaine-Baldwin Lectures, and was a contributor to the Doubleday publications Story of a Nation and Passages to Canada. He writes regularly on the themes of Canadian history and identity for The Globe and Mail, CanWest newspapers, and Maclean’s. He lives and works in Toronto.

  TOMSON HIGHWAY, born near Maria Lake, Manitoba, in 1951, now divides his time between Banyuls-sur-mer, France, and Ontario. An accomplished musician, he studied to be a concert pianist before coming to prominence as a playwright with the award-winning The Rez Sisters (1986) and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing (1989). His novel, Kiss of the Fur Queen, was published in 1998. Tomson Highway helped establish Native Earth Performing Arts, Canada’s first Aboriginal theatre company.

  BASIL JOHNSTON is a writer, storyteller, language teacher, and scholar. He was born in 1929 on the Parry Island Indian Reserve in Ontario. As a fluent speaker, scholar, and teacher of the Anishinaubae language he is also a sought after translator. He is the author of twenty books, including Moose Meat and Wild Rice (1987) and Crazy Dave (1999). Basil Johnston is a member of the Order of Ontario and has received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award and a Honourary Doctorate from the University of Toronto.

  THOMAS KING’S writing has been widely published to great acclaim. He is the author of numerous books including Green Grass, Running Water (1993), Truth and Bright Water (1999), and The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative (2003) based on his Massey Lecture of the same title, which won the Trillium Book Award. He has twice been nominated for the Governor Generals Award. His popular CBC series, The Dead Dog Café, is being adapted as an animated television series. He is currently a Professor of English at the University of Guelph, Ontario.

  BRIAN MARACLE is the author of Crazywater, Native Voices on Addiction and Recovery (1993) and Back on the Rez (1996). A former journalist for CBC Radio and The Globe and Mail, Brian Maracle now lives on the Six Nations Grand River Territory near Brantford, Ontario, where he teaches the Mohawk language to adults and is active in the Mohawk Longhouse.

  LEE MARACLE was born in North Vancouver, B.C. She is the author of a number of critically acclaimed literary works including Bobbi Lee (1990), Ravensong (1995), I Am Woman (1996), Bent Box (2000), Daughters Are Forever (2002), and Will’s Garden (2002). She is also the co-editor of several anthologies, including My Home As I Remember (1997). She is currently the Distinguished Visiting Professor of Canadian Culture at Western Washington University.

  JOVETTE MARCHESSAULT, novelist, playwright, and sculptor, was born in 1938 in Montreal, Quebec. Her books include Mother of the Grass (1988), White Pebbles in the Dark Forests (1990), and The Magnificent Voyage of Emily Carr (1992). She is the winner of the Prix France-Québec, the Grand Prix Litéraire Journal de Montréal, and the Grand Prix Littéraire de la ville de Sherbrooke, and the Governor General’s Award.

  RACHEL A. QITSUALIK writes regular columns on Inuit culture for Native Journal and News/North. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications including Indian Country Today, Nunatsiaq News, Rabble.com, Up Here Magazine, Aboriginal Voices, and the Ring of Ice anthology. She is currently working on a personal anthology and a novel. She lives in Nunavut.

  DREW HAYDEN TAYLOR is best known for his plays, including Toronto at Dreamer’s Rock/ Education is our Right, which won the Chalmers Canadian Play Award in 1992, The Bootlegger Blues (1990), which won the Canadian Authors Association Literary Award for Best Drama, and Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth (1996), which won a Dora Mavor Moore Award. He is the author of Fearless Warriors (1998). He is also a regular contributor to numerous newspapers and magazines, a screenwriter, and documentary director.

  Copyright © 2004 The Dominion Institute

  Anchor Canada edition 2005

  “The First Words” copyright © 2004 Brian Maracle

  “Skraeling” copyright © 2004 Rachel A. Qitsualik

  “The Wampum Belt Tells Us” copyright © 2004 Basil Johnston

  “There Is a Place” copyright © 2004 Tantoo Cardinal

  “The Moon of the Dancing Suns” copyright © 2004 Jovette Marchessault

  “Coyote and the Enemy Aliens” copyright © 2004 Thomas King

  “Hearts and Flowers” copyright © 2004 Tomson Highway

  “Goodbye, Snauq” copyright © 2004 Lee Maracle

  “A Blurry Image on the Six O’Clock News” copyright © 2004 Drew Hayden Taylor

  All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication, reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system without the prior written consent of the publisher—or, in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a license from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency—is an infringement of the copyright law.

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  LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION

  Our story : Aboriginal voices on Canada’s past / Tantoo Cardinal …[et al.]; foreword by Adrienne Clarkson.

  eISBN: 978-0-385-67283-2

  1. Short stories, Canadian (English). 2. Canadian fiction (English)—Native authors.

  3. Native peoples—Canada—History—Fiction. 4. Canada—History—Fiction.

  5. Historical fiction, Canadian (English). 6. Canadian fiction (English)—21st century.

  I. Cardinal, Tantoo

  PS8235.I6O97 2005 C8I3′.0I0806 C2005-903306-I

  Published in Canada by Anchor Canada, a division of Random House of Canada Limited

  Visit Random House of Canada Limited’s website: www.randomhouse.ca

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