Page 10 - 1st Anthology 2011

We were poor and we didn’t get help from the Indian Agents and the government. They
never looked out for the Indians good. They never did. They starved us. You can never do

anything without asking them and there was no way of getting food.

The only time I heard about Bullhead was when he stood up to the RCMP. They were
going to take one of the Tsuut’ina men. They were going to charge him for destruction of
property. That Tsuut’ina man was giving out rations. That was his job. It was to give out
rations to the people. We always get the rations on Wednesdays. I guess he was cutting
up the meat and carcass and they were butchering up the meat and to bring them halves
and bring them to the reserve. I remember they used to kill the cattle right on the reserve.

It was at the river down by the old agency. There used to be a building there, my auntie
took me there one time to get rations.

The Indian agents controlled us and this one time when they were trying to take control
of that Tsuut’ina man who was chopping up the meat for the rations. The Indian agent
told him to chop the meat up smaller. We’re not getting any more meat. The Tsuut’ina
man got mad. He got mad at everyone in the building. He said you’re just starving my
people.

So the Indian Agent got the RCMP. They sent a word to the Chief. Bullhead was Chief at
the time. This happened and they were camping down the hill. I know this place because
my mom showed it to me. My mom said I was just a child, and I wasn’t in school yet but
my mom told me to pack some things just to be ready to take off into the woods. The
RCMP was ready to come get the Tsuut’ina man. The Indian Agent got the RCMP. And
my mom said the area down the hill is still there. I think the Jacobs live there now.
Anyway it was down towards the old agency.

My mom was telling me when that guy was chopping meat at the ration house down by
the old agency. That’s when the Indian agent got the RCMP to pick up that guy who was
giving out the rations in Tsuut’ina. The camping ground is still there. I know it and I
know where it is. The hill coming down by old man Otter’s house. My mom said down
the hill there, the RCMP were coming down. She said it was just red. It was their red
uniforms. They were looking for that man. He was in that camp and Chief Bullhead came
out to meet the RCMP and the Indian Agent. Bullhead told them if you want any of my

people, you take me first. They didn’t want to do that. They didn’t want to disturb
anything that Bullhead said. He was really protective of his people. So that’s how Bullhead
always protected his people. They didn’t end up taking that man or Bullhead. Bullhead
was a powerful man. I know where Bullhead’s grave is, it’s across the old agency.

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