Page 15 - 1st Anthology 2011

At the old graveyard where Bullhead is buried the coffins are starting to slide down the
bank. When Harley was looking after the elders program he asked the Chief and Council

to do something about the graves. Like Jeanette Starlight at the museum, she made sure
all the bones were all in one coffin. There were so many boxes and we all went there as
elders to help her with what she was doing.

There’s so many little things people don’t know, like the people that work. Like Tsuut’ina
working for elders. The past people they started all this. Otherwise us elders will still be
in the background and the government won’t even know that we exist. People should
wake up and realize that the elders are important. I always tell them to teach the young

people.

They built schools on the reserve for Tsuut’ina culture. All these things they teach, some
of the children don’t even know about Bullhead. It’s so sad, once they get a job they’ll
think they know it all. I used to go talk to the students at the Adult Learning Centre. I
don’t know why they don’t ask me anymore. Maybe because I talk too much Tsuut’ina.
You know it’s good for young people to know where we come from. Tsuut’ina means lots
of people. Tsuut’ina gut’ina that means a lot of people.

I have two brothers and one sister, so there were four of us. My sister passed away, she
was one of the elders from Tsuut’ina. I don’t even know how old she was when she passed
away. My brothers’ names are Alfred and Roy Otter, and my sister’s name is Rosie Big
Belly, it used to be Big Belly. They changed their names to Runner. Well they did good
because in Tsuut’ina Runner is their real name.

I wouldn’t mind knowing it too but it’s hard to find anything. We never had anybody to

write our history. It seems like our young people don’t know it, and our schools were built
for that. So they’ll grow knowing our Tsuut’ina, customs and language, and everything
else for that matter. It never happened. He’s not teaching them Tsuut’ina. It seems like
he’s teaching them the Indian Agent ways. We have to watch. What would young people
think down the road when the elders are gone? For example, what is he or she talking
about.

Bessie Meguinis, I know her. She used to help me a lot when I was married. I know her

ways. We would come together and talk all the time. She used to help me to get to my
house. She was a good person and she helped anybody even though she had nothing
herself. Every little thing, like rations, she would go and feed people and she would deny
herself. Just so she can go out and help people. These kinds of people they don’t
recognize.

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