Page 65 - 1st Anthology 2011

So remember that and go, it’s for you young people. It used to be good. We used to do
that.

I never tried to paint. Usually Indians are more creative and artistic, it’s just that they
have to develop and bring it out. I think most Indians are like that. Randy’s pretty good
and June’s boys are pretty good at drawing.

I remember how Queenie Collins looked. I hardly knew them, I live up west, next to
Marvin. Since then I kind of got to know them, otherwise we were distant, not close as
relatives. I find it that’s how people are here they are not close to each other, as relatives. I

don’t know that’s the way I see it. For a long time they were prejudice towards us, I don’t
want to mention that. Their prejudice against us, outsiders turned Indian. Some of them
still say outsiders, which is not right of course. It is being prejudice.

It was respect for the elders to be telling them their stories, because if you didn’t get that
story from an elder you would have no history, you just assume. For me what I know is
from the time I’ve been here. I have been telling you from way back through Katie. She
told me lot of stories. That’s how I know about this reserve. I have a lot of respect for the

elders, the ones I knew. I always think about it. When I go to church and all those older
people before me, I think of them when I go in there. I got married in that old church, my
kids were baptized there too.

There are some young people who are in that Pride program too. Some of them he go out
and clean walls I don’t know what else they do. I hope they go on to training or
something. They are wasting their lives. In their spare time they just drink. They think it’s
fun.

You know I never had that experience myself because we weren’t allowed to drink, we
weren’t allowed to go to liquor stores. I remember people talking about drinking here
that they weren’t allowed to drink here on the reserves.

If they saw an Indian drunk on the reserve or the public place they would pick him up
and put them in to jail for a month. I think that’s what they should do. Most everyone will
be in jail. That was Canada, they didn’t allow the Indians to go into the bar or even vote. I
forget what year it was, I think the late 60’s I think when they opened the liquor store to
Indians. Another thing you should record is that they didn’t allow Indians to drink or go
into bars.

This reserve was a dry reserve at one point, dry reserve means they can’t be drinking on

the reserve. Bruce should know, he knows more about that because he’s been in council.

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