Page 8 - 1st Anthology 2011

him. It has something to do with animals. He wanted to learn about it. So she finally gave
in and started whacking away at it to get it out of the ice. Then the ice cracked. That’s

how it started. It starting cracking right across the whole lake.

That’s how we had northern Tsuut’ina and southern Tsuut’ina. Navajo and the Apaches
are part of Tsuut’ina, that’s all I know about that. To this day there are Tsuut’ina down in
California. There’s also Tsuut’ina in Russia. They still speak the same way we speak. So
that’s the part I know about Tsuut’ina.

I heard about the northern Dene people, Dene people are part of us, there’s also the

Beaver people and Dog Ribs. Anyway that’s how I know that we have separated as a
Nation. They always take care of their children, because when they lose them in the
camps they never find them. Somebody will just pick them up and raise them. The
Tsuut’ina were a big tribe. That’s our real name, Tsuut’ina. I say that Indians were
aboriginal people, and that Indians were not from India. We are not from India.

When my son Harley was taking care of the elders program he took us down to the Crow
reserve; that’s when they were having their Indian days and rodeo down there. He rented

some vans and he took us down there. One of our elders passed away. She had relatives
down there and her last name was Big Crow. We still have Big Crow’s on our reserve, but
not very many. You can’t count them by that tribe. You can count them by the different
last names left. There’s not much to count anymore.

The hospital and school were together. The school was a separate building. The children
slept in the hospital year round while they were in school. They went home three days in
a year. That’s what my mom said.

Anyway there was a building down by the old agency, today there’s still three buildings
standing there. There was one that was the farmer instructor’s house and the other one
was a place to keep your machinery, horses, and tractors and all different kinds of things
to work the farms. The Indian agent will go out and help the people farm.

My mom and dad always told us these stories. My dad used to say, down the road you’ll
meet people that will tell you how they got their names and tell you stories of all that. He
also said you have to be careful on what you say about your people and don’t make up
stories. He used to say that to me and my brother and sisters.

My dad talked to us about those things, also taught us respect, and not to steal and not to
lie. He said if you lie just keep your mouth shut. If you steal and don’t give back what you

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