Waban-aki People from Where the Sun Rises
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
Yvonne M'Sadoques rocks forward in her chair. She's lived in the Abenaki community of Odanak for over a century - and has no shortage of stories to tell. "The priest would march into our home and order us to stop dancing. We were going to the devil, he said." She pauses, a humorous glint in her eye. "But you know - I don't really believe in the devil. Do you?" M'Sadoques is in conversation with Alanis Obomsawin, another of Odanak's proud daughters - and one of Canada's leading documentary filmmakers. Obomsawin's illustrious career comes full circle with Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises. Having dedicated nearly four decades to chronicling the lives of Canada's First Nations, she returns to the village where she was raised to craft a lyric account of her own people.
Citation
Main credits
Obomsawin, Alanis (film director)
Obomsawin, Alanis (screenwriter)
Obomsawin, Alanis (film producer)
Robinow, Tony (voice actor)
Ravenheart, Keith (voice actor)
Other credits
Edited by Alison Burns; camera, Philippe Amiguet; original music, Francis Grandmont.
Distributor subjects
Indigenous Peoples in Canada - History, Indigenous Peoples in Canada - Québec and Ontario, Indigenous Studies - Arts, Indigenous Studies - History/Politics, Indigenous Studies - Identity/Society, Crafts - Boatbuilding, Crafts - First Nations Crafts, Geography - Territory: Indigenous, Women - Indigenous Women, DocumentaryKeywords
WEBVTT
00:00:10.625 --> 00:00:12.458
(drumming)
00:00:28.166 --> 00:00:30.542
(singing in Abenaki)
00:01:30.667 --> 00:01:33.083
(flute music)
00:02:06.208 --> 00:02:08.791
(narrator): This is Odanak,
an Abenaki reservation
00:02:08.792 --> 00:02:13.583
by the St. Francis River
in the southern part of Quebec.
00:02:23.458 --> 00:02:26.083
- My name is Joe Benedict.
00:02:26.917 --> 00:02:30.500
I was born here in Odanak
in 1926.
00:02:30.750 --> 00:02:34.998
Those days, everybody
used to make their own baskets,
00:02:34.999 --> 00:02:37.998
or canoes, whatever,
in the front yard,
00:02:37.999 --> 00:02:43.500
and we all used to get together
and have tea or something.
00:02:43.750 --> 00:02:46.916
The village here, too,
was a real nice place to stay.
00:02:46.917 --> 00:02:48.916
There was always
something going on.
00:02:48.917 --> 00:02:51.499
We used to have parties;
00:02:51.500 --> 00:02:54.332
and a lot of holidays,
00:02:54.333 --> 00:02:56.165
we had parades.
00:02:56.166 --> 00:02:58.041
(drumming)
00:04:04.834 --> 00:04:06.040
We used to have a lot of fun.
00:04:06.041 --> 00:04:09.124
We used to group up,
like 10, 15 guys,
00:04:09.125 --> 00:04:10.999
we used to go in the woods
00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:14.249
and chop wood,
and then make a big fire,
00:04:14.250 --> 00:04:16.332
and make some tea out there
00:04:16.333 --> 00:04:20.499
and drink tea and toast -
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and no butter.
00:04:22.542 --> 00:04:25.040
And then we used
to set our traps for rabbit;
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there was a lot of rabbits.
00:04:26.583 --> 00:04:28.416
We used to skin \'em right there,
00:04:28.417 --> 00:04:30.998
and cook \'em right there.
00:04:30.999 --> 00:04:32.791
That was fun, then.
00:04:32.792 --> 00:04:35.541
And, well,
we didn\'t have any money -
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back in 1930,
there was no money -
00:04:38.125 --> 00:04:40.708
if... anybody had a penny.
00:04:52.542 --> 00:04:54.916
- And everybody used
to accept anybody in the house.
00:04:54.917 --> 00:04:57.999
Let\'s say I went to Jessie\'s
or over to Elsie\'s,
00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:01.457
if I went in there
and they were eating,
00:05:01.458 --> 00:05:03.998
I could just go sit at the table
with them
00:05:03.999 --> 00:05:06.998
and eat just like
if I was there all the time.
00:05:06.999 --> 00:05:09.958
You were at home
wherever you went.
00:05:09.959 --> 00:05:12.834
(man speaking Abenaki)
00:05:24.999 --> 00:05:27.041
(speaking Abenaki)
00:05:52.125 --> 00:05:54.500
(Abenaki)
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- When I was very young,
00:07:11.083 --> 00:07:13.374
we were all in business,
00:07:13.375 --> 00:07:15.916
all in the basket business.
00:07:15.917 --> 00:07:19.499
All the different families
went to different places
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to sell their baskets.
00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:23.374
We went to New Jersey,
00:07:23.375 --> 00:07:26.917
others went
all over the United States.
00:07:27.999 --> 00:07:29.624
And end of fall,
00:07:29.625 --> 00:07:31.082
we\'d all come back,
00:07:31.083 --> 00:07:34.998
and everybody\'d go to the train
to see what families came,
00:07:34.999 --> 00:07:37.749
if they had a good season
or a poor season.
00:07:37.750 --> 00:07:41.708
And that went on maybe
for the whole month of October.
00:07:42.250 --> 00:07:43.998
And it was in those days
00:07:43.999 --> 00:07:47.998
that the nicest houses
on the reserve here were built.
00:07:47.999 --> 00:07:52.582
- My mother was making baskets,
and I was helping her.
00:07:52.583 --> 00:07:53.500
That\'s how I learnt.
00:07:53.501 --> 00:07:55.791
Oh, my God,
she wasn\'t getting much.
00:07:55.792 --> 00:07:58.999
She\'d get maybe $15 a dozen?
00:07:59.500 --> 00:08:03.207
We had to make a lot of...
a lot of dozens,
00:08:03.208 --> 00:08:05.959
when you have to feed a family.
00:08:06.999 --> 00:08:08.998
That\'s how we used to work,
00:08:08.999 --> 00:08:11.040
till 10:00, 11:00 at night,
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to finish them.
00:08:14.999 --> 00:08:18.749
They had a lot of workers here
working for my father.
00:08:18.750 --> 00:08:19.998
We used to have a house
00:08:19.999 --> 00:08:22.666
where they\'d build on
and build on,
00:08:22.667 --> 00:08:25.749
and in the back,
that was strictly for baskets.
00:08:25.750 --> 00:08:29.291
That\'s where my grandmother...
she worked there.
00:08:30.875 --> 00:08:33.500
And she taught me a few things,
too.
00:08:36.917 --> 00:08:38.999
That\'s where I started.
00:08:39.750 --> 00:08:41.082
- You\'re using sweet grass now?
00:08:41.083 --> 00:08:43.541
- Yeah, sweet grass,
braided grass.
00:08:43.542 --> 00:08:45.998
- Yeah,
did you braid it yourself?
00:08:45.999 --> 00:08:47.082
- Yes, I did.
- Yeah?
00:08:47.083 --> 00:08:49.998
- Yeah. They don\'t sell it
braided anymore.
00:08:49.999 --> 00:08:51.082
- No.
- No.
00:08:51.083 --> 00:08:53.874
So we have to braid
all our own grass.
00:08:53.875 --> 00:08:56.666
- I have seen it before.
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- Oh, yeah?
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Takes a long time
to have enough for a basket.
00:09:01.875 --> 00:09:06.791
- You know how much it paid
to braid it around the chair,
00:09:06.792 --> 00:09:08.998
a straight chair like this?
- Yeah.
00:09:08.999 --> 00:09:12.083
- For a hundred times,
five cents.
00:09:13.999 --> 00:09:15.165
Did you ever go
00:09:15.166 --> 00:09:16.998
and pick sweet grass yourself?
00:09:16.999 --> 00:09:19.374
- No, I didn\'t.
- No?
00:09:19.375 --> 00:09:19.999
- No.
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It\'s so nice and green
when you first get it.
00:09:24.999 --> 00:09:25.625
- Yeah.
00:09:25.626 --> 00:09:30.582
- I used to love seeing people
hang the... the ash, you know,
00:09:30.583 --> 00:09:32.958
curled up
with all the beautiful colours.
00:09:32.959 --> 00:09:37.582
I remember so much purple
and the yellow like a lemon.
00:09:37.583 --> 00:09:38.041
- Oh, yeah.
00:09:38.042 --> 00:09:42.666
- And the reds.
Such beautiful colours.
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The blue.
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\'Cause I remember,
in the old days,
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they had dyed all the splints.
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They didn\'t make baskets
with no colour.
00:09:48.500 --> 00:09:49.166
- No.
00:09:49.167 --> 00:09:53.457
- Every house you went to,
you could smell the sweet grass,
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you could smell the ash.
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At another house, maybe someone
was dying the splints.
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They hang them up
on the line to dry,
00:10:02.417 --> 00:10:02.999
so they curled,
00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:05.416
with the wind blowing
through them.
00:10:05.417 --> 00:10:07.874
I thought they were dancing.
00:10:07.875 --> 00:10:09.708
(music)
00:10:10.750 --> 00:10:13.998
(narrator): In the early 1900s,
the people of Odanak
00:10:13.999 --> 00:10:17.290
earned a good living
with their basket-making,
00:10:17.291 --> 00:10:18.499
enough for them to build
00:10:18.500 --> 00:10:22.708
some of the most beautiful homes
in Odanak\'s history.
00:10:23.667 --> 00:10:27.499
Even though New England
was their territory,
00:10:27.500 --> 00:10:29.666
border crossing
became difficult,
00:10:29.667 --> 00:10:32.959
and they stopped selling
in the U.S.
00:10:33.875 --> 00:10:34.998
Indian Affairs took over
00:10:34.999 --> 00:10:37.124
the management
of the basket business,
00:10:37.125 --> 00:10:41.374
and the Abenaki were forced
to sell their baskets
00:10:41.375 --> 00:10:42.998
to the government store.
00:10:42.999 --> 00:10:43.999
Their earnings diminished
00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:47.708
to the point
where they barely made a living.
00:10:50.999 --> 00:10:53.416
- This canoe comes from Odanak.
00:10:53.417 --> 00:10:56.999
I\'m guessing
it\'s probably from about 1890.
00:10:57.000 --> 00:11:00.165
The reason why I say that,
is this canoe
00:11:00.166 --> 00:11:03.791
has some of the original sewing,
00:11:03.792 --> 00:11:05.249
with the spruce root,
00:11:05.250 --> 00:11:09.249
and that started to fade off
later on as builders needed
00:11:09.250 --> 00:11:13.165
to produce faster for the market
in and around Montreal
00:11:13.166 --> 00:11:14.791
and the Thousand Islands area,
00:11:14.792 --> 00:11:17.791
and they started
using just nails, primarily,
00:11:17.792 --> 00:11:19.707
and that really, more or less,
00:11:19.708 --> 00:11:22.624
ended the canoe-building
for a lot of Native people,
00:11:22.625 --> 00:11:25.582
especially Abenaki people.
- Do you think it\'s possible
00:11:25.583 --> 00:11:28.998
that Nicholas made this?
- It\'s very possible.
00:11:28.999 --> 00:11:31.374
I have a document from Nicholas
00:11:31.375 --> 00:11:33.457
that said
that during one season,
00:11:33.458 --> 00:11:37.998
him and his friends produced
30 canoes in one season.
00:11:37.999 --> 00:11:40.917
(man and woman speaking Abenaki)
00:11:45.625 --> 00:11:49.624
It\'s more likely this is one ofn
theircanoes than anyone else.
00:11:49.625 --> 00:11:51.998
Well, I\'m gonna try
to resurrect this canoe.
00:11:51.999 --> 00:11:52.999
There\'s a lot of damage, though.
00:11:53.000 --> 00:11:55.958
There\'s damage done
to the gunnel structure here,
00:11:55.959 --> 00:11:57.290
and it\'s gonna be kind of tricky
00:11:57.291 --> 00:11:59.958
to get these strong enough
to support everything again.
00:11:59.959 --> 00:12:02.916
But it might float
when I\'m done with it.
00:12:02.917 --> 00:12:05.667
It\'s going to be a big job.
00:14:17.041 --> 00:14:19.874
The body of Aboriginal canoes
is the bark.
00:14:19.875 --> 00:14:21.666
They\'re made
from the outside in,
00:14:21.667 --> 00:14:24.791
which is completely different
than European boat technologies.
00:14:24.792 --> 00:14:25.916
This starts with the bark,
00:14:25.917 --> 00:14:29.457
so the bark is the most integral
part of the canoe.
00:14:29.458 --> 00:14:33.582
And then it\'s filled in
with the sheeting
00:14:33.583 --> 00:14:36.124
and the frames or the ribs.
00:14:36.125 --> 00:14:37.874
So what I have to do,
00:14:37.875 --> 00:14:40.416
is try to keep
some of the old bark,
00:14:40.417 --> 00:14:44.332
then replace it with new bark,
just exactly the same way
00:14:44.333 --> 00:14:46.582
that the original builder
did this.
00:14:46.583 --> 00:14:47.791
Because if I don\'t,
00:14:47.792 --> 00:14:50.791
the ribs won\'t fit
with the right pressure.
00:14:50.792 --> 00:14:52.791
Unfortunately,
one of the problems
00:14:52.792 --> 00:14:56.791
is that the original canoe
has been really ruined
00:14:56.792 --> 00:15:01.917
with this old fiberglass
that somebody put on here.
00:15:04.792 --> 00:15:07.749
So I\'m having to...
00:15:07.750 --> 00:15:09.457
get in here.
00:15:09.458 --> 00:15:13.707
Whenever I\'m looking in
at these old canoes,
00:15:13.708 --> 00:15:15.707
I\'m always so excited
00:15:15.708 --> 00:15:17.998
to see these neat little things,
00:15:17.999 --> 00:15:19.916
like this.
- What\'s that?
00:15:19.917 --> 00:15:23.165
- This is... the original
builder put this in.
00:15:23.166 --> 00:15:24.998
And see these little holes
right here?
00:15:24.999 --> 00:15:27.290
- Yes.
- These are the little cuts,
00:15:27.291 --> 00:15:28.083
called gores,
00:15:28.084 --> 00:15:32.165
that allow the bark
to be turned into a canoe shape,
00:15:32.166 --> 00:15:35.249
and then... You don\'t have to sew them
back together,
00:15:35.250 --> 00:15:36.998
but this builder
sewed them back together,
00:15:36.999 --> 00:15:39.998
but not only
did he sew them back together,
00:15:39.999 --> 00:15:43.582
he also sewed them with this extra
piece of bark that he put in,
00:15:43.583 --> 00:15:46.457
to act as a reinforcement,
to make that stronger.
00:15:46.458 --> 00:15:48.666
And he also
put in this pitch here,
00:15:48.667 --> 00:15:51.666
on the inside, to give it
two kinds of waterproofing -
00:15:51.667 --> 00:15:54.916
an outside waterproofing
and an inside waterproofing.
00:15:54.917 --> 00:15:56.374
And he really took time
to make sure
00:15:56.375 --> 00:15:59.207
this piece was put in
with a pitch at the same time.
00:15:59.208 --> 00:16:02.499
A lot of builders don\'t do that,
and it\'s really neat.
00:16:02.500 --> 00:16:05.958
Some of the original sewing
can be seen here.
00:16:05.959 --> 00:16:07.916
I learn so much
when I\'m doing these things.
00:16:07.917 --> 00:16:10.666
I... it\'s a... it\'s like
having the builder here with me,
00:16:10.667 --> 00:16:14.125
showing me what I need to do.
- Yeah.
00:21:50.999 --> 00:21:53.124
- At first I was a hunter,
00:21:53.125 --> 00:21:55.708
did a lot of hunting.
00:21:57.999 --> 00:22:00.707
Started when I was going
to school -
00:22:00.708 --> 00:22:02.582
muskrats,
00:22:02.583 --> 00:22:04.040
beaver,
00:22:04.041 --> 00:22:05.707
fish.
00:22:05.708 --> 00:22:07.791
I was a guide.
00:22:07.792 --> 00:22:10.499
You know, a whole bunch of us...
00:22:10.500 --> 00:22:13.083
Like, they\'re all disappeared.
00:22:14.500 --> 00:22:18.708
The best time
was when we were working.
00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:21.999
When you\'re guiding,
you work in the woods...
00:22:23.999 --> 00:22:25.707
and in the lakes,
00:22:25.708 --> 00:22:27.290
fishing,
00:22:27.291 --> 00:22:30.624
carrying canoes.
00:22:30.625 --> 00:22:32.998
Eighty miles of territory...
00:22:32.999 --> 00:22:35.083
to choose from.
00:22:36.542 --> 00:22:40.707
The tourist used to bring
all the families...
00:22:40.708 --> 00:22:42.291
children.
00:22:44.959 --> 00:22:48.083
Some of them
used to come by plane.
00:22:49.875 --> 00:22:52.083
Rich American...
00:22:53.125 --> 00:22:55.708
and rich Canadians.
00:22:55.999 --> 00:23:00.083
Some would come for one week,
some for two weeks.
00:23:00.792 --> 00:23:04.125
Like the Clarks,
they used to come for a month.
00:23:04.999 --> 00:23:07.499
Now we\'re working for the...
00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:09.917
Shawinigan Water and Power.
00:23:11.208 --> 00:23:13.708
Then Hydro Quebec took over.
00:23:14.500 --> 00:23:17.750
- How much would they pay you?
00:23:20.083 --> 00:23:22.083
- That depends.
00:23:22.999 --> 00:23:25.999
Six or seven dollars a day.
00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:30.332
But if you weren\'t guiding,
00:23:30.333 --> 00:23:35.290
you had to cut
two cords of wood a day...
00:23:35.291 --> 00:23:36.998
for the camp.
00:23:36.999 --> 00:23:40.416
If you go out in the spring,
00:23:40.417 --> 00:23:43.332
you had to make the fires,
00:23:43.333 --> 00:23:45.332
in the tourists\' lodge,
00:23:45.333 --> 00:23:46.998
to heat the place up
00:23:46.999 --> 00:23:50.500
before the tourists
would get up.
00:23:51.999 --> 00:23:54.999
Had a lot of fun.
00:23:56.458 --> 00:23:59.249
- There\'s a myth that big birch
is no longer available,
00:23:59.250 --> 00:24:02.998
and actually it\'s more available
now than it used to be.
00:24:02.999 --> 00:24:04.541
Logging practices have changed;
00:24:04.542 --> 00:24:09.207
some areas of the forest
are allowed to mature
00:24:09.208 --> 00:24:11.290
to the point of getting trees
00:24:11.291 --> 00:24:14.791
that are about 120
to 160 years old.
00:24:14.792 --> 00:24:16.749
And that\'s the prime age
00:24:16.750 --> 00:24:20.291
for large pieces
of canoe birch bark.
00:24:25.333 --> 00:24:27.916
I go out there with a backpack
00:24:27.917 --> 00:24:30.874
and some modern tools,
some old tools,
00:24:30.875 --> 00:24:32.833
and I actually climb the tree,
00:24:32.834 --> 00:24:36.998
and I peel this off of trees
that are standing,
00:24:36.999 --> 00:24:39.750
and peel this all by hand.
00:24:41.083 --> 00:24:43.998
I use these steps
that screw into the tree
00:24:43.999 --> 00:24:48.791
and allows me to climb that tree
up to about 30 feet high,
00:24:48.792 --> 00:24:50.833
on the bad side of the tree.
00:24:50.834 --> 00:24:53.582
And that makes sure
that my cutting seam
00:24:53.583 --> 00:24:55.082
is in the poorest-quality bark,
00:24:55.083 --> 00:24:58.291
which is always
the north side of the tree.
00:24:59.542 --> 00:25:01.165
- Does it get enough sun?
00:25:01.166 --> 00:25:03.998
- Well, it\'s cooler,
wetter and darker,
00:25:03.999 --> 00:25:07.916
and it allows fungus
to grow on this side.
00:25:07.917 --> 00:25:09.124
And the bad side is...
00:25:09.125 --> 00:25:12.791
has to correspond
with what will work in the boat,
00:25:12.792 --> 00:25:17.207
\'cause I\'m not just peeling bark
from, you know, anywhere.
00:25:17.208 --> 00:25:19.374
The shape of the trunk has to...
00:25:19.375 --> 00:25:21.833
has to work for the canoe, too.
00:25:21.834 --> 00:25:23.624
And if it... if it doesn\'t,
00:25:23.625 --> 00:25:28.250
you\'ll have problems
when you go to work with it.
00:27:41.750 --> 00:27:43.959
(music)
00:28:11.999 --> 00:28:14.583
(music)
00:29:46.708 --> 00:29:48.999
(bell\'s sound)
00:32:04.667 --> 00:32:06.083
(dog barking)
00:36:48.792 --> 00:36:51.165
(narrator): In April 1970,
00:36:51.166 --> 00:36:55.290
Jeannette Corbière
married David Lavelle,
00:36:55.291 --> 00:36:56.208
a non-Indian man.
00:36:56.209 --> 00:37:00.999
She was to lose her status
as an Ojibway woman.
00:37:01.000 --> 00:37:01.999
With the support
00:37:02.000 --> 00:37:04.624
of Chief Wakegijig
and his council,
00:37:04.625 --> 00:37:09.082
she decided to contest
Section 12-1B of the Indian Act.
00:37:09.083 --> 00:37:12.998
The first case was heard
in the county court.
00:37:12.999 --> 00:37:15.457
- I had to get up and testify.
00:37:15.458 --> 00:37:17.998
And I went
into all those things, you know,
00:37:17.999 --> 00:37:20.916
the fact that, uh,
this is where I was born,
00:37:20.917 --> 00:37:22.998
and this is where
all my people are.
00:37:22.999 --> 00:37:25.998
And he said all kinds of things,
you know.
00:37:25.999 --> 00:37:28.040
One of the things he brought up
00:37:28.041 --> 00:37:29.499
was that intelligent Indians
nowadays
00:37:29.500 --> 00:37:32.124
really should do away
with reserves, you know,
00:37:32.125 --> 00:37:34.624
that they shouldn\'t have
any part of that.
00:37:34.625 --> 00:37:38.916
He says, how come you want
to be connected with a reserve?
00:37:38.917 --> 00:37:40.998
We all know
what reserves are like.
00:37:40.999 --> 00:37:43.165
And then he says,
\"As a matter of fact,
00:37:43.166 --> 00:37:45.958
you should be glad
that a white man married you.\"
00:37:45.959 --> 00:37:50.374
Judge Grossberg obviously,
you know, ruled against us.
00:37:50.375 --> 00:37:51.041
He felt that, uh...
00:37:51.042 --> 00:37:54.040
there just wasn\'t anything
even worthwhile thinking about.
00:37:54.041 --> 00:37:57.290
(narrator):
Jeannette Corbière\'s court case
00:37:57.291 --> 00:37:58.958
created the momentum needed
00:37:58.959 --> 00:38:02.541
for many other women
to take up the fight
00:38:02.542 --> 00:38:05.249
to regain
their lost Aboriginal status.
00:38:05.250 --> 00:38:06.332
At the same time,
00:38:06.333 --> 00:38:10.165
First Nation
women\'s associations
00:38:10.166 --> 00:38:13.040
were created across the country.
00:38:13.041 --> 00:38:14.958
In 1983, Prime Minister Trudeau
00:38:14.959 --> 00:38:17.582
held a constitutional-amendment
conference
00:38:17.583 --> 00:38:19.082
for Native rights,
00:38:19.083 --> 00:38:20.332
and Aboriginal women
00:38:20.333 --> 00:38:24.082
pled for equality
in the constitution.
00:38:24.083 --> 00:38:26.499
- I had a vision
00:38:26.500 --> 00:38:28.332
that I, one day,
00:38:28.333 --> 00:38:29.998
would be free again.
00:38:29.999 --> 00:38:32.124
Free to be myself,
00:38:32.125 --> 00:38:33.749
to be an Indian.
00:38:33.750 --> 00:38:36.833
I lost that freedom
45 years ago,
00:38:36.834 --> 00:38:39.791
to be buried
beside the ancestors
00:38:39.792 --> 00:38:43.290
in the sacred burial grounds,
to be able to own property,
00:38:43.291 --> 00:38:44.998
to be able to live in freedom
00:38:44.999 --> 00:38:49.082
on the land
the white fathers carved out
00:38:49.083 --> 00:38:52.999
for our ancestors to call home.
00:39:21.542 --> 00:39:23.998
(narrator): And it did arrive.
00:39:23.999 --> 00:39:26.998
In 1985,
Aboriginal women in Canada
00:39:26.999 --> 00:39:33.500
regained their status
with the enactment of Bill C-31.
00:40:13.208 --> 00:40:13.999
Twenty years later,
00:40:14.000 --> 00:40:18.333
the next generation is faced
with the same problem.
00:40:19.500 --> 00:40:20.624
The Quebec Native women
00:40:20.625 --> 00:40:24.416
meet to discuss the implications
of Bill C-31.
00:40:24.417 --> 00:40:26.416
\'Cause I think, right now,
00:40:26.417 --> 00:40:30.124
we\'re at another crucial stage
in our...
00:40:30.125 --> 00:40:32.582
in the challenges that we have.
00:40:32.583 --> 00:40:38.290
And if we are to rectify,
you know, the current situation,
00:40:38.291 --> 00:40:39.582
and if our children
00:40:39.583 --> 00:40:44.249
are going to be able to survive
and to benefit,
00:40:44.250 --> 00:40:50.000
now is the time
that we must do these things.
00:41:59.291 --> 00:42:03.998
- The Indian Act
was enacted in various forms
00:42:03.999 --> 00:42:05.998
almost 150 years ago.
00:42:05.999 --> 00:42:07.207
One of its first titles
00:42:07.208 --> 00:42:11.998
was: \"An Act
for the Gradual Civilization
00:42:11.999 --> 00:42:14.541
and Enfranchisement of Indians.\"
00:42:14.542 --> 00:42:16.124
The theory was that,
00:42:16.125 --> 00:42:19.082
as \"Indians\"
became more civilized,
00:42:19.083 --> 00:42:20.998
they would be allowed
00:42:20.999 --> 00:42:25.500
to take on status
of white people.
00:42:25.875 --> 00:42:28.998
And this was something
that could be looked forward to,
00:42:28.999 --> 00:42:31.959
and that they should all
aspire to.
00:42:33.000 --> 00:42:36.624
And that context is important,
00:42:36.625 --> 00:42:37.998
because when we speak
00:42:37.999 --> 00:42:41.040
of the discrimination
against Indian women
00:42:41.041 --> 00:42:43.040
contained in the Indian Act -
00:42:43.041 --> 00:42:47.457
and which is still there
today in many forms -
00:42:47.458 --> 00:42:50.998
it is part and parcel
of a history
00:42:50.999 --> 00:42:54.624
in which the way in which
we were going to get rid
00:42:54.625 --> 00:42:55.998
of the so-called Indian problem
00:42:55.999 --> 00:42:58.998
was we were going
to get rid of the Indians.
00:42:58.999 --> 00:43:01.416
And we were going
to do it nicely;
00:43:01.417 --> 00:43:01.999
being Canadians,
00:43:02.000 --> 00:43:04.541
we were going
to kill them with kindness.
00:43:04.542 --> 00:43:07.082
Aboriginal women
are still facing
00:43:07.083 --> 00:43:11.998
both personal and institutional
forms of discrimination.
00:43:11.999 --> 00:43:13.998
The 6-2 cut-off -
what we call
00:43:13.999 --> 00:43:16.998
the second-generation cut-off -
Quebec Native Women
00:43:16.999 --> 00:43:19.165
argued at the time, in 1985,
00:43:19.166 --> 00:43:21.582
was defining Indians
out of existence.
00:43:21.583 --> 00:43:25.666
The AFN termed
the second-generation cut-off
00:43:25.667 --> 00:43:27.582
a form of genocide,
00:43:27.583 --> 00:43:31.499
which it is. But look at the historical
context of the Indian Act
00:43:31.500 --> 00:43:35.291
and you can see why it exists.
00:43:37.999 --> 00:43:38.999
- Explain to us
00:43:39.000 --> 00:43:41.541
what 6-1 is, 6-2...
What is that?
00:43:41.542 --> 00:43:44.290
- Those were definitions
that were created
00:43:44.291 --> 00:43:47.998
with the amendment
to the Indian Act of 1985.
00:43:47.999 --> 00:43:51.124
In fact, the date is -
it\'s almost 20 years now -
00:43:51.125 --> 00:43:54.707
it\'s April 17, 1985,
when Bill C-31 was enacted.
00:43:54.708 --> 00:43:57.457
And it created a classification
of people
00:43:57.458 --> 00:43:59.998
that would be entitled
to Indian status.
00:43:59.999 --> 00:44:04.624
And 6-1 is when you have
two parents who are status.
00:44:04.625 --> 00:44:10.582
And so when the child is born,
they are registered as a 6-1.
00:44:10.583 --> 00:44:15.040
A 6-2 is where
there\'s only one parent
00:44:15.041 --> 00:44:15.917
who has status.
00:44:15.918 --> 00:44:18.582
And so that person
would be classified
00:44:18.583 --> 00:44:23.124
as a... as a 6-2 status Indian
under the act.
00:44:23.125 --> 00:44:26.749
And after that,
the next generation,
00:44:26.750 --> 00:44:33.582
should that 6-2 person
marry a non-Indian person,
00:44:33.583 --> 00:44:34.998
or non-status person,
00:44:34.999 --> 00:44:38.833
their children would not have
the legal status.
00:44:38.834 --> 00:44:42.707
- The Indian Act
eroded our right to our dignity
00:44:42.708 --> 00:44:46.207
and our right
to identify who we are
00:44:46.208 --> 00:44:47.998
and where we come from.
00:44:47.999 --> 00:44:50.916
And as a young, young
Secwepemc girl
00:44:50.917 --> 00:44:54.707
growing up in my nation,
the Secwepemc Nation,
00:44:54.708 --> 00:44:56.207
I was always introduced
00:44:56.208 --> 00:45:01.749
as I am the granddaughter
of Alex and Lucy Thomas,
00:45:01.750 --> 00:45:04.582
and Faustine and Andy Manuel.
00:45:04.583 --> 00:45:05.624
And the Indian Act
00:45:05.625 --> 00:45:09.332
doesn\'t honour that lineage
of our peoples.
00:45:09.333 --> 00:45:11.165
(drumming and singing)
00:45:11.166 --> 00:45:13.499
We have songs and dances
00:45:13.500 --> 00:45:16.582
that honour our stages of life -
00:45:16.583 --> 00:45:18.998
girls and boys, men,
00:45:18.999 --> 00:45:20.707
grandmothers and grandfathers -
00:45:20.708 --> 00:45:23.874
and it honours
that interrelationship
00:45:23.875 --> 00:45:27.541
that we have,
that sacredness that we have,
00:45:27.542 --> 00:45:28.998
walking on this earth.
00:45:28.999 --> 00:45:31.541
And the Indian Act
does not do that.
00:45:31.542 --> 00:45:35.833
It does not embrace
those teachings of who we are
00:45:35.834 --> 00:45:37.332
and where we come from,
00:45:37.333 --> 00:45:39.998
as indigenous women of the land.
00:45:39.999 --> 00:45:42.374
(singing and drumming)
00:45:42.375 --> 00:45:45.416
This Indian Act has disgraced,
00:45:45.417 --> 00:45:47.624
and now dishonours, our women,
00:45:47.625 --> 00:45:50.707
through this piece
of legislation.
00:45:50.708 --> 00:45:51.791
(music)
00:45:51.792 --> 00:45:55.249
(narrator): The Abenaki
or Waban-aki people
00:45:55.250 --> 00:45:58.207
are part
of the Algonquin Nations.
00:45:58.208 --> 00:46:01.332
They lived all over New England,
00:46:01.333 --> 00:46:02.833
in the Maritimes
00:46:02.834 --> 00:46:05.374
and in the province of Quebec.
00:46:05.375 --> 00:46:07.124
Hundreds of different groups -
00:46:07.125 --> 00:46:10.916
each one with a different name,
00:46:10.917 --> 00:46:13.374
but all identifying as Abenaki -
00:46:13.375 --> 00:46:17.708
lived by the rivers
or the Atlantic Ocean.
00:46:18.208 --> 00:46:20.998
The archeological finds
in Maine,
00:46:20.999 --> 00:46:25.999
New Brunswick and Quebec
date back 12,000 years.
00:46:27.166 --> 00:46:29.749
Before contact, it is estimated
00:46:29.750 --> 00:46:34.917
that there might have been
over 50,000 Abenaki.
00:46:34.999 --> 00:46:37.457
In the early 1500s, in Maine,
00:46:37.458 --> 00:46:41.124
they began to trade
with the European fishermen.
00:46:41.125 --> 00:46:46.416
So began over 300 years
of wars and terrible epidemics
00:46:46.417 --> 00:46:48.791
which killed many of our people.
00:46:48.792 --> 00:46:52.249
It is said that by the end
of the American Revolution,
00:46:52.250 --> 00:46:56.083
there were
only 1,000 Abenaki left.
00:46:57.917 --> 00:47:01.999
Waban-aki: people
from where the sun rises.
00:47:02.417 --> 00:47:04.749
The Delawares, as Waban-aki,
00:47:04.750 --> 00:47:07.707
were the grandfathers
of all other nations,
00:47:07.708 --> 00:47:08.998
because they were the first
00:47:08.999 --> 00:47:14.083
to receive the light
of the sun rising over the sea.
00:47:14.917 --> 00:47:18.500
This was the east,
where life begins.
00:47:19.208 --> 00:47:23.998
Our people traveled
all over their vast territory
00:47:23.999 --> 00:47:27.083
and they also
cultivated the land.
00:47:27.250 --> 00:47:32.040
They lived in wigwams and
teepees covered with birch bark.
00:47:32.041 --> 00:47:34.791
They looked up at the sky,
00:47:34.792 --> 00:47:35.750
watched the stars
00:47:35.751 --> 00:47:38.290
and the moon, our grandmother,
00:47:38.291 --> 00:47:39.791
that predicted the weather
00:47:39.792 --> 00:47:43.750
and the time to cultivate
and harvest.
00:47:43.999 --> 00:47:47.958
They believed
there were 13 moons in a year
00:47:47.959 --> 00:47:49.666
that guided their ways of living
00:47:49.667 --> 00:47:53.917
in cooperation with nature
and the animal world.
00:47:54.375 --> 00:47:57.998
They knew about
the summer and winter solstices.
00:47:57.999 --> 00:48:02.332
In the Eastern Townships,
on the Pinnacle Mountain,
00:48:02.333 --> 00:48:05.332
a sacred place for the Abenaki,
00:48:05.333 --> 00:48:08.998
one can still see groupings
of large stones
00:48:08.999 --> 00:48:13.083
placed in circles
to hold special ceremonies.
00:48:15.999 --> 00:48:17.207
The chosen one.
00:48:17.208 --> 00:48:21.624
A medicine man would identify
a seven-year-old child -
00:48:21.625 --> 00:48:23.998
most likely a boy,
00:48:23.999 --> 00:48:26.082
but sometimes a girl -
00:48:26.083 --> 00:48:28.998
and he would take the child
to an island,
00:48:28.999 --> 00:48:32.916
where the child would fast
for several days and nights.
00:48:32.917 --> 00:48:35.998
While the child is fasting,
00:48:35.999 --> 00:48:39.124
he tells him or her stories
about the magical powers
00:48:39.125 --> 00:48:43.500
of plant life
and the animal spirits.
00:48:44.959 --> 00:48:46.624
The child of the bear clan
00:48:46.625 --> 00:48:48.457
might be visited by a bear,
00:48:48.458 --> 00:48:51.083
the keeper of medicine.
00:48:51.999 --> 00:48:55.582
Depending on the kinds
of dreams, animals or birds
00:48:55.583 --> 00:48:57.958
that would come
and visit the child,
00:48:57.959 --> 00:49:03.917
the medicine man would decide
if the child was a good subject.
00:49:04.375 --> 00:49:06.998
When chosen, it would be
a lifetime in training
00:49:06.999 --> 00:49:11.998
so he or she may become
a good medicine person
00:49:11.999 --> 00:49:14.083
for the people.
00:49:15.959 --> 00:49:16.917
It is believed
00:49:16.918 --> 00:49:19.749
that when a woman
was a medicine person,
00:49:19.750 --> 00:49:23.998
she was known
to hold more power than a man,
00:49:23.999 --> 00:49:25.457
because to begin with,
00:49:25.458 --> 00:49:28.457
she held
the highest power of all:
00:49:28.458 --> 00:49:31.291
she was the giver of life.
00:49:32.625 --> 00:49:35.998
When two young people
were attracted to each other,
00:49:35.999 --> 00:49:40.082
there were signs, or ways,
of showing interest
00:49:40.083 --> 00:49:43.082
between the two
at social gatherings.
00:49:43.083 --> 00:49:44.999
Perhaps the boy
was carving something
00:49:45.000 --> 00:49:49.416
and he would drop
a chip of wood near the girl.
00:49:49.417 --> 00:49:51.998
If she picked it up,
00:49:51.999 --> 00:49:54.249
it meant she was interested.
00:49:54.250 --> 00:49:58.124
Maybe the boy would wear
a certain-colour kerchief.
00:49:58.125 --> 00:50:00.249
If she wore the same colour,
00:50:00.250 --> 00:50:03.374
then for sure
there was love there.
00:50:03.375 --> 00:50:05.290
The boy in question
00:50:05.291 --> 00:50:07.998
would designate
two of his best friends,
00:50:07.999 --> 00:50:11.457
who would bring presents
to the girl\'s mother,
00:50:11.458 --> 00:50:14.749
such as a horse, maybe,
a wampum belt.
00:50:14.750 --> 00:50:16.165
Everyone knew what was going on,
00:50:16.166 --> 00:50:20.124
as the two boys would walk
to the girl\'s wigwam
00:50:20.125 --> 00:50:20.999
while the mother
00:50:21.000 --> 00:50:23.707
just happened
to be sitting there.
00:50:23.708 --> 00:50:27.290
The two boys would nervously
present their gift
00:50:27.291 --> 00:50:28.666
and make a long speech
00:50:28.667 --> 00:50:33.040
about what a great hunter
and warrior their friend was.
00:50:33.041 --> 00:50:35.998
And then they would leave.
00:50:35.999 --> 00:50:39.582
The girl\'s mother
would gather all the relatives
00:50:39.583 --> 00:50:40.417
and they would try
00:50:40.418 --> 00:50:42.998
to find something wrong
with the boy.
00:50:42.999 --> 00:50:45.874
If they were unable to do so,
00:50:45.875 --> 00:50:47.582
they would hold a feast,
00:50:47.583 --> 00:50:50.791
and everyone would be invited.
00:50:50.792 --> 00:50:54.416
While the best orator
would tell a story
00:50:54.417 --> 00:50:57.374
that really held the attention
of everyone,
00:50:57.375 --> 00:51:01.833
the young couple would run away
to a special wigwam in the bush.
00:51:01.834 --> 00:51:04.040
Every night,
they would acknowledge,
00:51:04.041 --> 00:51:06.999
and seek the blessing of,
the moon.
00:51:07.000 --> 00:51:10.416
If they stayed together
for seven moons,
00:51:10.417 --> 00:51:13.917
only then would they be married.
00:51:14.999 --> 00:51:17.998
This way of life
went undisturbed
00:51:17.999 --> 00:51:19.998
for thousands of years,
00:51:19.999 --> 00:51:22.124
until the newcomers arrived.
00:51:22.125 --> 00:51:24.290
By 1676, more Abenaki
00:51:24.291 --> 00:51:27.998
joined the Sokoki
and the Abenaki
00:51:27.999 --> 00:51:30.541
already residing in Odanak,
00:51:30.542 --> 00:51:32.998
by the St. Francis River.
00:51:32.999 --> 00:51:36.582
Jean Crevier,
the seigneur of St. Francis,
00:51:36.583 --> 00:51:37.208
established himself
00:51:37.209 --> 00:51:40.707
and had a farm in the area
in 1680.
00:51:40.708 --> 00:51:45.958
The Abenaki came to advise him
that he was on their land,
00:51:45.959 --> 00:51:48.457
but Crevier responded
00:51:48.458 --> 00:51:50.290
that he had the title
to this land
00:51:50.291 --> 00:51:52.666
given to him
by the King of France,
00:51:52.667 --> 00:51:54.083
and remained.
00:51:54.999 --> 00:51:57.290
Twenty years later,
upon his death,
00:51:57.291 --> 00:52:00.958
the widow of Jean Crevier
and her son, Joseph,
00:52:00.959 --> 00:52:04.833
ceded a two-kilometre-wide area
along the seigneury
00:52:04.834 --> 00:52:06.291
to the Abenaki.
00:52:07.166 --> 00:52:10.374
By 1768,
more land had been ceded
00:52:10.375 --> 00:52:14.998
by Crevier\'s widow
and two other local seigneurs,
00:52:14.999 --> 00:52:19.998
bringing the total amount
to 58.375 square kilometers,
00:52:19.999 --> 00:52:23.457
of which
only 6.1 square kilometers
00:52:23.458 --> 00:52:25.708
are left today.
00:52:26.333 --> 00:52:27.749
The seigneurs at the time
00:52:27.750 --> 00:52:31.207
were obliged by the governor
to cede the land,
00:52:31.208 --> 00:52:34.833
as the savages
would act as a protective shield
00:52:34.834 --> 00:52:38.999
against attacks from the English
and the Iroquois.
00:52:39.999 --> 00:52:41.791
Madame Crevier\'s contract
stipulated
00:52:41.792 --> 00:52:45.457
that the day the Jesuit mission
would be terminated,
00:52:45.458 --> 00:52:50.917
the land would return
to its donor or her descendants.
00:52:51.917 --> 00:52:52.998
A fort was built,
00:52:52.999 --> 00:52:56.999
including a church, presbytery,
and its dependants,
00:52:57.000 --> 00:53:00.499
and 20 to 30 long bark houses
00:53:00.500 --> 00:53:04.833
that could lodge
up to 60 people in each.
00:53:04.834 --> 00:53:08.582
The Catholic Church
was well established in Odanak
00:53:08.583 --> 00:53:12.082
and their control
went unchallenged until 1823,
00:53:12.083 --> 00:53:14.207
when one young Abenaki,
00:53:14.208 --> 00:53:15.582
Ozonkhiline,
00:53:15.583 --> 00:53:19.998
walked 300 miles
with only a blanket on his back,
00:53:19.999 --> 00:53:22.999
at times
following the coal-train track
00:53:23.000 --> 00:53:26.999
all the way to Dartmouth College
in New Hampshire.
00:53:27.999 --> 00:53:28.583
At Dartmouth,
00:53:28.584 --> 00:53:32.749
he received an education
in the Protestant faith.
00:53:32.750 --> 00:53:33.708
Six years later,
00:53:33.709 --> 00:53:36.666
Ozonkhiline returned to Odanak
00:53:36.667 --> 00:53:38.998
and became a teacher
00:53:38.999 --> 00:53:42.500
and a Methodist preacher
in the Abenaki language.
00:53:43.375 --> 00:53:44.666
An endless war began
00:53:44.667 --> 00:53:47.374
between the Catholics
and the Protestants.
00:53:47.375 --> 00:53:50.998
The chiefs warned
the Catholic priest,
00:53:50.999 --> 00:53:54.374
\"If you want to preach to us,
from now on,
00:53:54.375 --> 00:53:57.124
you will have to do so
in Abenaki.
00:53:57.125 --> 00:53:59.374
We don\'t want to hear your words
00:53:59.375 --> 00:54:02.875
or say confession
through an interpreter anymore.\"
00:54:03.750 --> 00:54:06.416
In 1848, a new priest,
00:54:06.417 --> 00:54:09.165
Father Moreau, wrote:
00:54:09.166 --> 00:54:11.958
- \"The Methodists are losing.
00:54:11.959 --> 00:54:13.249
\"I am pleased to announce
00:54:13.250 --> 00:54:17.124
\"that I have been able
to preach every Sunday
00:54:17.125 --> 00:54:18.998
in the savages\' language.\"
00:54:18.999 --> 00:54:19.999
- Within a few years,
00:54:20.000 --> 00:54:23.998
Father Moreau
managed to buy Abenaki land
00:54:23.999 --> 00:54:26.998
and constructed
a Catholic church,
00:54:26.999 --> 00:54:29.542
a presbytery and a school.
00:54:30.458 --> 00:54:33.998
A new village was born
on Abenaki territory,
00:54:33.999 --> 00:54:35.374
next door to Odanak,
00:54:35.375 --> 00:54:38.125
and it was called Pierreville.
00:54:38.583 --> 00:54:41.874
Many of the people of Odanak
came to Pierreville
00:54:41.875 --> 00:54:44.998
to sell their baskets
at the general store,
00:54:44.999 --> 00:54:48.791
owned by David
and Emmy Laperierre,
00:54:48.792 --> 00:54:52.666
who received huge orders
from other retailers
00:54:52.667 --> 00:54:56.082
throughout Canada
and the United States.
00:54:56.083 --> 00:54:57.749
Other people in Pierreville
00:54:57.750 --> 00:55:00.916
also profited
from the basket trade,
00:55:00.917 --> 00:55:02.416
by acting as middlemen
00:55:02.417 --> 00:55:05.541
to the people
in the surrounding areas.
00:55:05.542 --> 00:55:09.165
Although the people
of Odanak and Pierreville
00:55:09.166 --> 00:55:10.998
lived side by side,
00:55:10.999 --> 00:55:13.541
it was two different worlds.
00:55:13.542 --> 00:55:16.332
However, today in Quebec,
00:55:16.333 --> 00:55:19.374
there are many descendants
from marriages
00:55:19.375 --> 00:55:22.998
between the Abenaki
and the French.
00:55:22.999 --> 00:55:28.416
In Canada, the Waban-aki Nations
on the Bands List number 38,000;
00:55:28.417 --> 00:55:34.041
in the U.S., there are 23,000
registered Waban-aki people.
00:55:40.999 --> 00:55:44.582
Bark, when they find it
in archeological digs,
00:55:44.583 --> 00:55:46.707
it\'s very rot-resistant;
00:55:46.708 --> 00:55:48.374
it doesn\'t decay.
00:55:48.375 --> 00:55:49.998
And this bark still behaves
00:55:49.999 --> 00:55:53.707
the same way
as my brand-new bark does.
00:55:53.708 --> 00:55:55.999
You know,
this bark\'s 130 years old.
00:55:56.000 --> 00:55:57.499
If somebody handed it to me,
00:55:57.500 --> 00:56:00.541
I wouldn\'t know
that this was 130 years old.
00:56:00.542 --> 00:56:05.207
It\'s just like bark today
would be, fresh bark.
00:56:05.208 --> 00:56:07.500
It\'s amazing material.
00:56:12.999 --> 00:56:17.875
- Is that a crooked knife? - No. It is
crooked, but it\'s not a crooked knife.
00:56:20.999 --> 00:56:22.541
Maskwa.
00:56:22.542 --> 00:56:26.083
Maskwa oli, wj\'i wigwaol.
00:56:29.166 --> 00:56:31.457
Wigwaol is derived
from \"wigw8m.\"
00:56:31.458 --> 00:56:35.457
Awigwaol
doubled as a man\'s house,
00:56:35.458 --> 00:56:37.582
when he was out with it.
00:56:37.583 --> 00:56:40.457
He was traveling long and far,
a lot of stuff,
00:56:40.458 --> 00:56:42.082
and when he stopped at night,
00:56:42.083 --> 00:56:43.207
he flipped this over
00:56:43.208 --> 00:56:45.332
and this would become
the shelter.
00:56:45.333 --> 00:56:48.457
So it\'s not just bark canoe,
it\'s your home.
00:56:48.458 --> 00:56:52.667
It really shows how important
these were to the people.
00:58:07.667 --> 00:58:11.999
(narrator): After many years
of campaigning,
00:58:12.000 --> 00:58:13.666
enough funds were raised
00:58:13.667 --> 00:58:16.249
to completely renovate
the museum,
00:58:16.250 --> 00:58:18.374
the first of its kind in Quebec.
00:58:18.375 --> 00:58:19.499
Renovations are ongoing,
00:58:19.500 --> 00:58:24.500
but the museum
is open to the public.
01:00:53.750 --> 01:00:55.998
- I went to school
here in Odanak,
01:00:55.999 --> 01:00:58.249
where the museum is now today.
01:00:58.250 --> 01:00:59.208
The school was okay,
01:00:59.209 --> 01:01:01.998
except
that we couldn\'t talk Indian,
01:01:01.999 --> 01:01:04.290
we couldn\'t speak Indian at all.
01:01:04.291 --> 01:01:07.874
The nuns didn\'t want us
to speak Indian,
01:01:07.875 --> 01:01:10.666
and the priest neither.
(bell ringing)
01:01:10.667 --> 01:01:12.374
We had a priest -
01:01:12.375 --> 01:01:14.998
his name was Joe DeGonzague -
01:01:14.999 --> 01:01:17.374
he was very rough...
01:01:17.375 --> 01:01:19.542
with the kids.
01:01:42.999 --> 01:01:44.666
If you went out with a girl
01:01:44.667 --> 01:01:47.165
and if you were more
than two, three days,
01:01:47.166 --> 01:01:50.040
he\'ll ask you,
\"You gonna marry that girl?\"
01:01:50.041 --> 01:01:51.582
You say no.
\"Well,\" he says,
01:01:51.583 --> 01:01:54.332
\"you leave her alone,
you\'re going back home.\"
01:01:54.333 --> 01:01:56.082
He went,
\"She\'s going back home.\"
01:01:56.083 --> 01:01:57.998
You couldn\'t...
you couldn\'t go out,
01:01:57.999 --> 01:02:00.624
and you couldn\'t go swimming
with girls and boys
01:02:00.625 --> 01:02:02.332
down at the bottom
of the hill there.
01:02:02.333 --> 01:02:05.998
We used to go swimming
down at the bottom of the hill.
01:02:05.999 --> 01:02:07.416
He used to have those...
01:02:07.417 --> 01:02:08.707
(laughter)
01:02:08.708 --> 01:02:09.998
Oh, yeah. If he see...
01:02:09.999 --> 01:02:12.124
He used to come
right down there,
01:02:12.125 --> 01:02:15.667
and, boy,
you went up the hill fast.
01:02:44.999 --> 01:02:47.249
And he used to walk
right in the house
01:02:47.250 --> 01:02:48.374
and clean the house right out.
01:02:48.375 --> 01:02:51.999
He didn\'t want no dancing
around in the village.
01:02:53.083 --> 01:02:55.958
He used to walk right in there,
in the house,
01:02:55.959 --> 01:02:57.999
said, \"Hey, get the hell home.\"
01:03:05.125 --> 01:03:06.041
Every Friday,
01:03:06.042 --> 01:03:08.624
we used
to have to go to confession -
01:03:08.625 --> 01:03:10.040
kid seven, eight years old,
01:03:10.041 --> 01:03:11.998
didn\'t do anything wrong.
01:03:11.999 --> 01:03:15.374
You had to lie,
used to say all kinds of lie,
01:03:15.375 --> 01:03:19.791
when you used to go. And they say, \"You
stole this, you stole that, you...\"
01:03:19.792 --> 01:03:21.998
(laughter)
01:03:21.999 --> 01:03:24.999
It was all lies.
01:04:24.500 --> 01:04:27.332
- You have to do this all
around the bark?
01:04:27.333 --> 01:04:29.624
- Yeah, this is winter peeling.
01:04:29.625 --> 01:04:32.541
In this time of year,
for the winter bark,
01:04:32.542 --> 01:04:35.624
I use a disk.
And I call it a Frisbee.
01:04:35.625 --> 01:04:37.998
Sometimes you use
a piece of bark itself -
01:04:37.999 --> 01:04:40.998
that\'s the old way -
and you roll it
01:04:40.999 --> 01:04:44.416
in between the tree
and the bark,
01:04:44.417 --> 01:04:45.998
like a big pizza cutter.
01:04:45.999 --> 01:04:48.998
A lot of the builders
prefer to cut trees down.
01:04:48.999 --> 01:04:50.998
Winter peeling is a lot of work,
01:04:50.999 --> 01:04:53.125
standing like this.
01:04:55.583 --> 01:04:57.207
If you do it, like, April,
01:04:57.208 --> 01:04:59.791
just when the trees
start to grow again,
01:04:59.792 --> 01:05:03.998
before they\'ve really gone
into their full growth periods
01:05:03.999 --> 01:05:04.792
for the summer,
01:05:04.793 --> 01:05:07.374
you can actually
peel the bark off the tree
01:05:07.375 --> 01:05:09.998
and the tree
won\'t go into shock.
01:05:09.999 --> 01:05:12.040
It will start to form a scar
01:05:12.041 --> 01:05:14.708
and the tree won\'t die.
01:05:21.999 --> 01:05:23.999
- So now what\'s the next move?
01:05:24.000 --> 01:05:25.999
- Start pushing this off.
- Yeah.
01:05:26.000 --> 01:05:28.749
And is it difficult to...?
- Yeah.
01:05:28.750 --> 01:05:30.916
- The tree is not quite ripe,
or what?
01:05:30.917 --> 01:05:32.416
- It\'s ready.
It\'s always difficult,
01:05:32.417 --> 01:05:35.999
because it, you know, really
wants to stick to the tree,
01:05:36.000 --> 01:05:41.041
so that\'s why I need this batten
and that rope and...
01:05:42.458 --> 01:05:45.041
You can only do a bit at a time.
01:05:51.999 --> 01:05:53.707
When I start pushing
01:05:53.708 --> 01:05:57.874
and working that off, I want that
whole sheet to come off as a unit,
01:05:57.875 --> 01:06:00.998
together,
so we don\'t get any sudden rips,
01:06:00.999 --> 01:06:03.416
\'cause I\'m really after
one sheet,
01:06:03.417 --> 01:06:07.875
a continuous sheet
that will do the whole canoe.
01:07:26.041 --> 01:07:27.998
- He\'s what they call
number one;
01:07:27.999 --> 01:07:30.749
and, well, she was married
when she had Jeremy,
01:07:30.750 --> 01:07:32.500
so he\'s number two.
01:11:53.166 --> 01:11:54.958
(narrator): Thirty miles away,
01:11:54.959 --> 01:11:56.582
Odanak\'s sister reserve,
01:11:56.583 --> 01:11:57.166
Wôlinak,
01:11:57.167 --> 01:12:00.791
almost faced termination
in the early 1900s,
01:12:00.792 --> 01:12:05.041
when there were only
two families left living there.
01:14:48.250 --> 01:14:52.791
The reserve remained
relatively small until 1985,
01:14:52.792 --> 01:14:54.999
when Bill C-31 passed
01:14:55.000 --> 01:14:58.332
and many people
regained their status.
01:14:58.333 --> 01:15:01.916
The chief at that time,
Noel St-Aubin,
01:15:01.917 --> 01:15:05.165
invited Abenaki descendants
to settle in Wôlinak.
01:15:05.166 --> 01:15:09.542
And today, there are 400 people
living there.
01:15:46.708 --> 01:15:49.999
While our people
in Odanak and Wôlinak
01:15:50.000 --> 01:15:52.165
struggle
to maintain their heritage,
01:15:52.166 --> 01:15:56.998
many of our Waban-aki Nations
in the United States
01:15:56.999 --> 01:16:01.249
are not even recognized
by the federal government,
01:16:01.250 --> 01:16:03.666
or the local
or state government,
01:16:03.667 --> 01:16:06.874
where the people\'s lands
are located.
01:16:06.875 --> 01:16:07.667
(banging)
01:16:07.668 --> 01:16:11.666
In Vermont,
which is Abenaki territory,
01:16:11.667 --> 01:16:13.290
at the Missisquoi River,
01:16:13.291 --> 01:16:16.833
the Abenaki have been fighting
for several generations
01:16:16.834 --> 01:16:22.082
for recognition by the state
for their rights to the land.
01:16:22.083 --> 01:16:24.499
- Our lands have been stolen
from us.
01:16:24.500 --> 01:16:26.749
We have a few leases
in this area,
01:16:26.750 --> 01:16:30.374
leased land
that the Abenakis leased to...
01:16:30.375 --> 01:16:33.040
It was a 99-year timber lease,
01:16:33.041 --> 01:16:34.000
for taking timber only.
01:16:34.001 --> 01:16:38.791
That was supposed to revert back
to the Abenakis in 1856,
01:16:38.792 --> 01:16:40.958
and to this day it has not.
01:16:40.959 --> 01:16:45.457
That takes up most of this area
that we\'re in right here,
01:16:45.458 --> 01:16:47.500
most of Franklin County.
01:16:48.083 --> 01:16:52.207
We have talked to our senators
and our legislatures about this,
01:16:52.208 --> 01:16:56.082
and they\'re saying that
we cannot have state recognition
01:16:56.083 --> 01:16:58.998
for the fear
of land claims and casinos.
01:16:58.999 --> 01:17:02.416
We\'re in the process
of the federal recognition
01:17:02.417 --> 01:17:05.998
with the Bureau
of Indian Affairs right now.
01:17:05.999 --> 01:17:06.625
Yes, someday,
01:17:06.626 --> 01:17:10.332
I believe that we will file
for our land claims.
01:17:10.333 --> 01:17:11.208
This is our homeland.
01:17:11.209 --> 01:17:14.707
We should be able
to have a piece of our homeland.
01:17:14.708 --> 01:17:17.457
I mean, we have generations
of people that have lived here.
01:17:17.458 --> 01:17:19.749
I guess they believe
that there are no Abenakis here.
01:17:19.750 --> 01:17:24.624
We all were murdered or ran out
or sent to Canada or...
01:17:24.625 --> 01:17:26.917
and that\'s not true.
01:17:28.208 --> 01:17:31.207
- This is the Missisquoi River,
named for an old village
01:17:31.208 --> 01:17:35.207
that\'s about three-and-a-half,
four kilometers up there;
01:17:35.208 --> 01:17:36.125
it was called Mazipskwik.
01:17:36.126 --> 01:17:38.916
So this
is a very important river.
01:17:38.917 --> 01:17:41.749
The Abenakis
had a large village here,
01:17:41.750 --> 01:17:43.499
starting about 7,000 years ago,
01:17:43.500 --> 01:17:46.874
and they\'re still living
in the area.
01:17:46.875 --> 01:17:48.374
The river was very important,
01:17:48.375 --> 01:17:51.707
because this would go
right into the lake,
01:17:51.708 --> 01:17:53.499
and from there, you could go
01:17:53.500 --> 01:17:55.874
up the Richelieu River
to Kahnawake;
01:17:55.875 --> 01:17:56.998
you could go farther up
01:17:56.999 --> 01:17:59.998
and portage
over to the St. Francis River
01:17:59.999 --> 01:18:02.374
and get up to Odanak that way.
01:18:02.375 --> 01:18:03.998
So it\'s an important highway.
01:18:03.999 --> 01:18:07.332
The Abenaki name is Bitowbagok,
\"Lake Between,\"
01:18:07.333 --> 01:18:08.000
meaning the lake
01:18:08.001 --> 01:18:11.165
between the Abenaki
and Waban-aki Confederacy
01:18:11.166 --> 01:18:15.165
and the Iroquois Confederacy
off to the west.
01:18:15.166 --> 01:18:16.666
And when I was a kid,
01:18:16.667 --> 01:18:18.290
just walking along the bank,
01:18:18.291 --> 01:18:21.249
you would find pot shards,
arrow heads,
01:18:21.250 --> 01:18:22.998
parts of human bodies, whole...
01:18:22.999 --> 01:18:27.249
I remember one time,
a friend found a whole vessel
01:18:27.250 --> 01:18:30.124
with a rounded bottom,
just weathering.
01:18:30.125 --> 01:18:34.207
It was about, oh,
1,000, 1,500 years old.
01:18:34.208 --> 01:18:35.998
We\'re trying
to build a collection.
01:18:35.999 --> 01:18:38.207
The big thrust right now
is trying to show
01:18:38.208 --> 01:18:39.874
that the Abenakis
have always been here.
01:18:39.875 --> 01:18:42.958
We\'re going for what\'s called
federal recognition.
01:18:42.959 --> 01:18:46.124
To be able to get recognition,
you have to document
01:18:46.125 --> 01:18:48.249
an unbroken genealogical line,
01:18:48.250 --> 01:18:49.998
an unbroken cultural line
01:18:49.999 --> 01:18:52.707
and an unbroken political line.
01:18:52.708 --> 01:18:55.874
And so what I\'m doing is trying
to collect these artifacts,
01:18:55.875 --> 01:18:58.499
interview people,
so that we can show
01:18:58.500 --> 01:19:03.417
that the Abenakis
have always been right here.
01:19:03.999 --> 01:19:07.499
(narrator): In Maine,
another Waban-aki Nation,
01:19:07.500 --> 01:19:08.833
the Penobscot,
01:19:08.834 --> 01:19:10.582
had always retained control
01:19:10.583 --> 01:19:13.458
over at least part
of their land.
01:19:13.999 --> 01:19:16.707
In 1980, they entered
into negotiations
01:19:16.708 --> 01:19:21.917
with the United States\'
government over land rights.
01:19:22.667 --> 01:19:24.082
- We were being asked
01:19:24.083 --> 01:19:26.249
to give up Aboriginal rights,
01:19:26.250 --> 01:19:29.165
and I felt that\'s the crux
01:19:29.166 --> 01:19:31.998
of who we are as a people.
01:19:31.999 --> 01:19:35.207
I didn\'t totally
understand that,
01:19:35.208 --> 01:19:38.999
or why we were being asked to,
01:19:39.000 --> 01:19:41.457
and at the same time,
01:19:41.458 --> 01:19:44.958
we were badgered
into accepting state law.
01:19:44.959 --> 01:19:49.998
There was other wording
in that claim we didn\'t like,
01:19:49.999 --> 01:19:50.792
because, you know,
01:19:50.793 --> 01:19:52.998
within that legislation,
bill, or whatever,
01:19:52.999 --> 01:19:55.958
it said that there\'ll be
no other claims besides this,
01:19:55.959 --> 01:19:57.541
and I knew that wasn\'t right.
01:19:57.542 --> 01:20:01.791
- Originally, our territory, it was about
three-quarters of the state of Maine,
01:20:01.792 --> 01:20:06.917
but we\'ve been reduced
to these 146 islands and river.
01:20:07.458 --> 01:20:09.998
I believe
we are a sovereign people,
01:20:09.999 --> 01:20:12.582
but we...
in order to be sovereign,
01:20:12.583 --> 01:20:14.541
you have to act sovereign.
01:20:14.542 --> 01:20:15.998
Our community...
01:20:15.999 --> 01:20:17.998
now has to...
01:20:17.999 --> 01:20:19.499
Any law
that our community passes
01:20:19.500 --> 01:20:22.958
has to go through the state
legislature to be passed,
01:20:22.959 --> 01:20:25.916
and that\'s the only way
it becomes law.
01:20:25.917 --> 01:20:27.249
But our people
have that sovereignty
01:20:27.250 --> 01:20:31.582
and they should... shouldn\'t
be going to the state of Maine.
01:20:31.583 --> 01:20:33.290
They should
be just making their laws
01:20:33.291 --> 01:20:38.290
and we should be able to govern
our lands the way we want to.
01:20:38.291 --> 01:20:40.998
And we fought
against the land claims,
01:20:40.999 --> 01:20:41.999
because the land claims
01:20:42.000 --> 01:20:45.249
gave up a lot more
than we got back.
01:20:45.250 --> 01:20:46.041
Before the land claims,
01:20:46.042 --> 01:20:48.998
we were able to hunt and fish
whenever we wanted to,
01:20:48.999 --> 01:20:49.999
for sustenance.
And, I mean,
01:20:50.000 --> 01:20:51.999
it\'s not
that they gave us that right,
01:20:52.000 --> 01:20:53.998
it\'s just
that we always had that right.
01:20:53.999 --> 01:20:56.124
But, yeah, they\'re...
they can come over now,
01:20:56.125 --> 01:20:57.749
and, I think,
according to some people,
01:20:57.750 --> 01:20:59.290
they can even come
onto our islands now,
01:20:59.291 --> 01:21:01.833
some of the game wardens,
the fish and game wardens.
01:21:01.834 --> 01:21:04.374
But I\'ve never seen
any over there yet.
01:21:04.375 --> 01:21:06.998
And if I did see them
over there,
01:21:06.999 --> 01:21:07.959
I would send them away,
01:21:07.960 --> 01:21:10.499
because I feel
they have no right over there.
01:21:10.500 --> 01:21:12.290
See, the people
have to be together
01:21:12.291 --> 01:21:13.916
in order
to exert their sovereignty.
01:21:13.917 --> 01:21:15.998
If the tribes
would do it all together -
01:21:15.999 --> 01:21:19.666
like the Penobscots
and Passamaquoddy in the state of Maine,
the Holten Band of Maliseet -
01:21:19.667 --> 01:21:22.916
if they all decided
that they don\'t want the state
01:21:22.917 --> 01:21:24.749
to interfere
in their tribal affairs,
01:21:24.750 --> 01:21:28.124
you know, then there\'s... what can the
state do if the tribe, you know...?
01:21:28.125 --> 01:21:30.374
If they\'re all together,
there\'s no way
01:21:30.375 --> 01:21:33.916
the state can come in and arrest
the whole Penobscot Nation
01:21:33.917 --> 01:21:36.208
or the whole
Passamaquoddy Nation.
01:21:38.166 --> 01:21:39.916
- I was born here...
01:21:39.917 --> 01:21:41.998
in about the mid-\'30s,
01:21:41.999 --> 01:21:42.917
and I\'ve...
01:21:42.918 --> 01:21:46.750
I\'ve always considered this
my home.
01:21:48.959 --> 01:21:51.082
This was
my great-grandfather\'s farm
01:21:51.083 --> 01:21:52.998
quite a few years ago.
01:21:52.999 --> 01:21:56.916
And then it came down
through our family,
01:21:56.917 --> 01:22:00.708
to my grandfather,
then to his children.
01:22:02.959 --> 01:22:04.124
And, uh, I\'ve had a...
01:22:04.125 --> 01:22:07.999
I\'ve had this connection with it
for quite a while -
01:22:08.000 --> 01:22:09.666
you know, being born over here.
01:22:09.667 --> 01:22:12.958
And this used to be
a ball field up here,
01:22:12.959 --> 01:22:14.998
and as kids,
we used to come up here
01:22:14.999 --> 01:22:16.749
and play
and run all around this area.
01:22:16.750 --> 01:22:20.040
I made it a point
to move back in the late \'70s,
01:22:20.041 --> 01:22:22.917
and I had my trailer
right over here.
01:22:23.417 --> 01:22:25.332
Yeah, for quite a few years.
01:22:25.333 --> 01:22:27.998
And people say that I...
I was, uh...
01:22:27.999 --> 01:22:29.998
\"Watie was living
down in the swamp.\"
01:22:29.999 --> 01:22:34.332
But I don\'t think they realized
how beautiful it was down here,
01:22:34.333 --> 01:22:35.916
what I had for the woods,
01:22:35.917 --> 01:22:37.958
and all the different plants.
01:22:37.959 --> 01:22:42.249
I\'ve got the white maple,
the white birch;
01:22:42.250 --> 01:22:43.998
there\'s white oak.
01:22:43.999 --> 01:22:46.458
It\'s really beautiful back here.
01:22:47.999 --> 01:22:48.834
About \'97,
01:22:48.835 --> 01:22:50.958
I retired and I said,
\"Well, okay,
01:22:50.959 --> 01:22:55.457
I\'ll walk a different path
than I was walking to.\"
01:22:55.458 --> 01:23:01.290
So I did, and I started attending a lot
of spiritual type of gatherings,
01:23:01.291 --> 01:23:02.998
and then when I could.
01:23:02.999 --> 01:23:07.290
And then about three years ago,
I did a fast
01:23:07.291 --> 01:23:11.999
and received my pipe
from William Nevins.
01:23:13.208 --> 01:23:16.499
I know that I had healing powers
at one time,
01:23:16.500 --> 01:23:17.998
but because of my lifestyle,
01:23:17.999 --> 01:23:18.999
I guess I... I lost them.
01:23:19.000 --> 01:23:22.165
I don\'t know if I could
ever recover them again,
01:23:22.166 --> 01:23:23.457
but I would like to try,
01:23:23.458 --> 01:23:26.791
you know,
so I could heal and, uh...
01:23:26.792 --> 01:23:27.250
and teach,
01:23:27.251 --> 01:23:31.707
and basically just try
to be a good person, you know.
01:23:31.708 --> 01:23:34.875
That\'s what I\'m striving for.
01:23:39.000 --> 01:23:41.916
These baskets
that we sell in our shop
01:23:41.917 --> 01:23:44.998
are from all over.
These baskets are made
01:23:44.999 --> 01:23:47.457
by Deborah Gabriel Brooks.
01:23:47.458 --> 01:23:50.958
And her mother was Mary Gabriel,
01:23:50.959 --> 01:23:53.124
who we call
our national treasure.
01:23:53.125 --> 01:23:56.040
And she passed away,
unfortunately,
01:23:56.041 --> 01:23:59.332
a year ago this past July.
01:23:59.333 --> 01:24:02.874
And her signature is the handle.
01:24:02.875 --> 01:24:05.082
And after Mary passed away,
01:24:05.083 --> 01:24:06.666
her youngest daughter, Debbie,
01:24:06.667 --> 01:24:11.499
started utilizing Mary\'s
signature handle in her baskets,
01:24:11.500 --> 01:24:16.083
which I think honours her mother
in a special way.
01:24:16.917 --> 01:24:20.374
I love being around the baskets.
And the basket-makers.
01:24:20.375 --> 01:24:22.998
And there\'s a strong history
01:24:22.999 --> 01:24:25.624
in a lot of the people
that live on the island.
01:24:25.625 --> 01:24:27.958
I remember
some of their family members
01:24:27.959 --> 01:24:28.875
who used to make baskets.
01:24:28.876 --> 01:24:31.833
And my mother
used to visit a lot,
01:24:31.834 --> 01:24:34.998
so we were always
around the basket-makers.
01:24:34.999 --> 01:24:36.040
Now, when I was growing up -
01:24:36.041 --> 01:24:40.958
I\'m 58 and I don\'t mind;
I worked very hard to get here -
01:24:40.959 --> 01:24:43.998
but in my age bracket,
01:24:43.999 --> 01:24:47.833
they didn\'t teach the language,
01:24:47.834 --> 01:24:50.874
they didn\'t teach the...
a lot about the culture,
01:24:50.875 --> 01:24:53.541
because everything
is into assimilating
01:24:53.542 --> 01:24:55.998
into the non-Native culture.
01:24:55.999 --> 01:24:57.040
And my mother was concerned,
01:24:57.041 --> 01:25:00.833
because when she was a child
and going to school,
01:25:00.834 --> 01:25:02.998
they used to get
their hands slapped
01:25:02.999 --> 01:25:06.624
if they spoke their own...
in their own language.
01:25:06.625 --> 01:25:07.749
They would use a paddle,
01:25:07.750 --> 01:25:11.874
or the nuns would use a paddle
or a... a yardstick,
01:25:11.875 --> 01:25:13.416
and crack it
across the knuckles.
01:25:13.417 --> 01:25:17.791
So because she didn\'t want us
to go through that same thing,
01:25:17.792 --> 01:25:19.874
she would not teach us
the language.
01:25:19.875 --> 01:25:22.374
But I grew up
hearing her speak both
01:25:22.375 --> 01:25:23.333
Penobscot and Passamaquoddy,
01:25:23.334 --> 01:25:25.998
and I loved
listening to them speak.
01:25:25.999 --> 01:25:28.541
And some of the words,
over time,
01:25:28.542 --> 01:25:31.958
I was able to understand
some of them,
01:25:31.959 --> 01:25:34.250
but I could never speak.
01:25:36.291 --> 01:25:38.998
- Our children are lost...
01:25:38.999 --> 01:25:41.040
within the mainstream society.
01:25:41.041 --> 01:25:44.541
And for them to come back,
01:25:44.542 --> 01:25:46.749
we, as a people,
01:25:46.750 --> 01:25:47.708
have to start...
01:25:47.709 --> 01:25:51.499
stopping our mad dash
within the society,
01:25:51.500 --> 01:25:56.499
and stop
like the old people used to do.
01:25:56.500 --> 01:25:58.998
Touch the earth,
breathe the air,
01:25:58.999 --> 01:26:01.707
feel the sun upon our face.
01:26:01.708 --> 01:26:03.998
I work here at the museum,
01:26:03.999 --> 01:26:05.040
my ancestors
around me all the time,
01:26:05.041 --> 01:26:07.998
and I have to stop and
take a listen once in a while
01:26:07.999 --> 01:26:09.499
to what they\'re trying
to tell me,
01:26:09.500 --> 01:26:13.374
so that I\'ll be able
to teach my children
01:26:13.375 --> 01:26:16.998
and try to teach other children
within the community.
01:26:16.999 --> 01:26:18.998
We are very fortunate, now,
01:26:18.999 --> 01:26:20.624
within our schools,
01:26:20.625 --> 01:26:21.998
because since 1980,
01:26:21.999 --> 01:26:24.332
in the land-claim settlement,
01:26:24.333 --> 01:26:28.998
when we became a federally
recognized nation of people,
01:26:28.999 --> 01:26:29.959
we had the right
01:26:29.960 --> 01:26:32.707
to learn about our language
and about our culture,
01:26:32.708 --> 01:26:36.582
so it had to be integrated
into the school curriculum.
01:26:36.583 --> 01:26:38.416
And so, since that time,
01:26:38.417 --> 01:26:40.998
there have been kids
learning our language
01:26:40.999 --> 01:26:46.125
and the aspects of our culture
throughout their school year.
01:26:47.208 --> 01:26:49.207
- Anniqu\'am Whole Life Centre
01:26:49.208 --> 01:26:50.998
is the name of this place.
01:26:50.999 --> 01:26:56.124
What that means in our language
is \"the house of the spirit.\"
01:26:56.125 --> 01:26:59.624
One of the things
that we want to do
01:26:59.625 --> 01:27:01.998
is to be able to reconnect...
01:27:01.999 --> 01:27:04.457
back to the life...
01:27:04.458 --> 01:27:07.082
to the life ways
of the Waban-aki.
01:27:07.083 --> 01:27:10.457
And the life ways
of the Waban-aki
01:27:10.458 --> 01:27:12.958
is to honour the natural laws,
01:27:12.959 --> 01:27:14.541
from our mother, Mother Earth.
01:27:14.542 --> 01:27:18.749
So it\'s reconnecting
the youth and the families
01:27:18.750 --> 01:27:20.999
back to the environment.
01:27:21.875 --> 01:27:23.374
Working with the youth,
01:27:23.375 --> 01:27:26.207
who are central
to our communities,
01:27:26.208 --> 01:27:29.998
and what we...
They will be the leaders,
01:27:29.999 --> 01:27:33.207
and we are raising
Waban-aki leaders,
01:27:33.208 --> 01:27:38.083
who will continue the work
of our ancestors.
01:27:38.959 --> 01:27:44.998
And I can see the magic
and how youth are transformed
01:27:44.999 --> 01:27:47.707
to have connected
with the horses.
01:27:47.708 --> 01:27:51.290
And if you want to make
a relationship with a horse,
01:27:51.291 --> 01:27:52.250
you really have to know
01:27:52.251 --> 01:27:58.165
and be conscious of yourself
at that moment.
01:27:58.166 --> 01:28:01.998
Because the horse
is very sensitive,
01:28:01.999 --> 01:28:02.999
very intuitive,
01:28:03.000 --> 01:28:04.833
and very nonjudgmental.
01:28:04.834 --> 01:28:06.541
And so it\'s a...
01:28:06.542 --> 01:28:11.124
a very powerful teacher
about being true to yourself.
01:28:11.125 --> 01:28:13.083
(galloping)
01:28:14.125 --> 01:28:16.998
When you\'re true to yourself,
01:28:16.999 --> 01:28:19.750
then the horse will come to you.
01:28:19.999 --> 01:28:22.332
- This is a traditional
ceremonial war club,
01:28:22.333 --> 01:28:24.165
is what they called them
back then,
01:28:24.166 --> 01:28:27.249
and they\'re made
with the root of a grey birch.
01:28:27.250 --> 01:28:29.998
If you flip it around like that,
you can see
01:28:29.999 --> 01:28:32.582
that that was the root system
of the tree.
01:28:32.583 --> 01:28:35.707
So you had to dig
around the roots of the tree
01:28:35.708 --> 01:28:36.958
to expose the roots, and then,
01:28:36.959 --> 01:28:40.541
you try to cut these as much
as possible with a saw
01:28:40.542 --> 01:28:41.666
so you don\'t damage them.
01:28:41.667 --> 01:28:44.082
So then you take them out,
clean them off,
01:28:44.083 --> 01:28:45.998
and so that\'s how
the club was made.
01:28:45.999 --> 01:28:49.958
And when I learned from Senabeh,
the very first club I carved,
01:28:49.959 --> 01:28:50.708
he helped me carve it,
01:28:50.709 --> 01:28:54.165
and that\'s this one here,
which I can show you.
01:28:54.166 --> 01:28:56.541
This is the first club
I ever carved,
01:28:56.542 --> 01:29:00.998
and this is a style of club
that Senabeh used to do.
01:29:00.999 --> 01:29:01.959
They were all painted,
01:29:01.960 --> 01:29:03.040
the figures were realistic.
- Yes.
01:29:03.041 --> 01:29:05.374
- So I did those type of clubs
for years.
01:29:05.375 --> 01:29:08.124
But since researching
and seeing all the older clubs
01:29:08.125 --> 01:29:10.499
that didn\'t have
all of that paint on it,
01:29:10.500 --> 01:29:14.499
I started doing some of
the old-style spirit clubs too.
01:29:14.500 --> 01:29:17.290
Originally, these were used
as head-knockers, you know,
01:29:17.291 --> 01:29:21.707
but over the years, they went
from weapon to ceremonial use.
01:29:21.708 --> 01:29:24.667
See how dry that is now?
01:29:28.583 --> 01:29:32.332
Normally, I\'d do this
as soon as I got it...
01:29:32.333 --> 01:29:34.125
but... Here we go.
01:29:37.792 --> 01:29:38.958
This is a traditional carving
01:29:38.959 --> 01:29:42.542
that\'s been made
for centuries by our people.
01:29:43.458 --> 01:29:44.375
When I started doing these,
01:29:44.376 --> 01:29:48.998
I thought it was just something
that you did to make money.
01:29:48.999 --> 01:29:51.249
So for over 20 to 25 years,
01:29:51.250 --> 01:29:54.998
I didn\'t even realize
the history behind this.
01:29:54.999 --> 01:29:56.457
So in \'97,
I started researching.
01:29:56.458 --> 01:30:00.874
The oldest club that we know of
was used in 1691 and 1692
01:30:00.875 --> 01:30:04.166
by Chief Madockawando
of the Penobscot tribe.
01:30:06.417 --> 01:30:08.999
It\'s about long enough, I guess.
01:30:09.250 --> 01:30:12.165
When you take all the
little feeder roots off of this,
01:30:12.166 --> 01:30:15.499
and you kind of take all
the bark off the larger roots,
01:30:15.500 --> 01:30:19.083
then you start seeing something
in the root system.
01:30:20.417 --> 01:30:23.958
This root doesn\'t have as big
of a burl that most of them do,
01:30:23.959 --> 01:30:24.500
and I think th
01:30:24.501 --> 01:30:27.624
of shows it a little bit more.
01:30:27.625 --> 01:30:30.457
You see that big burl like this,
that this has?
01:30:30.458 --> 01:30:34.457
So a lot of the clubs
have that all the way around it.
01:30:34.458 --> 01:30:37.290
And when I first started
learning from Senabeh,
01:30:37.291 --> 01:30:38.250
that was a perfect spot
01:30:38.251 --> 01:30:41.874
to put the chief\'s head in,
because it\'s so rounded,
01:30:41.875 --> 01:30:44.165
you can put a head
pretty much anywhere.
01:30:44.166 --> 01:30:46.249
It\'s whatever you see
in the wood.
01:30:46.250 --> 01:30:49.624
I mean, you don\'t see
the same thing every time.
01:30:49.625 --> 01:30:53.207
(narrator): Young people
from the University of Vermont
01:30:53.208 --> 01:30:56.999
are taking part
in an old tradition:
01:30:57.000 --> 01:30:59.040
the talking-stick circle.
01:30:59.041 --> 01:31:00.041
- Being Abenaki, to me,
01:31:00.042 --> 01:31:04.207
is like being a part of a family
that I\'ve met
01:31:04.208 --> 01:31:06.916
and become more connected with
over the years.
01:31:06.917 --> 01:31:09.874
Knowing all you guys has been
a really great experience,
01:31:09.875 --> 01:31:12.833
and I\'ve met you all
through being Abenaki,
01:31:12.834 --> 01:31:14.998
learning the culture,
01:31:14.999 --> 01:31:15.625
the rituals.
01:31:15.626 --> 01:31:18.124
It\'s just a wonderful feeling,
01:31:18.125 --> 01:31:22.165
knowing that I\'m a part
of something
01:31:22.166 --> 01:31:24.416
that was here before...
01:31:24.417 --> 01:31:25.666
Columbus.
01:31:25.667 --> 01:31:28.999
- I\'ve learned a lot of stuff
from being Abenaki.
01:31:29.000 --> 01:31:32.249
Everything feels perfect
where I am,
01:31:32.250 --> 01:31:34.082
and who I\'m around,
01:31:34.083 --> 01:31:38.500
and all the people
that influenced me...
01:31:41.291 --> 01:31:41.999
- Abenaki, to me,
01:31:42.000 --> 01:31:43.998
feels like everybody\'s
there for each other;
01:31:43.999 --> 01:31:47.457
it\'s an honour, from birth
to when you pass on.
01:31:47.458 --> 01:31:50.958
- I feel a closeness
with the earth,
01:31:50.959 --> 01:31:53.082
and I just feel alive...
01:31:53.083 --> 01:31:53.875
being Abenaki.
01:31:53.876 --> 01:31:58.040
- I think it\'s awesome, because
I learned so much from you guys
01:31:58.041 --> 01:32:00.541
and most of the things
I\'ve learned
01:32:00.542 --> 01:32:02.998
have been from people
younger than me,
01:32:02.999 --> 01:32:04.207
which is really amazing.
01:32:04.208 --> 01:32:05.749
And, um, I think it\'s...
01:32:05.750 --> 01:32:07.582
Before, when I knew
I was Abenaki,
01:32:07.583 --> 01:32:10.207
and I was never in the culture
or anything,
01:32:10.208 --> 01:32:11.999
once I finally
started getting into it,
01:32:12.000 --> 01:32:15.165
it was like finding
a lost part of myself.
01:32:15.166 --> 01:32:18.083
It\'s a wonderful feeling.
01:32:23.417 --> 01:32:24.998
- When I was young,
01:32:24.999 --> 01:32:29.707
when a person wanted
to sweat or fast,
01:32:29.708 --> 01:32:32.040
they went in the woods
by themselves, you know,
01:32:32.041 --> 01:32:34.833
and they stayed there
three or four days,
01:32:34.834 --> 01:32:36.332
and then they\'d come out.
01:32:36.333 --> 01:32:38.999
\'Cause they were kind of worried
01:32:39.000 --> 01:32:41.916
about the priest
and the missionary.
01:32:41.917 --> 01:32:44.666
They... they always tried
to scare us by saying,
01:32:44.667 --> 01:32:46.791
\"You\'re working for the devil,\"
you know?
01:32:46.792 --> 01:32:50.833
And that\'s why we never done it
for quite a few years.
01:32:50.834 --> 01:32:54.917
If there was a man
that was sick in a family...
01:32:55.625 --> 01:32:57.874
they... the chief went out -
01:32:57.875 --> 01:32:59.999
and I used to go with him,
01:33:00.000 --> 01:33:01.998
and we used to collect food
01:33:01.999 --> 01:33:04.998
and take it to the people,
you know?
01:33:04.999 --> 01:33:07.040
And even if the mother was sick,
01:33:07.041 --> 01:33:08.499
or when she had a baby,
01:33:08.500 --> 01:33:11.416
the husband
had to take care of the kids.
01:33:11.417 --> 01:33:14.917
It\'s what they done,
go visit them.
01:33:16.041 --> 01:33:18.916
I don\'t care who it was,
if they took sick,
01:33:18.917 --> 01:33:22.374
the chief went to visit them.
It don\'t happen now.
01:33:22.375 --> 01:33:23.125
You know, there\'s...
01:33:23.126 --> 01:33:26.998
pretty near every tree
you look at, is medicine.
01:33:26.999 --> 01:33:28.998
Like this cedar,
01:33:28.999 --> 01:33:31.999
that\'s the one that cured me.
01:33:32.000 --> 01:33:34.791
I had a bad leg, bad foot,
01:33:34.792 --> 01:33:39.998
and a lady from up north
came and seeped that cedar,
01:33:39.999 --> 01:33:42.582
and I\'d soak my feet in that.
01:33:42.583 --> 01:33:45.041
In three days it cleared up.
01:33:47.291 --> 01:33:48.958
The fir and the pine,
01:33:48.959 --> 01:33:51.998
you can use that for your cough,
you know.
01:33:51.999 --> 01:33:53.416
A lot of things like that.
01:33:53.417 --> 01:33:56.998
See, I got a lot of it
collected and all,
01:33:56.999 --> 01:33:58.998
but we have to make a place
01:33:58.999 --> 01:34:03.082
and mark it what it is
and what it\'s for,
01:34:03.083 --> 01:34:05.457
so the people, when we\'re gone,
01:34:05.458 --> 01:34:07.624
the younger generation
will know.
01:34:07.625 --> 01:34:08.375
You see, like,
01:34:08.376 --> 01:34:12.998
sometimes the kids
are hard to get along with,
01:34:12.999 --> 01:34:15.998
and they\'re arguing
with their mothers and stuff,
01:34:15.999 --> 01:34:21.332
then we\'d take them in here
and we\'d talk to them, you know.
01:34:21.333 --> 01:34:25.040
And after a couple times
in there, they\'d change.
01:34:25.041 --> 01:34:27.249
\'Cause you can\'t get mad
at kids.
01:34:27.250 --> 01:34:29.874
You gotta...
you gotta talk to \'em good.
01:34:29.875 --> 01:34:33.875
If you don\'t,
they don\'t listen to you.
01:34:37.125 --> 01:34:38.791
- When I was little girl,
01:34:38.792 --> 01:34:40.791
my mother
would be making baskets.
01:34:40.792 --> 01:34:45.998
I\'d sit right beside her,
on the floor,
01:34:45.999 --> 01:34:47.998
I\'d make them...
01:34:47.999 --> 01:34:49.916
little horse, you know?
01:34:49.917 --> 01:34:54.207
You bend the legs
and stuff like that.
01:34:54.208 --> 01:34:56.749
Then... then after she died,
01:34:56.750 --> 01:35:01.998
I didn\'t make
too many baskets after that.
01:35:01.999 --> 01:35:04.999
And when I came back
to the reserve,
01:35:05.000 --> 01:35:08.499
I didn\'t see
a doll cradle around,
01:35:08.500 --> 01:35:11.082
so it was still in my head -
01:35:11.083 --> 01:35:13.833
I have a very good memory -
01:35:13.834 --> 01:35:15.082
and I made one.
01:35:15.083 --> 01:35:16.998
The first one I made,
01:35:16.999 --> 01:35:19.082
I took to Foxwood\'s with me.
01:35:19.083 --> 01:35:22.833
They bought it right off
to stay at the museum,
01:35:22.834 --> 01:35:26.666
because they hadn\'t seen one
for years and years.
01:35:26.667 --> 01:35:30.332
There\'s one basket
that I\'d like to make;
01:35:30.333 --> 01:35:32.998
I can\'t get it in my head.
01:35:32.999 --> 01:35:35.998
I seen one in Orono one time;
01:35:35.999 --> 01:35:38.541
that\'s the handkerchief basket.
01:35:38.542 --> 01:35:39.542
It was a little rough,
01:35:39.543 --> 01:35:42.207
not like the ones
I was used to seeing.
01:35:42.208 --> 01:35:44.249
- They made them in Odanak, too.
01:35:44.250 --> 01:35:45.457
- Oh, they do?
- Yeah.
01:35:45.458 --> 01:35:48.541
- I\'d like to see
how it goes together.
01:35:48.542 --> 01:35:52.332
I can\'t seem
to get it in my head.
01:35:52.333 --> 01:35:53.998
I do... A lot of it,
01:35:53.999 --> 01:35:56.749
I just visualize it
and it stays there.
01:35:56.750 --> 01:36:00.457
I started remembering
when I was a little baby.
01:36:00.458 --> 01:36:02.750
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
01:36:03.999 --> 01:36:06.207
I remember 76 years ago.
01:36:06.208 --> 01:36:09.082
My father used to play cards,
01:36:09.083 --> 01:36:12.040
and my parents,
with this couple,
01:36:12.041 --> 01:36:16.999
and they would wrap me
up in a blanket,
01:36:17.000 --> 01:36:17.999
take me along.
01:36:18.000 --> 01:36:21.998
I don\'t remember that part,
but one night,
01:36:21.999 --> 01:36:26.416
going - it must have been
2:00 in the morning.
01:36:26.417 --> 01:36:31.457
The moon was so bright
and it was so cold,
01:36:31.458 --> 01:36:32.000
I could see
01:36:32.001 --> 01:36:37.582
how the moon was so bright
and I was just a little baby.
01:36:37.583 --> 01:36:39.499
I could hear my parents walking,
01:36:39.500 --> 01:36:42.582
the crunching on the snow
when there\'s a frost?
01:36:42.583 --> 01:36:46.999
But that\'s all I remember
when I was a baby.
01:36:49.458 --> 01:36:51.708
(Abenaki)
01:37:08.667 --> 01:37:10.165
- All right, tree.
01:37:10.166 --> 01:37:11.999
(fly buzzing)
01:37:12.000 --> 01:37:14.374
- Is it coming off easier now?
- Yeah.
01:37:14.375 --> 01:37:17.500
It\'s over half off now, yeah.
01:37:20.417 --> 01:37:23.541
I was in a real tough place
in my life.
01:37:23.542 --> 01:37:28.124
Maybe it was just being young,
trying to figure out who I was,
01:37:28.125 --> 01:37:31.998
identity, with issues
that seemed to be real common
01:37:31.999 --> 01:37:32.999
amongst Abenaki people
01:37:33.000 --> 01:37:35.624
in the States and whatnot.
01:37:35.625 --> 01:37:37.998
I was without a job
01:37:37.999 --> 01:37:40.499
and I wanted to do something
01:37:40.500 --> 01:37:41.998
that really made me happy.
01:37:41.999 --> 01:37:45.416
So my stepfather asked me,
\"What do you love to do?
01:37:45.417 --> 01:37:47.707
What do you really want to do?\"
01:37:47.708 --> 01:37:48.998
This canoe popped in my mind
01:37:48.999 --> 01:37:51.998
and I said, \"I want to make
a birch-bark canoe.\"
01:37:51.999 --> 01:37:54.998
He\'s, like,
\"Why do you want to do that?\"
01:37:54.999 --> 01:37:58.417
I said, \"I just have to,
I have to do this.\"
01:38:01.375 --> 01:38:05.666
I realized it was not
just about building a canoe,
01:38:05.667 --> 01:38:07.332
it was about the time
01:38:07.333 --> 01:38:09.374
you had to be on the land,
01:38:09.375 --> 01:38:10.582
it was about these old skills.
01:38:10.583 --> 01:38:14.833
And I started to understand
that this was not just a craft,
01:38:14.834 --> 01:38:17.249
but it could be a way of life.
01:38:17.250 --> 01:38:18.499
You know,alnôbaiwi,
01:38:18.500 --> 01:38:23.916
you just... the way of things,
the Abenaki way.
01:38:23.917 --> 01:38:26.542
And that\'s why I do this.
01:38:38.458 --> 01:38:39.998
I\'m always proud, even,
to bring it home,
01:38:39.999 --> 01:38:43.998
because it feels like I\'ve
really accomplished something
01:38:43.999 --> 01:38:46.541
that I\'m supposed to be doing,
01:38:46.542 --> 01:38:49.040
as a person
with traditional values,
01:38:49.041 --> 01:38:50.998
and so it feels very good.
01:38:50.999 --> 01:38:54.416
It\'s also very tiring,
but it\'s a good tired.
01:38:54.417 --> 01:38:56.959
(music)
01:39:46.375 --> 01:39:49.999
(children shouting)
01:40:51.417 --> 01:40:53.791
- Aaron, it\'s so beautiful!
01:40:53.792 --> 01:40:55.583
- Yeah.
01:41:00.417 --> 01:41:02.834
- Well, that one\'s nice.
01:41:31.999 --> 01:41:34.290
(narrator): When our people
were losing their land
01:41:34.291 --> 01:41:36.499
and thousands were being killed,
01:41:36.500 --> 01:41:41.624
the leaders met
with all the Waban-aki Nations
01:41:41.625 --> 01:41:43.916
and said, \"We must disperse
01:41:43.917 --> 01:41:47.499
to the four corners
of our territories
01:41:47.500 --> 01:41:52.208
and will not meet again
for generations.
01:41:53.959 --> 01:41:56.582
Try to remember
something of our traditions
01:41:56.583 --> 01:41:58.667
and our way of life.
01:41:59.583 --> 01:42:02.332
Someday, our descendants
01:42:02.333 --> 01:42:03.083
will meet again
01:42:03.084 --> 01:42:05.499
and bring with them
these memories,
01:42:05.500 --> 01:42:08.998
so that the circle
which has been broken
01:42:08.999 --> 01:42:11.917
will again be made whole.\"
01:42:12.834 --> 01:42:16.624
To symbolize this,
they took the needles
01:42:16.625 --> 01:42:19.165
from the sacred white-pine tree
01:42:19.166 --> 01:42:21.998
and placed them on a drum.
01:42:21.999 --> 01:42:22.708
As they played,
01:42:22.709 --> 01:42:25.998
the needles drifted
to the edge of the drum,
01:42:25.999 --> 01:42:31.040
then followed the heartbeat
of the drum back to the centre.
01:42:31.041 --> 01:42:33.124
(slow drumming)
01:42:33.125 --> 01:42:34.749
(music)
01:42:34.750 --> 01:42:36.917
(birds squawking)
01:43:19.999 --> 01:43:22.041
(Abenaki)
01:43:26.208 --> 01:43:30.041
Closed Captioning:
CNST, Montreal