Item 2008.3.1.211.3 - Mary John Tape 5 & 6

• Sound recording

1 audiocassette (93 min.)

Audio recording consists of an interview conducted by Bridget Moran with Mary John.

Audiocassette Summary

Scope and Content: Tape recording is an interview between Bridget Moran and Mary John – a continuation of interviews.

Side 1
0’02” Bridget asks Mary when she quit smoking - in 1972

1’00” Mary notes there was no talk of sex life; not part of First Nations culture

2’00” Mary talks about when she started working at the hospital; she was able to save money and her husband drove her back and forth; lived in a tent to save money; they pumped water to drink from a well 1 mile away so that they did not get sick; she notes she began working at hospital after her husband lost his seasonal job

5’00” Mary notes they had to have a tribunal hearing to get old age pension for her husband because his birth was not registered

7’00” Mary recalls that the Depression did not hit reserves as hard as white people because ‘they had always been poor’; yet at that time they were never without food. She talks about tough times during the Depression – could not find work only relief; got used clothing from white people

10’00” Mary refers to a Mrs. Campbell, a white woman who was a widow and had small children who was also poor in the Depression and showed her how to repair socks

12’00” She notes that they did not have much of a relationship with the Indian Agent – they knew he existed but they did not see him much; viewed him as a representative for the Indians; some [of the Indian Agents] were good and some were bad; she describes difficulties with the Indian Agent and getting little food: only a single ration (24 bag of flour; 5 lb bag of rice, bag of salt; ½ lb tea and 2 lbs lard) to last a family for a month and also flannelette material to make bed clothes. Indian Agent Office was in Vanderhoof

17’00” Mary recalls that the watchmen quit in the 40s – that is when marriages stopped being arranged; there were no Band Managers then; that only ‘started recently’

19’00” Mary talks about the priest who lived on the reserve in the 1940s; she does not know whether the [Catholic] Church was good for her people. Does not think that the Catholic Church was good for Indian Culture – they were the ones that ‘took it away’ […] tried to beat it out of the children

24’00” She notes that since that time she has been asked to teach dancing and classes in Indian culture; notes that some children can speak “Indian” in Mary’s family; notes her children can speak their own language

27’00” Mary talks about when the residential school Lejac closed; that it was taken over by the Department of DIA

29’00” Mary sees ‘Alcohol as the worst problem among First Nation’ – she recalls that a group of them began to get together to ‘pray and work with people who needed the most help’; she notes that while native people were not allowed to buy alcohol before and now have the right to get it - it has since become a problem; she describes the effect of alcohol on the community. She notes that although she and her husband did drink at one time she doesn’t anymore and recognized it as a problem back in the 1950s. She describes her feelings after a nephew was killed in an alcohol-related accident and how this convinced her to quit drinking; it was a choice she made on her own

40’00” Talks about early years when they were married and how difficult life was at that time; she recalls going to see the children at Lejac and camping out to visit them; she describes how to make a camp with spruce boughs and bringing food to camp

45’00” Describes the furniture and stove they had in their house when Ernie (son) was born A lot of time spent with one another for recreation

(Continuation on side B – labeled as #6)

Side 2
48’00” Mary John talks about the church priest – would not come out every Sunday for Mass – only started recently having mass frequently; talks about the hospital where nuns worked;

56’00” Bridget asks her about recreation on the reserve; Mary talks about clothing used on sports team – played Stellako and other reserves; “Baseball was popular” – hardball; she recalls going to Prince George to watch ball tournaments

60’00” Discusses recreation in early years; would have dances at people’s houses

62’00” Mary discusses white-native relations; ‘we never talked about it’ there were white people who were ‘good people’ that she did work for; cases of racial tensions in Vanderhoof

67’00” Bridget asks her if any white people ever came to visit her home; Mary notes that none came out to the reserve – the only one that use to come out was the priest and remembers the priest eating breakfast at her home. But “Prince George wasn’t like that” She tells of racist comments even now that she experienced with a new doctor in town

End of session – tape ends temporarily Start up of session again

74’00” Mary John talks about their efforts to educate and pass on their culture to younger generations; they now teach survival in the bush. She explains that this is to get native youths to experience being in the bush and teach them how to prepare food at camp; how to prepare fish and smoke fish. She talks about the location of the survival camp, close to Wedgewood; “sometimes would have close to 12 students”

End of session – tape ends temporarily Start up of session again
83’00” Mary talks about Aunt Mary Sutherland. Bridget asks about Mary’s husband [Lazare] his family history.

88’00” Bridget asks Mary about the history of Stoney Creek Reserve; Mary then proceeds to note the names of the families who lived at the reserve. She notes that she was originally born at Fort George. They talk about an Indian Agent in the 1950s and the building of houses on the reserve

92’00” Talks about family logging business

End of tape