Showing 488 results

File consists of a videocassette (VHS) recording of Mary John & Bridget Moran at the College of New Caledonia, March 12, 1991.

Videocassette Summary

Context: Bridget Moran and Mary John speaking to students at CNC, specific class unidentified.

Introduction: Bridget identifies that she will make the introductory speech and Mary will answer any questions because Mary doesn’t like to make speeches even though she is very good at it. Bridget’s connection with Mary and with Stoney Creek Reserve: Bridget Moran (BM) came to Prince George in 1954 as a social worker and soon after went to the Stoney Creek reserve. At that time the Indian Agent was in control of reserves and social workers were only called on to a reserve if they had to remove a child that was been abused or neglected. The state of reserves was horrible. BM made a promise to her mother that she would at some point do something about the impoverished state of reserves. In 1964 she was suspended by the provincial govt. for speaking out against current social policy. After writing her second published book Judgement at Stoney Creek she met Mary through Mary’s daughter Helen. Helen felt that Mary’s life was typical and yet a bit more significant than the average native woman and so approached Bridget to write a book about her mother’s life. BM put it off due to her busy career in social work. About 1983-84 Mary got sick and BM was afraid she wouldn’t have chance to capture Mary’s life story. So she took her motor home out to Stoney Creek and recorded Mary’s story – Mary beaded, while she knitted and they just talked. Once the book was written, BM’s daughter Roseanne became BM’s agent. After inquest in 1976 she had started 2nd published book Judgement at Stoney Creek but her publishers were not supportive of publishing books about Natives at that time. BM then wrote Stoney Creek Woman (SCW) and published it; after which time Judgement was better received. SCW now recommended in schools. Since publication they have done many talks across the province. Writing SCW was hard but wonderful in that Mary was able to share her feelings with BM. When the book was coming out Mary was very nervous, it came out on Nov. 12, 1988. Mary read the book and was really angry about reliving what had happened to her people. BM talks about thoughts of a 2nd book re: Mary’s thoughts on the environment and her culture. BM gives Mary the floor for questions.

[Note: most student questions were inaudible and so only replies have been noted below]

MJ: She was very upset about the Supreme Court decision. She speaks about how free her people used to be. They could stop and make camp anywhere – this was no longer the case as all is private property. There are greater alcohol problems in north. They are holding workshops in Stoney Creek to help the young people. The older people know what to do, beadwork, etc. the young people don’t like to do traditional tasks, even for cash. The elders try to teach them. She has about 5 boys working doing wood for elders but they have no axe so she had to get one for them They are so poor on reserves. The elders try everything – elders tried a wood processing plant - for 10yrs they studied this. Had people from Switzerland and Germany lined up who wanted the wood but they still didn’t get anywhere.

BM: People are now living better in Stoney Creek. When she first visited a reserve tuberculosis (TB) was rampant. In 1954 so many people had TB and they were all treated away from home. This left people at home (mainly women) to raise the children by themselves. We have social network now that was not existent in ’54. Still compared to the majority of society, reserve conditions are comparable to living conditions in the 3rd world.

MJ: Some reserves like Ft. Ware are just desperate. One night staying in a medical house, a child 10 or 11 was wondering around at night in the rain. When they got up in morning and he came into the centre and had breakfast. They asked him why he was outside all night. He said he was trying to catch horses. This boy was enamored with the cowboy hat and leather jacket another boy there was wearing. This other boy told him he would buy a hat and coat for him when he returned home. By the time the package was sent, the young boy was dead from sniffing gas.

BM: People are depressed and alcohol and drugs is one way to cope

MJ: Men drinking early in morning, she talked to them. One guy hadn’t worked a day in his life. She asked him why he drinking. One guy says he just drinks once and awhile that is wasn’t a problem. The other guy left as didn’t want to hear the truth. She says they need a job – something to live for.

MJ: She tells children to get educated and then come back to the reserve and help their people - like Eddie John and Archie Patrick did. [Discussion on environment]: The Elders group comes together and talks about environment: how the earth is being stripped dry. This worries them. The animals are not there. Years ago, they were so poor, they just had basic food. Their cupboard was in the bush, they were so busy trying to make a living while the men were out logging trying make money. The men logged by hand and the land still looks untouched. That is how they earned a living, and the land is not scarred.
Years ago people were not fearful of sickness, there was no sickness, and there were hardly any accidents as everyone was so used to the bush. The only thing her people feared was starvation. After the 1918 flu many orphans were left. One old lady took them in and had hardly any food herself. In the spring she had a cache in ground she had buried there. She sent 2 children to it to dig it up. When the children brought the supplies back to camp the old woman gave ½ fish to each child. They were like hungry dogs. The elders keep telling people, when hunting/fishing don’t waste anything in fear of starvation. One old lady said they were starving and went into bush and found mouse droppings and even that they cooked. With a moose, you eat all of it, right down to the marrow.

MJ: The elders organized themselves and did workshops to learn how to help their young people. Many deaths among young people.

BM: Suicide rate among natives is 2-3x’s higher than among non-natives

MJ: The elders have tried everything to help with the problems of young people. But the youth drift away as they have no interest.

BM: One of the psychiatrists she talked to said that one of the best preventions for suicide is for kids to have a goal to work towards. Native youth have no goals, no education, no jobs, nothing to look forward to.

MJ: Her daughter doesn’t like to be on welfare. She was searching for job. The Elders gave her a job watching over traps but this had to be shut down due to lack of money for furs. She then put her name in as a janitor for the highschool in Vanderhoof but was turned down. MJ furious because they [the white people] in that school wouldn’t even let her daughter clean up their shit!

BM: Northern communities with large native populations, like Fort St. James or Vanderhoof, rely on the money brought in by the native community; yet most businesses don’t employ natives. The natives have to realize their own economic power.

MJ: The elders started a bingo night and were going to hold a fishing derby. They sent a young man into Vanderhoof to find donations for the derby. He went to the Elks club and was told he’d get nothing there because Stoney Creek took away their bingo night. Her people had supported them [the Vanderhoof bingo night] for years and years before, but as soon as the natives had their own bingo night they were not supporting the one in Vanderhoof anymore.

MJ: She told her husband she was going to PG to talk about the book. He has no problem with it.

BM: Lazare doesn’t read or write.

MJ: He went to school at Lejac for 2 years. Now all he can do is sign his name. It’s sad.

BM: Joanne Fisk just completed PhD, she teaches at Dalhousie but she used to spend summers in Stoney Creek and she did her thesis on Lejac. Her thesis was that residential schools were of some help to girls but were disastrous for boys. The girls learned to read and write; while few boys came out of residential schools who could read or write. All they did was hard work out in the fields. When preparing for Judgement, she spoke with Coreen Thomas’ father. He attended Lejac for 6 years, he was beaten and worked like a horse, and he couldn’t read or write. He cried for 2 hrs when BM told him she was going to write a book about his daughter. Sophie Thomas, however, felt she learned a lot out of Lejac – how to sew, read and write and make bread. Men learned nothing to help them make a living.

MJ: Last fall, there was a conflict between town and reserve children. Vanderhoof citizens didn’t want reserve children attending the town school. It cooled down. The school on reserve only teaches kindergarten, and grades 1-3.

MJ: Her daughter-in-laws, Gracie and Mary are teaching. The elders are going to have a summer camp at Wedgewood fish camp. It is going to be a survival camp.

MJ: They have dancers. They try to revive the language and culture. There aren’t too many storytellers. Selina and Veronica are two elders who are good storytellers. She’s going to try and get hold Veronica and tape one of her stories, she has taped 3 of them already. The elders are training the teachers (of language) and working on dictionaries and some books.

MJ: The population on her people is about 500 and increasing. Most people are out in towns, like Vanderhoof, and PG. There are about 400 people living on reserve but housing is really bad.

MJ: She says her people were trying to get a grant to get money for wood processing. The Swedish people had their own plans. There was a place on reserve with a railroad that was all set up for wood processing but the DIA had a problem with the funding. The band hired a consultant in Burnaby to put their proposal together. The DIA said they would hire Price Waterhouse to study the study the band produced and there it stayed.

MJ: Her son Ernie started logging on the reserve in ’78 or ‘79. He hired boys from the reserve. Somehow DIA got in and said his work was a conflict and that he couldn’t log on reserve. He already had all the heavy equipment. Her son-in-law, a white man, a businessman living on reserve had helped Ernie to get all this machinery. After the DIA came in, they took this logging business away from him, he lost his machinery. He was so desperate, she thought he would commit suicide. He left for Fort St. James. She was so worried. The DIA needed him to sign some papers but a friend they had within the DIA told Ernie not to sign these papers so Ernie ran. Mary was so angry at the DIA she felt ready to kill, she even had a big rock in her hand when the DIA came looking for her son. Her daughter told her not to do it. Ernie refused to sign. He lost all the machinery. That is where the DIA puts us.

BM: CBC did a series after Oka, looking at Natives across the country trying to start businesses, and in every case they were sabotaged. As long as natives are poor and uneducated, a lot of people in DIA have good jobs.

MJ: Reserve stories pretty hard. Her people tried ranching, they had 150 head of cattle. Years ago an Indian agent, a good man, told her to start ranching on reserve. He’d give them so many acres on CP land
– “certificate of possession”. Some people still have CP land and they can do what they like with it, but they can’t sell it.

BM: There are divisions among natives. She was interviewed by reporter to talk about how there wasn’t one cohesive voice speaking for all natives. She said that was hard, and that natives, as with white people, don’t speak with one voice – just look at the Legislature. Different groups among natives? Of course.

MJ: Years ago, one family lived in one house and got along. It is not the same anymore - family separates so much. Children are taken away. When she got married she lived with 3 families in one house. Long ago there would live one clan in one long house and everyone got along.

MJ: In 1970, her people were allowed to send children to catholic schools in town only. The children were not allowed in public schools. So she went to Ottawa to lobby for the freedom to send native children to any schools they want. She talked to Chretian, the then Minister of Education. Since then they have had that freedom.

MJ: Some families have tried everything: Christian schools, public schools. She’s not sure where they are sending children now - public school is a bad influence! (laughs). Families often sendthei children to Christian schools. There is a high drop out rate. She’s not sure why. In public schools children have choice of what to take. Young people are not “with it”. When children graduate…she took some teenage dancers to Missouri one year. She asked these children where they were, and some said USSR and she says they are not “with it”. They didn’t know anything about the country they were in.

BM: Recently she spoke with teachers and found out that 20% of students at PGSS are now native and yet there is not one native teacher. She found in last 5-7 years, more native people have been coming to PG so as to give their children a better education. But the education system isn’t supportive of them and their children go under. There is one native counselor at PGSS - that’s it. Teachers they talked to spoke to Mary about the differences and frustrations they had with the way native children were raised; such as how native children will look at the floor when speaking to teachers and will then get into trouble.

MJ: Children are taught not to look into eyes as this is like a challenge to the person speaking. They must look down at their own feet and humble themselves. That’s a problem. She says they have to trust [the teachers?]. When a native student is in school and having problems, it helps them to be able to talk to another native person.

MJ: Trust is hard with white people.

MJ: As long as there are reserves, people stay on reserves. Natives get lost in society when they go to towns.

MJ: She will go anywhere to get what she needs from the bush. In the bush she feels close to the earth and at home, she doesn’t feel that way in PG.

BM: Mary and her went to Vancouver in the spring of ’89. Mary stayed with her daughter-in-law at UBC and she couldn’t wait to get back to reserve to find something to do!

MJ: She couldn’t do anything, it was just like a chicken coop. You can’t work outside. She would die if had to stay in a place like that.

BM: The chances of native culture surviving is so much better now than it was 30-40 years ago. It came close to dying out. There is now a pride in being native and an interest in being native that wasn’t there when she started in social work. Back then people were almost ashamed of being native.

MJ: She agrees with Bridget. Many times she was ashamed of her food, the way they talked, everything was against us. Many young people she speaks with are coming back to reserves. In the ‘20-‘30s, her sister-in-law married a non-status Indian and from then on felt she was different because she could go to liquor store, etc. She became ashamed to be seen with Indians. She wouldn’t talk to them on street but would accept them in her home.

MJ: In the potlatch system, her sister-in-law is a higher rank than she is. It would cost MJ a lot of money to raise her status within their clan system. Her sister-in-law is a spokes person in their clan but she had to pay for it. She was given a name and a song. She has to look after her behaviour and all that. She asked Mary to make a blanket for her son many years ago. MJ had been watching him and he wasn’t behaving well. Finally she made that blanket but for another person because he wasn’t ready. He has to behave himself.

MJ: Her children would take her clan, not Lazare’s clan. You cannot marry into your own clan – they are like brother and sister, if that is going to happen they have to separate from the clan.

MJ: They are trying to include all young people. They have a white man married to a native girl, who is very active with the elders and he is a drummer now. They are going to initiate them into her clan.
Another one is also very good with elders. His grandfather is pure Indian but married a white women and so lost much native blood. But now he wants to learn all about his culture. She has all his grandfather’s regalia as he had no one to receive it, but she intends on giving it to his grandson.

BM: The culture is still alive at Stoney Creek. Things are still done in the old way. It is sad that the non- native world cannot see this culture alive.

MJ: If you have a problem, you would ask the family in opposite clan to help you. Such as money for a sick child to go to Vancouver for operation. Or with a funeral, like when her daughter Helen died, people helped her. People helped out while she was watching daughter in hospital, then they paid for the funeral. One year later, her clan put up potlatch and paid back all that was done for her family. In the clan system there is always someone to help.

BM: At the potlatch she attended their were clan members that came from all over BC

MJ: No negative things came from publishing this book. Although one doctor, Dr. Mooney said there wasn’t separate wings for whites and natives at the Vanderhoof hospital. But she remembers this as so.

BM: As a social worker she saw separate wings. She only had one negative encounter with Dr. Jolly – a good friend of Mary’s and of the native peoples around Stoney Creek. She went to Nanaimo for a signing and saw Dr. Jolly there. He said he was angry about the book and wanted to know why, if there was racism, didn’t MJ go and talk to someone. BM asked him who MJ would talk to, the Mayor? She explained that when you are repressed you don’t feel you can go and talk to someone in power. He felt Stoney Creek had been so wonderful for him and the knowledge of this racism distressed him. With her second book, nothing bad yet has come out of it, yet she’s heard nothing really out of Vanderhoof. Most people accept that there is racism and take it from there. Going to Vanderfhoof with Mary is like going to Vanderhoof with royalty. Her own reserve is also very proud of her.

MJ: Indian people are very shy and she wondered how her people would react to the book. Everyone who read the book liked it.

BM: 100’s of people told her that after reading the book they just didn’t realize the situation. Mary’s life has then broadened their understanding of what it meant to be native and a native woman.

MJ: She speaks to her sister-in-law or Veronica about the old days and the young people.

MJ: The reserve has a special constable from the Queen Charlottes who comes and visits her all the time. He is native but he is scared of the Carrier people. She tells him he is welcome, and to feel at home. His boss had told him to go from door to door on the reserve to see who’s living there. He doesn’t want to and she tells him not to, unless he’s asked in. His boss came to see her. She told him that plan wasn’t good and he listened.

BM: Mary has a daughter-in-law who is in the RCMP in Ft. St. James.

MJ: She was in Vancouver working in dispatch. She came home, but now she’s in Regina for more training.

MJ: Her people still have the RCMP out for salmon feast every year. They like it better at Wedgewood. She cooks bannock over the fire.

Instructor: Thank you very much.

Clapping from audience.

File consists of a videocassette (VHS) recording of Mary & Lazare John's 60th Anniversary Party.

Videocassette Summary

Context: Celebratory events for Mary and Lazare John’s 60th Wedding Anniversary, 1989.

Introduction: Party held in an auditorium. Head table in front of a curtained stage, decorated with a blue tablecloth. Streamers and pink, white and blue balloons provide a backdrop for the head table. Silver paper bells decorate the front of the table with a larger “60” sign on the front centre of the tablecloth. There is a large wedding cake situated between Lazare and Mary on the centre of the head table. Pink and white balloons and streamers decorate the walls of the hall.

The party begins with a prayer – the focus is on the head table. Guests seated at long tables are passing along the food, eating and talking. The camera pans in and out to the head table and surveys guests.

Mary and Lazare’s daughter, Winnie, stands behind the head table and addresses the guests. She tells a joke about her parents and then goes to sit down.

An unidentified man approaches the head table and pours drinks for those seated there.

Edward John approaches the head table and shakes both Lazare’s and Mary’s hands. He then talks with them and other guests at the head table for quite awhile.

Young people approach the head table and take photographs of the anniversary couple.

An elderly woman speaks briefly to Mary and Lazare from behind the table. Another woman in a wheelchair speaks to Mary and other guests at the head table.

Edward John (EJ) – EJ introduces himself as the MC and speaks at back of head table to the guests. He asks for round of applause for Lazare and Mary for being able to live with each other or 60yrs. The day they were married, they had no wedding cake, so the cake on the table is to make up for that. 60 years ago, Lazare never said “I do” at the ceremony and Mary is still waiting. He introduces their 9 children from their marriage included the 2 that died: Helen, who was active in Stoney Creek affairs, tribal council and Indian Homemakers Assoc. of BC and Charles (don’t know too much about him). He then introduces the children still remaining: Winnie, Bernice, Florence, Ernie, Gordon, Johnnie and Ray. The anniversary couple have 32 grandchildren, and 25 great-granchildren: many children, grandchildren, great grandchildren. Before asking couple to cut their cake, he introduces speakers. First up is Aileen Kimble (AK) from Vanderhoof.

AK: Friends with the couple for many years, happy anniversary Lazare and Mary.

EJ: No set agenda for this event, just time to celebrate and spend time with the couple. There are 30 people from Sechelt (nieces and nephews) that came up for this event: Valerie and Ken, Randy and Lani, Audrey, Willard, Janice, Bradley and Leonora, Wayne, Rena and Earl, Clarke. (applause) EJ calls on Bridget Moran (BM) to speak.

BM: Told a story about Mary’s wedding day, and when she first came to Stoney Creek. She touches a bit upon Stoney Creek Woman.

David: Tells a story about trapping with Grandfather Lazare. He thanks everyone for coming.

Winnie: Thanks siblings and Dorothy MacIntyre for helping her decorate the “leaning tower of Stoney Creek”. Also thanks Adela and Nicholas George for decorating the wishing well.

EJ: Mary’s cousin from Prince Rupert George and Emily Bird recently celebrated their 50th (?) wedding anniversary. Long time friend is Selina John (SJ), elder to tribal council called to speak.

SJ: She is so happy to be sitting next to sister-in-law. Ever since they both married they worked together. Raising their children together, they were like one big family. Not one cross word between them in 60 years. They’ve been through a lot but one thing stands out – during the day they took care of family and if they had time they would hunt squirrel in the bush. One time they were hunting squirrel and they got lost and it took them forever to find their way home. They came home hungry, frozen and tired and met with husbands who were furious because they thought they had been chasing boys. She talks to young people about the example Mary and Lazare’s marriage should be to the whole community- 60 years they’ve been together. The young generation of today, each walks in their own direction. If you want to have a good life you have to work at it. Marriage is a contract. If you marry you have to work towards it. She’s very proud of her sister-in-law, many times SJ was down especially after her husband died and MJ pulls her up. She wishes Mary and Lazare many more anniversaries to come.

EJ: Calls Sophie Thomas (ST) to say a few words.

ST: Wishes the couple a happy 60th anniversary and many more. She worked together with Mary for the people on reserve. Since they started the fought for running water, now they have sewer.

EJ: Calls Veronica to say a few words.

Veronica: She very happy to be there- to see Mary on her 60th wedding anniversary. It isn’t easy. Mary has faith in the Lord. She didn’t forget her mother’s and grandmother’s words. You have to listen when an elder talks to you. People come to elders for advice and direction and spiritual words too. So it is nice to see Mary and Lazare reach their 60 years of marriage – this is a very holy thing. Holy matrimony is important to keep. She hopes the young generation will take an example from Mary. It is not good to divorce. Always pray. She thanks many people for coming. May the Good Lord look after you wherever you are.

EJ: There are a few more speakers, elders mostly. Mary Pius (MP) from Heightly (?)

MP: Her Aunty Mary and Uncle Lazare have done so much for the people of Stoney Creek. Mary was one of last midwives. She took the baby into world and would help nurse along the young mothers too. Now you have nurses, doctors, hospitals, but we still have to work just as hard to keep the young mothers going. The young generation is still here because of the hard work of Mary and Lazare. We thank them for all the hard work to keep the young ones going. They take care of those who are sick, and help supply Indian medicine. She hopes the good Lord will reward her aunt and uncle and wishes them the best from the Holy Spirit. She wishes good luck to her Aunty Mary and Uncle Lazare.

EJ: There are a couple more speakers, then cutting of the cake, then a 60th anniversary waltz and some entertainment. EJ calls Justa Monk (JM), who has worked with Mary at tribal level carrying on business through the whole tribal area, and who has been deputy chief, past tribal council president and chairman.

JM: In the short time he has known the couple, he has learned many things in his culture and about society today. He is honoured to be there sharing their food. He talks about Lazare’s speaking in church. What they have done in Stoney Creek has spread to other reserves like his. He wishes them well.

EJ: When the couple married 60 years ago, they didn’t have any money. They borrowed $25 from his brother. Lazare went to work and Mary worked too. Lazare worked at a railway tie camp. EJ calls on Evelyn Louie (EL) to speak.

EL: She’s really happy for the couple. She thanks them very much for everything.

EJ: Introduces Ellen Lasert from Burns Lake

EL: She is an apprentice under Mary John. Mary has been an inspiration to her and she brings greetings from people in Burns Lake and Chief (?) Charlie.

[Winnie speaks to Edward John]

EJ: Calls on Cecile Patrick to speak.

CP: She wishes her uncle and auntie a happy anniversary from their family. Thanks everyone for the food and effort in preparing food. She is the second eldest daughter of Lazare’s sister.

EJ: Comments: Lazare and Mary’s doors in Stoney Creek are always open. Every time you visit you are always treated with respect and made to feel at home. He has these wonderful memories of this couple. She always has her smokehouse and her wood fire going all the time. She always has tea ready. He asks Lazare and Mary to cut the cake for the 60th wedding anniversary.

[Lazare and Mary pose with a knife ready to cut the cake. Guests rise to take photographs. Then Mary rises again and tries to remove the cake topper and cut the cake for her guests but it doesn’t cut easily. They are finally told there is already cake for the guests in the kitchen.]

EJ: Calls on Bob Holmes (on piano?) and Jen Hoffner (on accordion) to come to the front.

The recording breaks and screen goes black for a second

Picture resumes and Lazare and Mary are seen doing the anniversary waltz. They dance for a bit and then sit down, but another gentleman takes Mary up front again to continue dancing (a son?).

EJ: Announces the entertainment: the young dancers from Stoney Creek and the PG dancers. He calls dancers to the floor; while waiting he tells a story about a blind snake and a blind rabbit.

Drummers gather and begin to play and sing. Stoney Creek dancers (children of all ages) come to the centre of the dance floor to perform. Second dance is called the “Beaver Dance”. The third dance is called the “ -inaudible- Dance”. The fourth dance is called the “Four Winds Dance”.

Tape ends.

File consists of a videocassette (VHS) recording of Mary & Lazare John’s 60th Anniversary Party.

Videocassette Summary

Context: Celebratory events for Mary and Lazare John’s 60th Wedding Anniversary, 1989.

Introduction: Party held in an auditorium. Head table in front of a curtained stage, decorated with a blue tablecloth. Streamers and pink, white and blue balloons provide a backdrop for the head table. Silver paper bells decorate the front of the table with a larger “60” sign on the front centre of the tablecloth. There is a large wedding cake situated between Lazare and Mary on the centre of the head table. Pink and white balloons and streamers decorate the walls of the hall.

Stoney Creek dancers (children of all ages) come to the centre of the dance floor to perform. Fifth dance is performed [video captured dance halfway through] to drumming and singing accompaniment. Sixth dance (inaudible title) is performed. Guests of all ages join in including Mary and Lazare. Seventh dance is called the “Chicken dance” where the boys are the roosters and the girls are the chickens. Eighth dance is the “Farewell dance”. A thanks goes out to the party guests for watching the dancers.

Various unidentified guests come to the back of the head table to wish Mary and Lazare their best.

Dan: He had heard about Mary and Lazare’s hospitality from Helen and (?) Prince. He and his family came to visit. They spent the night on the John floor. Mary helped his family and a young woman named Janai get a place in the Potlach house, and then on to the schoolhouse where they all spent the summer. (This family worked for a gospel mission). He spoke of the young woman named Janai who was now married to a Fijian and who would’ve loved to have been at their anniversary. He also introduced people from Wisconsin and from Fiji. The Fijian guests were going to perform some songs that expressed their connection to God. He congratulates Mary and Lazare on the 60 years together and again thanks them for helping opening Stoney Creek up to their missionary work.

Fijian guest sing several songs to an acoustic guitar and dance several dances to tape recorded Fijian music.

Unidentified woman from England and now in Thunder Bay says thank you to Lazare and Mary who allowed her stayed with them and their family for a time.

Unidentified man on guitar and woman sing a song for Mary and Lazare at the front of the head table.

Unidentified man with guitar sings a Johnny Cash (?) song at the front of the head table (song dedicated to a cousin from Sechelt). (“Big city turn me loose”?) Man sings second song originally by Randy Travis. He then plays guitar while two other unidentified men sing Hank Williams Sr. “There’s a Tear in my Beer”.

Unidentified woman sitting at front playing accordion while Winnie sings “Memories are made of this” (?)

End of tape

File consists of a videocassette (VHS) recording of the following:

• The Community as an agent for Change: a series of videotapes about the native people of the Stony [sic] Creek Band.
• Mary John and Bridget Moran speaking at the College of New Caledonia [incomplete version]
• Mary & Lazare John’s 60th Anniversary Party – Part I [incomplete version]

Videocassette Summary [1]
Title: The Community as an agent for Change: a series of videotapes about the native people of the Stony [sic] Creek Band.
Date: February 1979

Context: The Community as an agent for Change: a series of videotapes about the native people of the Stony (sic) Creek Band. Video produced by the Rural Resource Project, School of Social Work at the University of Victoria, 1979. Five women interviewed by an unidentified man (Q) include: Mary John (MJ), Sophie Thomas (ST), Celena John (CJ) and 2 unidentified women (A). Interview location: Stoney Creek reserve.

Introduction: Video begins with Mary and Lazare drumming and singing with other elders.

In Feb. 1979, the Rural Resource Project of the School of Social Work at the University of Victoria was invited to the Stoney Creek reservation to document their unique culture and to share their success in dealing with community issues especially those concerning the welfare of their children.

Identification of Vanderhoof, and the location of the Stoney Creek reservation

The Stoney Creek band encompasses 400 people. The band is a member of the Carrier Nation.

A: How the Carrier people got their name. Years ago, when a man died and the woman is still alive, they would build a big fire- they didn’t bury their dead in those days. They would put the corpse on the fire and burn it, while drums and dancing carried on; and this wouldn’t end until all was burnt. The widow would then pick up the ashes and put it in a bag and carry them wherever she went - for a year: that is how they got their name –Carrier. They carry their dead. When this year was up, her in-laws would hold a party for widow, if her people were good to her. They would dress her up and let her go. That is how they would treat their in-laws. That is how they were taught.

Q: In what ways did your people deal with problems before the welfare system?
MJ: In the old days when she was growing up, they didn’t have social problems. If there were problems such as quarrels or gossiping about one another, these [disruptive] people appeared before the hereditary chief and the watchmen- who were like councilors- like in a court. The chief would listen to both sides and then make a decision on how to solve problems. There were lots of ways they could solve problems. There was one man she remembered who was kind of like a social worker. After he had his tea in the morning he would go through the village into every house, and he would see to it that everyone had enough to eat for the day, and who was sick - he would do something about it. He would make sure people had enough food by getting others to give him some of their food and he would pass it along to the families who weren’t doing so well. He would give you a word of advice now and then. He was something like a social worker, he was really concerned about the whole village.

Q: How did the reserve as a community deal with problem children? Such as children who would stay out too late and cause problems for the parents.
A: The Chief would make a law for children who stay out too late at night. The Watchmen would take the children to Indian court and the Chief would fine them a $1. The children weren’t out late again. Things were strict back then.

A: They had severe laws. They would even have to kill [a troublemaker], or make that person go away – disown them when they did something really bad, like running around with another man’s wife. That was a crime and they would make them leave the band, or even kill them.

Q: You talk of your experiences as young girl growing up on the reserve. You talk about how self-sufficient you were with no reliance on welfare. What did you rely on?
CJ: The trap lines were just full. We had fishing rights – we could fish anytime we felt like it. We trapped according to season. We did berry picking too. We met all our provisions. All that was there they just had to do it and put food up for winter. It was hard but they got by. We would sell our furs and had money to buy any clothing or groceries they needed. We lived from the land. We had cattle, horses for transportation, and chickens and pigs - everything. We lived off the land. That was a good life.

Q: Young people today seem to have lost the ability to hunt and fish the way you used to; and a lot of the wildlife isn’t there anymore. Many people can’t get work and so rely on a welfare check. Do you think that is a problem on the reserve? They have a lot of free time with nothing to do.
A: Lots of boys graduate from highschool. The government spends lots of money on them. They graduate, they go back to reserve and have no jobs, they get frustrated and then turn to booze.
They need the help, they need jobs. There are no jobs here on reserve – nothing.

Q: How could we change the situation; the severe alcohol problems. What are some things you would like to tell social workers about the way they could help make a difference?
SJ: I don’t know how any social worker will help the people unless the people help themselves.

Q: Do you think things are getting worse?
MJ: This last year? I don’t think so. The drinking is getting worse. But I think the neglecting of children is not too bad, but the drinking is bad. A few people are drinking who have children.
But there are the regular ones.

Q: Some things were discussed at the Child Welfare Committee re: dealing with the alcoholic parents neglecting their children: that these parents shouldn’t just receive welfare, they should be made to do something for themselves like chop their own wood to keep their home warm. That would give them something to do so they wouldn’t be so bored.
MJ: That would help. She’s been thinking of all kinds of ideas. Why can’t they think of something that would pay for itself? One thing she was thinking about was raising fish. They are doing that in Duncan.

Q: Should the DIA maybe be involved in suggesting these sorts of things to help them use these kinds of resources?
MJ: Yes, to get rid of welfare system, they have to do something. [She is very much against welfare]. It has spoiled my people and they can’t undo it.

Q: What are your hopes for the future of your own people?
MJ: I hope someday they will smarten up.

Videocassette Summary [2]
Title: Mary John and Bridget Moran speaking at the College of New Caledonia [incomplete version]
Date: March 12, 1991

Context: Bridget Moran and Mary John speaking to students at CNC, specific class unidentified.

Introduction: Bridget identifies that she will make the introductory speech and Mary will answer any questions because Mary doesn’t like to make speeches even though she is very good at it….

Video recording breaks during Bridget’s introduction and resumes with MJ answering her first question.

MJ: …. She speaks about how free her people used to be. They could stop and make camp anywhere – this was no longer the case as all is private property. There are greater alcohol problems in north. They are holding workshops in Stoney Creek to help the young people. The older people know what to do, beadwork, etc. the young people don’t like to do traditional tasks, even for cash. The elders try to teach them. She has about 5 boys working doing wood for elders but they have no axe so she had to get one for them They are so poor on reserves. The elders try everything – elders tried a wood processing plant - for 10yrs they studied this. Had people from Switzerland and Germany lined up who wanted the wood but they still didn’t get anywhere….

Tape ends

Videocassette Summary [3]
Title: Mary & Lazare John’s 60th Anniversary Party – Part I [incomplete version]
Date: 11 June 1989

Context: Celebratory events for Mary and Lazare John’s 60th Wedding Anniversary, 1989.

Introduction: Party held in an auditorium. Head table in front of a curtained stage, decorated with a blue tablecloth. Streamers and pink, white and blue balloons provide a backdrop for the head table. Silver paper bells decorate the front of the table with a larger “60” sign on the front centre of the tablecloth.
There is a large wedding cake situated between Lazare and Mary on the centre of the head table. Pink and white balloons and streamers decorate the walls of the hall.

Video begins midway through the first dance between Lazare and Mary and ends soon after.

File consists of a videocassette (VHS) recording of Justa Monk giving a talk to a UNBC Carrier Culture Course (First Nations Studies 163) on October 24, 1995.

Videocassette Summary

Context: Justa Monk speaks to students in the UNBC Carrier Culture Course (First Nations Studies 163)

Introduction: Justa Monk is seated at a table situated at the front of a lecture theatre (?) speaking in a lecture style that ended in a question-answer format with several students in the FNS 163 class. The videotaping does not commence from the beginning of the lecture as there is no introduction to Justa Monk by the instructor and there is no immediate indication as to who the instructor is.

Justa wrote his book because his elders requested him to, and his people requested him to share what he went through and what alcohol had done to him. So he thought about it. Throughout his leadership, many people talked with him about their alcohol problem and how they couldn’t get out of the trench they were in. He wrote the book to tell them that ‘yes’, they can get out of the trench and that ‘yes’, they can change. Other reasons why he wrote his book: when his people get into trouble, they often classify themselves as a ‘nobody’ – when they read his book, they see the trouble he went through: first, at young age, when he started drinking after he left residential school. Then as he grew, it got to point where he couldn’t control his drinking- where he was blacking out and didn’t remember why he was in jail. When he got drunk he was a fighter, even though he was small. He didn’t care. He would work everyday and fight every weekend. Growing up on reservation, there is no choice as to future and not much to do so many turn to booze. Every time a friend or relative had alcohol they would share it with their next closest friend or relative. In his family, his brother came over to the house to invite him to drink over-proof rum with him. He blacked out, killed his brother and spent time in jail. He was very suicidal. He didn’t want to live after what he did. His lawyer talked to him. Upon his release he thought he lost the respect and love of his family and his community. It surprised him that he was forgiven and that he had a future in his life. It was hard. It still bothers him after 29 years.

When he came back to his community the elders came to talk to him about his leadership qualities. He didn’t know what they were talking about. The elders told him that in past he made mistakes, but that he can iron out his mistakes and show his leadership and that’s what happened. He became band manager, then band manager and chief,and then chief and so forth. That is why he wrote that book.

‘Yes’, he listened to his elders, ‘yes’, he was a drunk, ‘yes' he made a mistake because of alcohol. He came out of his trench and became a leader. There is hope to change if there is a wish to change.

He also wrote his book because no one in his territory, except Mary John, had been able to share with non-Indians the way of life they lived - off the land. He grew up on an isolated reserve, and lived off the land. He didn’t understand English until he went to [Lejac] residential school. It’s really hard to make people understand today, what First Nations people were like in his day. In his family there were 11 of them. His father made something like 50 cents a day to support them all - it was really hard.

When Justa went to residential school, he didn’t know how to speak or understand English. His parents didn’t go to school at all. His Dad knew some English because he worked off reserve at a lodge. On his first day of residential school, he asked his brother why they were taking away his clothes. A priest smacked him and told him ‘he was not to use that language around here’. Residential school has done some harm, a lot of harm, to his people. On the other hand, he cannot totally criticize these schools as they disciplined some people – many people in leadership positions today grew up in residential school. Residential schools were told by the government to make assimilate the children and make a white person out of a brown person. He thinks they went about it the wrong way. That is where the frustrations of First Nations people come. You see and hear about abuse. His people are suffering from the consequences of the stupidity in the way they tried to make his people assimilate. Because of that, there is abuse going on amongst his people. Aside from that, he one of lucky ones to go home and retain language and culture: now he can live in 2 worlds – the world of the white man and the Indian world.

Culture-wise they were taught to respect. Mom was boss in house. If they didn’t do what mom said, dad would punish them but his parents wouldn’t lay a hand on the children. They taught children how to respect the land, and other people. They taught him how to use the land. Sophie Thomas, elder who does Indian medicine in Stoney Creek lives the belief that every time you take something from land you replace it with something. When Sophie takes things for Indian medicine she replaces it with tobacco.

He wonders if his people will ever have the opportunity again to hunt and fish anywhere they want. He doesn’t think so. When people started warring about the land there was a lot of bloodshed in the early 1900s before the Europeans came. His people worried that there were too many dead amongst the Indian people, and they had to do something about it. In 1921 they came up with the idea of potlatch as they needed peace amongst the people as there was too much bloodshed. To him ‘potlach’ means respect, love and sharing. If you’ve done something to wrong your neighbour instead of fighting, clans would call a potlatch right then and invite all. They would put the fighters in the centre and each were told no more fighting. This still goes on. There is also a potlatch for death of people. There are four clans in a potlatch: caribou, beaver, frog and bear (?)

A long time ago First Nations people fought for land but they had respect for land; that is why they had to protect the land and kill one another for it. If someone trespassed without permission, they could die. People talk about self-government today. The young generation of his people didn’t even know there was self-government amongst their own people, that they controlled their own people. They had no government programs, they were living off the land and controlling their own people. They used to have Watchmen, who looked after the community. The 1 and only person they had to answer to was the hereditary person, who overlooked the territory, their lands. So when someone did something they weren’t supposed to do, that person went in front of the hereditary person to receive a punishment. He was taught that boys weren’t even allowed to kiss a girl, without proving to her family that they were a good hunter and provider. If they did, they would be held up to all and embarrassed. They might be beaten if they still didn’t understand their punishment. They may also have been banished. No one would protect this person, not even their immediate family as everyone knew that the person did wrong and was receiving the correct punishment. His people had their own controls and justice system. Self-government - if you lived in late 1800s / early 1900s – was very different from how it is referred to nowadays. He wonders if leadership and his people really know what they are talking about when talking about self- government.

Land claims and the treaty process – he was told by his elders not to say land “claims” but rather the land “question”. Many people are scared about the land question. Different political parties say different things and people are getting really confused. The whole land question is referring to the fishing, hunting, burial, berry picking, fishing habitats: the grounds where his people used to make their living off the land – this is what the elders are talking about and want to protect. The clans are talking about traditional territories. Many people lived off the land until 1970, therefore their people are still living off the land. There are many traditional territories still out there.

He considers himself an inmate of Canada – a jail bird. When the Hudson’s Bay Co. first started, the government started to make reservations. They gave so many acres to First Nations people as ‘reserves’ and they put a number to each reserve. As they put people onto the reserves, they also ‘branded’ them with band numbers and put ‘guards’ over them – aka the “DIA”. His people had no input. They were given programs and free education etc and were now labeled by non-natives as bums who pay no tax and receive free programs – but they had no input.

You look at the Indian Act you can see that land doesn’t belong to his people. Even the reserve isn’t theirs. They don’t own anything, yet they are known as the First Nations, the First Peoples. They live in that little jailhouse. They receive their free programs and some are very beneficial to his people, but he wishes they had a say. Land claims are not dangerous. Justice must be cleared up. Once this is done there will be a big opportunity for their future children to have a better life. They must get this uncertainty out of the way. That’s what he’s trying to do. He believes they need a chance to have their say regarding things that are happening around them. To be able respect the culture they are from, and to recognize who they are they must clear the air. There is a lot of frustration out there, especially within the younger generation. He has been taught to have patience and respect. In the early ‘30s in Fort St. James, the dirty ‘30s, his dad taught him to share what provisions they had. People still thank Justa for that kindness of his parents. He believes starvation is coming due to dwindling resources and too many people. He says everyone must set aside their differences re: the land question and see what can be done to change it for the betterment of the children. If the government would deal with the land question openly and in fairness, it would be resolved. But they want to lie about things. You need to treat everyone fair. That is the way he sees the treaty process. He wants to get rid of the Indian Act and draft something that will be fair to everybody.

Kemano II (KII) is something no one follows up on anymore. In 1989 when he was general band manager, he went to court in Vancouver with many elders. The court threw them out. He fought KII so hard because he knew that when you kill the river (the Nechako), you kill all that is in it. When a river dies there is no more salmon. If the Nechako died, the Stewart River would die and then Stewart Lake would die too. And if the Nechako was gone the Fraser Rriver would be drained down. KII just looked at reversing the Nechako but it didn’t look at the affect it would have on other waterways. That’s why he fought so hard. Justa’s mandates a chief: 1) to get land claims on the table again; 2) to kill KII; 3) to get rid of the DIA office in PG; 4) to get education for their people. He fought KII not because they didn’t like Alcan – it was their way of life that was going down. There is not only salmon in the Nechako – there are many species which were feeding his people. He fought KII legally through funds from his people -
$1.3million. He is proud they made the decision not to go along with the project. This topic he touches upon briefly in his book.

[Note: It is very difficult to hear many of the students’ questions. Most questions as they are identified below are summaries of what was believed to have been said]

Q: How can he belong to 2 clans?
Justa: He belonged to mother’s frog clan when he was growing up. Then one day the caribou clan asked him to go out and invite people to their potlatch. During this potlatch he was asked to sit in middle between clans. The spokesperson for caribou clan said they were going to “buy” Justa Monk. One of the caribou elders said Justa’s father is a caribou and so they want him as a caribou and take him away from his mother’s frog clan. His dad was very happy about this, but his mother was upset. The beaver clan then planned a potlatch and asked him to invite people to their potlatch, and again he was asked to sit in the middle as they wanted to buy the other half of him. So he is also part of the beaver clan. He was bought out of respect due to his leadership qualities. He used to help his elders a lot ever since he was young and that is why his leadership was recognized.

Q: Where are your kids, and what clan are they?
Justa: They are at home. The kids belong to his wife’s clan – Caribou. He adopted 2 children: a daughter and a son.

Q: You want to look ahead, what do you want to bring with you?
Justa: You can’t turn back the clock and live off the land again. Some people don’t even understand their own language. To live off land, and do potlatch all the time – you can’t do it. These cultural events are disappearing. He wants to make his culture and the white culture work together in order to make it work for his young people. With technology the way it keeps going, his people have to get more education.
There is no chance for them to go back. With clear cutting, his people can’t even trap anymore. So it is better to set it up, so that Canadian and Indian culture can work together.

Q: How do you see the land question getting settled?
Justa: In traditional territories, there are only some places we can hunt for bear and dear. They hang out between willow and poplar trees. When logging we have to leave something for animals. If they don’t have shelter they won’t last long. In traditional territories, we need to leave those places alone so the animals can survive. We must all have a say in how the land can be used properly – it needs to be a join venture.

Q: If land claims are settled, people in the DIA would lose their jobs. Maybe this is why they are dragging their feet?
Justa: If land claims were settled, yes, 40-50,000 people might lose their jobs. The government would save a lot of money.

Q: How would you model your people’s government?
Justa: Don’t want to repeat something already done. For their money, they would chose the best way for them.

Q: re: logging [inaudible]
Justa: They are not going to clear cut. Selective logging has worked in past. The government is going to run into trouble by clear cutting. At Nakalak Lodge, if you look at both sides of hill in summer, you wouldn’t know it’s been logged because it was selective logged. You can’t even see skid roads. If it (destructive logging practice) keeps going the way it is now, there is going to be winds that are going to be damaging to us.

Q: re: spiritual practice as it relates to logging
Justa: There are certain areas in their territory where spiritual things happen and so these areas wouldn’t ever be touched. His elders would look at the territory and identify which areas are to be protected. You must involve grass roots people in the selection process. We don’t have medicine men and women they way the used to – they no longer exist.

Q: re: difference between statistics released by the government and those produced by Justa in his book. Justa: Don’t listen to what the government has to say. His people are not dummies, they just have nothing to do and are sitting around on reservation.

Q: Do you pay other people to build housing on reserve?
Justa: We build our own houses and have our own electricians. Once the land question is settled he thinks a lot of joint ventures can be developed that will get his people off welfare.

Q: When your traditional areas are under the administration of his own people, would there be restricted access to these areas by non Indian people?
Justa: He didn’t think so. We would need to develop how to use the land and how to share it. But there would have to be some controls over the land somehow so it wasn’t abused.

Q: There must still be a lot of hunting and trapping even if a person can’t live off land anymore
Justa: Yes, many people are still hunting and trapping.

Q: How do you think social problems for your people can be fixed?
Justa: On reservations or in the city we need to start teaching our children way of life their elders grew up with. Right now they have TV, drugs and alcohol and that is distracting them. His people have to make time for the children. He regrets bringing TV to reserve when he was band manager.

Q: Are there any female band leaders?
Justa: Yes. Like the BC Indian Chief – Wendy Grant, he nominated her. A long time ago no there were no female band leasers as the women were at home with their children. Men were more up front about leadership.

Q: It seems that the native community can heal itself. Non-native communities spend a lot of time trying to heal native community but from his readings he thinks native communities can heal itself.
Justa: Settling the land base is required. When he was band manager, he made 5 emergency trips- suicide related- in one day; so he believes healing and pride will come back when the land base is settled.

Q: In the Artic, people control hunting and fishing via co-ops.
Justa: His people control their own hunting by season. No one is trigger happy. No one shoots just to shoot.

Justa: He is currently working with Northwood to educate First Nations peoples and teach them about Northwood sawmills etc. He is also finding out trapping takes place so Northwood doesn’t log there.

[Extensive question/answer period ensues whereby logging and wood processing techniques, ventures and technology on reserve and off are discussed.]

Justa: He is now taking a rest from leadership as he had done it for 25 years. Now he is starting to understand the people around him as he was being brainwashed by government after having to deal with them for so many years.

The instructor thanks Justa and gathers up her class to take them to the First Nations Centre.

Tape ends.

File consists of a videocassette (VHS) recording of the Nov. 30, 1996 University of Victoria Convocation.

Videocassette Summary

Context: Video-recording of the University of Victoria Convocation for November 1996

Highlights include:
01:’00” Chancellor Bob Rogers leads the signing of ‘O Canada’ with audience

• Follows with a prayer of incantation
• Welcome by President
• Chancellor addresses the audience

7’00” Chancellor Rogers notes that two British Columbians are to receive honorary degrees today being Richard Margison and Bridget Moran

22’36” Dr. Mary Wynne Ashford reads the citation for Bridget Moran

• Ashford notes in her of Bridget’s initial hope to continue with her education in graduate studies in history and how Veterans Affairs was not forthcoming with funds
• Ashford notes the problems Bridget confronted when she walked on the reserve of Stoney Creek and of her ‘enormous effect on native people’ Ashford notes how Moran publicly criticized the BC government and was suspended due to her outspoken views on the poor state of welfare in BC in the 1950s
• Ashford notes Bridget went on to perform social work in hospital, school, college and university
• Ashford notes Moran went on to write Stoney Creek Woman about Mary John’s life; she notes how Bridget has received awards for her accurate description of native life; that Bridget has received both academic awards including the Governor General’s Medal and has also received the Lieutenant Governor’s medal in 1989 for the writing of Stoney Creek Woman. She ends with Thomas Schweitzer’s famous quote that ‘my life is my argument’ and refers to Bridget’s as a ‘purposeful life’ where ‘injustice matters, suffering matters, racism matters’
• Bridget receives her degree; she signs the register and addresses the graduates

28’35” Highlights of Bridget Moran’s speech:

• Bridget notes that the University of Victoria holds a ‘special part’ in her heart
• She refers to how the ‘welfare system had been her extended family for many years’ and how it was painful after her suspension from her position as a social worker
• Bridget notes that it was Marg Martin at the University of Social Work Department who reached out after that time and asked her to be a summer school instructor in Prince George for the Social Work students’ practicum. This led her to finding work in the School District in PG as a social worker and it was this ‘professional acceptance’ from the School of Social Work at the University of Victoria that she has not forgotten.
• Bridget then addresses directly the graduates and referring to herself as an elder she ‘coaxes’ the graduates ‘not to sink in complacency’ – she notes that the progress of history has seen ‘great achievements’ that can be made ‘by a hearty band of rebels’ she then refers to her book ‘A Little Rebellion’ and reminds the graduates that ‘there is a wonderful life after rebellion’
• Bridget’s speech finishes at 31’35”

The recording continues with the remainder of the University of Victoria Convocation...

1 hours and 30’minutes - The awarding of degrees is completed
1 hour and 31’ minutes – President provides a speech on the retirement of Chancellor Bob Rogers in that position
1 hour and 35 minutes – formal part of the ceremony is completed
1 hour and 36 minutes – God Save the Queen is sung 1 hour and 37:10” minutes – Recording is finished

File consists of 2 VHS tapes: Tape 1 of 2008.3.1.201 is a video-recording of the UNBC May 1995 Convocation at UNBC held in the Canfor Room; however, Tape 2 of 2008.3.1.201 is a continuation of the TV broadcast from which Tape 1 was recorded. This broadcast continued on to feature footage of the “Oka Crisis”. This footage may comprise background material for future writing; or may simply have been the result of letting a VHS cassette tape continue recording.

Videocassette Summary

• Context: Video-recording of the UNBC May 1995 Convocation at UNBC held in the Canfor Room.

Highlights include:

• 00’03” Chancellor Iona Campognolo leads the signing of ‘O Canada’ with audience
• Follows with a prayer of incantation by the Reverend
• Welcome by President Geoffrey Weller. Weller outlines the brief history of UNBC and notes it is his final convocation as President and plans to return to teaching
• Chancellor Campognolo addresses the audience and thanks Weller for his time as President; the Chancellor congratulates the 10 graduates being honoured today
• 11’05” The Chancellor notes that 3 British Columbians are to receive honorary degrees today: Bertram ‘Victor’ McCabe of the Musk’wa People; Bridget Moran, writer of Stoney Creek Woman, historian Margaret Orsmby are to receive honorary degrees from UNBC
• 17’05” Dr. Robin Fisher, Acting Dean of Arts & Sciences introduces first honorary degree recipient historian Margaret Orsmby
• 23’28” Dr. Mary Helen Kelm, History Department introduces honorary degree recipient Bridget Moran Dr. Kelm discusses Bridget’s role as a social worker who brought about understanding of Carrier culture
• Best embodies ‘Community-centered’ approach
• Served in the Navy; Received her B.A. from University of Toronto in 1950
• Began career in social work in Prince George advocating for welfare recipients putting her career on the line
• Introduced to Bridget through the stories of Mary John and Justa Monk
• Kelm notes of Bridget “My relationship with the First Nations has made all the difference in my life” – Kelm notes of her “strong commitment to social change”
• 28’14” Bridget receives her degree; signs the guest book;
• Videotape recording continues with the remainder of the convocation ceremony
• 30’00” Dr. Jim McDonald, Chair of Anthropology introduces the third honorary degree recipient Elder Bert McKay, founder of the School District 92 First Nations Nisga’a, founding member of the Native Teachers Association.
• Followed by UNBC students receiving their degrees
• 35’36” President Geoffrey R. Weller introduces Bridget Moran to address the graduates
• 35’48” Bridget Moran gives a speech to the graduates of UNBC
• Bridget gives a talk – focusing on positive changes and negative change that requires still more movement
• She notes that positive change has occurred in the area of education for women whereas when she attempted to be accepted into graduate school at the University of Toronto in 1946, after her discharge from the navy in 1946, women were not encouraged into graduate studies in history
• Bridget notes that no financial support was offered to her from the Department of Veteran Affairs for studies towards a graduate degree in history; women were being encouraged to enter traditional field: teaching, nursing and social work. Bridget compares that with changes today wherein there is an abundance of women in history including she notes Dr. Mary Ellen Kelm and honorary degree recipient Margaret Ormsby
• Bridget notes that education was not forthcoming in the past for Native People; as Justa Monk noted to her; Monk noted that the federal government inflicted most harm in field of education for Native people
• Bridget discusses the struggle of Native peoples with education, including both struggles to acquire an elementary and high school education, let alone university – a Carrier graduate from a university did not occur until the late 1960s
• Bridget talks about the lack of a school in Stoney Creek as noted by Mary John and the residential school tragedy;
• Bridget talks about positive change with start of more Native People attending university
• Bridget addresses the graduates and recommends that they look to creating more positive changes - and not to fall for the old adage that one person can’t make change. Bridget refers to a talisman that she relied on from the past – and refers to a cartoon in the syndicated column from the 1940s - of two cats ‘Alex & Henrietta?’ and that the female cat’s incantation was ‘choose your day; choose your day, choose your day - what the heck; what the heck; what the heck – and ‘there’s a dance left in the old babe yet’
• 47:13 Bridget’s speech finishes
• Videotape continues with the remainder of the ceremony
• 28:52 Ceremony finishes with procession of graduates and faculty out of hall
• 63’00” Recording ends

File consists of a videocassette (VHS) recording of Mary John at Metlakatla in May 1994, originally filmed on a handheld camcorder on Video 8 cassette. Bridget noted in a later 1994 interview with Bob Harkins that this road trip was conducted for them to attend the basic education class at Metlakatla; this recording has also been reformatted on DVD.

Videocassette Summary

Context: Video-recording conducted by Bridget Moran with Mary John on their road trip to Metlakatla to visit the Elders Group there.

Highlights Include:
0’:05” Bridget Moran records on videotape Mary John in New Hazelton at the road side

1’00” Bridget Moran records on videotape Mary John in front of the totem poles in K’san ‘Old Hazelton’ and note they are heading by car to Prince Rupert

2’00”At Metlakatla Mary is shown eating fried dried seaweed in a hall in Metlakatla with a group of people

7’:35” Mary discusses working in the hospital and financially having a hard time as her husband was out of a job due to change in logging practices. He had a difficult time being at home and Mary sometimes had to walk to work to Vanderhoof, a distance 9+ miles from Stoney Creek. Talks about a time of having to walk to work on the ice and put bales of hay in her boots to walk on the ice

10’:35” Talks about the difficulties of working in the white world

11’:15” Talks about the time that her son made his First Communion; priest offered to buy lunch for all the children; Mary remembers having him ask if she and her son could come into the restaurant as normally they were not allowed to go to the restaurants

14’30” Sandra explains how they had decided to invite Mary to Metlakatla; she had read the Stoney Creek Woman book and wondered if Mary was still alive; she called the Band office in Vanderhoof and was connected with Mary’s niece who asks if she would come to Metlakatla. And then decided to invite Bridget as well.

18’37” Mary talks about the origin of certain Carrier place names for the various lakes in the Stoney Creek area and notes that many white people could not pronounce the names and so they became an anglicized version of native name. Explains the origin of the Bednesti Lake name

21’:55” Mary John explains about how liquor first coming into the territory and talks about how some of the men went on the train to join the war. She sings and drums a song called ‘Passenger Song’ and then explains the song

25’:43” Mary performs the ‘Four Winds’ song

26’:37” Mary talks about how the dancing had died out at Stoney Creek and c.1960 it was recommended that the dancing come back with a pageant to celebrate the 100th anniversary of missionaries arriving in their territory. The celebration was recorded on film. Talks about how dancing has been revived and now is taught to the children

30’30” Talks about the costumes made for the dancing. Talks about a moose hide she made for Eddie John

31’30” Bridget notes that Mary is now making a vest for Justa Monk who Bridget notes she has written a book about;

32:45” Bridget refers to the opening of UNBC and the coming of the Queen to open the University and how some native people in Prince George were against her opening UNBC

34’:40” Talks about the role of the Indian Agent historically

35’00” Talks about the role of policing in the native community and how to improve it

36’53” Bridget is recording Mary John outdoors at Lejac where they are looking at ruins of the old buildings. Mary points out the old Post Office building; Mary then shows the ruins of the old school and talks about segregation of the boys and girls at the school; she shows the play room of the old school; visits a cemetery and shows where Father Coccola is buried; then shows the buildings at Lejac old school buildings

Video temporarily stops

42’45” Shows Mary John back at her house in Stoney Creek

42’50” Bridget asks what is the most common question asked by people – of what do you want for your people – Mary states ‘hang on to culture and get an education”

43’40” Mary states that conditions have improved slightly [compared to 1976 at the time of Coreen Thomas’ inquest] but not to the level that she would like to see – as there are still alcohol, drug and unemployment problems

44’32” Mary notes that the preservation of the language has been ‘really good’ that the Elders are teaching other adults about their culture so that they can teach children; she notes that many Elders can speak Carrier really well – compared to the group noting at Metlakatla that not as many can speak their language.
46’00” Mary states there are many students at the [Yinka Dene] Language Institute; about 15-20 students

47’:24” Mary notes that ‘Potlatches are very important to our culture’ and that the Elders managed to save it

48’01” Mary refers to their road trip back from Metlakatla and their stop at Lejac. She talks about Lejac and how it is now destroyed – it would be better to preserve it and show what had happened there – Bridget compares it to the concentration camps in Germany and the preservation of those buildings to show the horrors of what went on there

49’13” Mary says she doesn’t dwell on the memories of LeJac – she had been there 72 years ago

50’00” Mary talks about the start up of the Potlatch House and the set up of a learning centre and the need to have it create work for the young people – Bridget notes that the potlatch house is now the centre of village activity

52’15” Bridget and Mary John reminisce about ’our’ book – and Bridget notes it was a ‘labour of love’ Mary notes that the book has made a difference – to treat First Nations people more like people – to show [others] [the impact] of racism

54’00” Bridget asks Mary to show the button blanket that Mary was given in Metlakatla and Bridget refers to the button blanket she was given as well. [The blanket is designed as a traditional Northwest Coast Button Blank; on the back of the blanket it is embroidered with beadwork in a circular pattern with the inscription ‘Keep the Circle Strong’ Bridget notes that the Elders there had a wonderful dinner for us as well.

54’58” Bridget videotapes Mary outside by the lake and she shows the outside of the log house which is the Potlatch House at Stoney Creek. She then shows the interior of the building which has photos of Elders on the wall.

Videotape ends

File consists of a videocassette (VHS) recording containing the following clips:

• International Women’s Day – March 11/89
• Northwest Today – April 25/89
• Justa – Nov. 21/94
• [Interview] with Harkins – Feb. 7/95
• [Interview] with Harkins – Oct. 8/96
• Harkins on UVic Convocation – Dec.12/ 96
• Harkins, Mary John’s (?), Order of Canada – Jan.3/97

Videocassette Summaries
Context: Videotape contains taped recordings originally broadcasted on CKPG-TV, the Prince George CBC affiliate station. It contains multiple recordings of either interviews with Bridget Moran or TV broadcast announcements, news stories relating to Moran’s publications and dedications, or dedications related to Mary John.

Individual video segments as follows:

(1) CKPG-TV Evening News Date: March 11, 1989 Length: 1’30” minutes
Scope and Content: Contains a recording of a CKPG-TV broadcast of an International Women’s Day Brunch held in Prince George hosted by MLA Lois Boone and Brian Gardner, MP Bulkley Valley. The reporter notes the topics were daycare and women’s jobs. Luncheon guests were entertained by local pianist Stacey Gosshawk and the video shows Bridget Moran signing her book Stoney Creek Woman

(2) Episode of Northwest Today
Date: April 25, 1989
Length: 23’:18” minutes
Scope and Content: Recording of CKPG-TV show with CKPG-TV broadcaster Maureen Edwards interviewing Bridget Moran about Stoney Creek Woman

Highlights include:

• Edwards notes that next month Bridget will be receiving the Governor General medal
• Bridget recalls her work in social work; recalls how she worked for provincial department of welfare until suspended in 1964 for writing a public letter complaining of BC Government welfare services. Her letter criticized the government’s handling of foster children that if they could not handle them sent to reform school
• Five people were suspended, Bridget was not allowed back to work
• Had a lot in common with Stoney Creek Reserve people– was very poor herself and as Irish was a ‘repressed race’ -
• Social workers could only go in if children were being abused or neglected
• She refers to retiring from social work with the school district next month
• Bridget notes that it was her mother’s reaction to the poverty of Stoney Creek women that inspired her to do something for the community
• Bridget notes that she had agreed to do a ‘sociological profile’ of the reserve as requested by Harry Rankin after the inquest into Coreen Thomas’ death and that led to meeting Mary John at the inquest. She refers to Sophie Thomas as ‘a great leader’ on the reserve
• Bridget thinks that Stoney Creek Woman, the book can cause social change and raise people’s consciousness and making them aware of racism in the community
• Bridget talks about Mary John, the subject of Stoney Creek Woman; she briefly talks about Mary’s family; that Mary was great granddaughter of Six Mile Mary; her schooling at Lejac and her marriage to Lazare John
• Bridget believes that Mary began to ‘get political’ around the time of the inquest and that’s when she first met Mary. She notes that Mary’s work with the white community at the Vanderhoof hospital was a turning point for her in losing her shyness.
• She notes that Mary could not be with them for the interview due to illness

Pause for commercial

• Bridget notes the history of the native people in BC; decimated by white man coming to New World
• Edwards asks her why children were moved to a white family, and also placed in non-Catholic family – resulting in a loss of their culture and religion
• Bridget talks about the conditions at Lejac; Bridget notes that people were not aware that the residential schools were used as orphanages. Tells the account of Mary being moved to Lejac at the age of 7. Bridget briefly accounts the history of LeJac that was built in 1922. She talks about conditions at the school and the type of education (segregated by sex) and the little food provided to the children.
• She comments that perhaps the native people are too forgiving for the way they were treated
• Bridget states she is now working on the book Judgment at Stoney Creek; Bridget provides a short synopsis of the book (Coreen Thomas death and need for an inquest)

End of show

(3) CKPG –TV Show: Harkins Date: November 23, 1990 Length: 24’05” minutes
Note: On the programme Moran notes she started employment with the government in social work 39 years ago today ‘November 23, 1951’
Scope and Content: Contains a recording of Harkins TV show by CKPG-TV broadcaster Bob Harkins who is interviewing Bridget Moran. Harkins notes that Moran has received the Lt. Governor’s Award and has been nominated for a BC Book Award for the book Stoney Creek Woman

Highlights include:

• Bridget notes she was born in Ireland, raised in Saskatchewan
• She experienced being on welfare as a child in Saskatchewan
• She taught school in Happy Valley, Saskatchewan and did a tour in the navy in the WRENS and then attended the University of Toronto for 6 years; before moving to B.C.
• She briefly refers to her social work employment history: worked in Salmon Arm, Vernon and then came to Prince George.
• Bridget recalls events leading up to her suspension; refers to her open letter to the WAC Bennett government protesting the conditions for foster home children that led to her as well as 4 other social workers being suspended from their jobs. Bridget notes that the impetus for writing the letter was that of the case of a native girl who had lost her father and was running away from home all the time. The girl consumed a bottle of ink while under foster care and was found drunk wandering in the Millar Addition neighbourhood of Prince George. Moran appeared before Judge Stewart in court on her behalf, and was told nothing could be done for the girl, that she would have to be moved to a reform school. Moran protested and then wrote an open letter to the government about conditions that led to foster care children not receiving adequate professional care. Bridget felt that the most challenging cases of these children were being handled by those that were the least trained
• Bridget notes that although at that time she missed being in her job after the suspension she had ‘support all over Canada’ for doing what she did.
• She makes the point however that she was fired – not because she attacked the government – but because she couldn’t criticize government bureaucrats. She says “they were impregnable”-
• She refers to her present work in the School District as a social worker and expresses concerns for the amount of sexual and physical abuse she sees.
• She also replies to Harkins comment on welfare as a self-perpetuating cycle

Pause for commercial

• Harkins notes that Bridget has published both Stoney Creek Woman and Judgment at Stoney Creek
• Bridget talks about Mary John as a ‘serene and intelligent woman’ and comments that it ‘is really interesting to note Mary’s confidence growing’; ‘she channels her energy and anger and beomes constructive about it’
• She talks about how she was asked to write the book about Mary by her daughter Helen
• Bridget notes that she initially tried to get Judgement at Stoney Creek published first but that publishers turned it down as they did not think it was of consumer value. She discusses the inquest of Coreen Thomas’ death and the injustices towards natives in the justice system
• Harkins notes that many people at the time stated “we just didn’t know about racism” and he comments on how her works are now on the recommended reading list for Grade 9 students
• Harkins announces that Bridget will be at a book signing at Mosquito Books
• Bridget states she is working on another book entitled ‘A Little Rebellion”

Pause for commercial

Bob thanks Bridget for coming in for the interview – notes Harkins is a new programme that just started this week

End of show

(4) Community Close-up Date: November 21, 1994 Length: 5’58” minutes
Scope and content: Video recording of CKPG-TV Broadcaster Bob Harkins interviewing Bridget Moran.

Highlights include:

• Bridget notes this is her 4th career. She starts to talk about the publication of her recent book Justa: A First Nations Leader
• She refers to her trip ‘last May’ with Mary John to Metlakatla
• She discusses Justa Monk; the hardships he had and became a leader for his people
• She refers to the ravage of alcohol and violence on reserve and possibly that if natives had been able to keep their culture these problems would not be there
• She states her wish to conduct oral history workshops with different bands
• Bob asks her about her next project and Bridget notes that she will re-work her novel about Saskatchewan – The Horizontal Land – which she notes has been rejected by several publishers.
• She also states she hopes to conduct writing workshop in Wells

(5) CKPG – Bob Harkins Date: November 21, 1994 Length: 2’05” minutes
Scope and content Bob Harkins provides a critique of Bridget Moran’s books Justa, Stoney Creek and Judgment Day at Stoney Creek. Harkins notes that Justa chronicles Justa Monk’s journey from traditional family life to his rise as an influential leader as tribal chief of Carrier Nation; that Justa’s life fell apart when he had killed his brother during an alcoholic blackout. Harkins notes how Justa has since dedicated his life to helping his people in the struggle for a better existence

(6) Community Close-up Date: December [?]1994 Length: 6’00” minutes
Note: Discussion of Bridget Moran’s books starts at about 4’00”
Scope and content: Video recording of the CKPG-TV show with Broadcaster Bob Harkins interviewing Joan Jarman, Public Services Manager of PG Public Library. Jarman discusses Bridget Moran’s books, including that of Justa which has just been released. Jarman notes Bridget is a former recipient of the Jean Clark award for contributions to local history in Prince George. Harkins comments that the book demonstrates the difficult transition that natives have to make in Canadian society and recommends the book Justa .

(7) Bob Harkins for Community Close-Up
Date: December [?]1994
Length: 2’00” minutes
Note: This 2 minute segment was often broadcast the same day during the CKPG-TV evening news programme.
Scope and Content: Video recording of the Prince George CKPG-TV programme segment featuring Broadcaster Bob Harkins who recommends Bridget Moran’s latest book Justa “for reading pleasure” and as a holiday gift as well as other local history books.

(8) Bob Harkins for Community Close-Up
Date: Feb 7, 1995
Length: 6’07” minutes
Scope and content: Video recording of CKPG-TV Broadcaster Bob Harkins interviewing Bridget Moran.

Highlights include:

• Bob asks Bridget whether she considers it controversial to write about native history as a white person. Bridget notes that she never writes about natives without their permission; ‘they have asked me to do it’ Bridget states her goal is to ‘help them to do their own oral history”
• Bridget notes she is going to be doing a reading at the Vancouver Public Library and then at the Victoria Public Library; she states that she will be doing a book tour with Justa to promote the book and hopes to do workshops with native bands
• Bob refers to Justa’s opposition to Kemano Completion Project and asks about his reaction to the Premier’s recent announcement that the Kemano Completion Project will not go ahead
• Bridget notes that Justa book has been out for two months and rumoured to be going into its second printing

(9) Bob Harkins’ Comments Date: December 12, 1996 Length: 1’42” minutes
Scope and content Video recording of the Prince George CKPG-TV programme segment featuring Broadcaster Bob Harkins reporting that Bridget Moran had received an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from University of Victoria. He reads a segment of the citation that was read at the convocation by Dr. Ashford of the Faculty of Education. He remarks it was ‘a glowing tribute’ and states her book Stoney Creek received a Governor General’s medal. Citation notes that Moran’s work attests to the famous quote ‘my life is my argument’ – “that injustice matters, suffering matters, racism matters”. Harkins comments that Bridget has already received an honorary doctorate from UNBC.

(10) Bob Harkin’s Comments
Date: June 23, 1997
Length: 2’10” minutes
Scope and content Video recording of the Prince George CKPG-TV programme segment featuring Broadcaster Bob Harkins reporting on the recent dinner held to honor Stoney Creek Elder Mary John who was recently presented with the Order of Canada by Governor-General Romeo Leblanc. Harkins notes a new publishing of Stoney Creek Woman was announced by Bridget Moran at the dinner.

File consists of a videocassette (VHS) recording of Mary John and Bridget Moran speaking to students in the Social Work 102 course in Quesnel.

Videocassette Summary

• Context: Mary John and Bridget Moran speaking to students in the Social Work 102 course in Quesnel

Introduction:

• 00’0”-1’00” Social work instructor introduces Bridget Moran and Mary John to talk to a Social Work 102 class.
• 1’02” – 8’00” Bridget initially discusses how she came to write Stoney Creek Woman; that it was initiated by Mary’s Heart attack in 1984. She discusses the process of writing the book and that it was now recommended reading for school curriculum in BC and used all across Canada as far as Halifax. Bridget’s interest was to “raise [people’s] consciousness of what it is like to be a native in Canada” because people didn’t know about racism in Vanderhoof.
• 8’10” Bridget introduces Mary John and invites the students to ask questions:
• A student asks a question about Bella – a woman who was very influential in Mary’s life
• Bridget states that women did better at residential schools than men; there was segregation between boys and girls at Lejac. Refers to Joanne Fiske and her thesis that the school somewhat benefited the girls compared to the boys who didn’t acquire skills that they could use later in life
• A student asks a question about segregation at Lejac – Bridget’s impression was that many boys ran away frequently
• A student asks Mary’s age when she went to Lejac; Mary was about 6; she talks about emotional abuse at Lejac; she had nothing to do with her own culture whereas there is more pride now in native culture; Mary refers to the interest now in native culture; drumming & dancing
• A student asks Mary about discipline at home;
• A question by a student refers to the difficulties of having a non-native counselor to talk about problems – needed a native counselor to understand cultural difficulties
• Bridget notes there is still a long way to go in the education system for the native people but that there are some progress being made; and with native students now entering university this is making a change as well
• Changes on the reserve due to the release of the book Stoney Creek Woman; better roads and sewage provided
• Mary says she was fearful of the reaction from crowds during the book signings
• Talks about the creation of the Indian Homemaker’s Association/ involvement at Stoney Creek
• Mary talks about setting up of the Potlatch House at Stoney Creek; Mary notes that they will then build a pit house and smokehouse
• She talks about her actions to counsel native people in her community who have alcohol problems
• Bridget refers to the need to educate the native community about alcohol related problems including fetal alcohol syndrome – there is a need for nurses to work in the native communities to educate them
• Bridget talks about her fight with the WAC Bennett government – her frustration that as a social worker she did not have the power to remove abused children; that this was still controlled by the Indian Agent
• Problems with the Department of Indian Affairs organization structure. A student refers to the DIA’s impact of ‘keeping the control’ away from the native people; that so much money goes away from the native people and to payment of the bureaucracy.
• Bridget says that the ‘social worker needs you’;
• Bridget asks the students about their reaction to the book; they talk about their shock with the inquest of Coreen Thomas’ death; Bridget notes she found it difficult to write about the tuberculosis of Mary’s brother as her father died from tuberculosis; also the chapters about Mary’s mother dying from childbirth and about her marriage
• A student asks about women in native culture being submissive; Bridget notes that at potlatches women control the gift giving and the money
• Mary John talks about her faith in the Catholic Church; she doesn’t judge anyone
• A student talks about the residential school experience and makes a comparison with that of a boarding school. She states she had no knowledge of sexual abuse at the residential school; Bridget talks about some of the other native women she interviewed who had been at Lejac. Talks about Coreen Thomas’s father who attended Lejac and kept trying to run away. Mary notes she was not told that she was going to residential school and her mother didn’t know about it either. She notes the difference now in schools available at Stoney Creek. Bridget notes the population is about 380; Mary notes a shortage of housing on the reserve
• Mary talks about her initial reaction of the book once published
• Bridget talks about the writing of the book and that it was important to let Mary speak her own words and she is glad that people are impacted by the book and ‘the rhythm of Mary’s speech’ Bridget states it’s a ‘story of survival’
• Bridget talks about the writing of her next book that she has decided to call ‘A Little Rebellion’
• Bridget talks about her plans to have Mary translate some of her 1962 interview with Granny Seymour, some of which is in Carrier
• Bridget refers to another book she has written that is unpublished A Horizontal Land “a frivolous novel about Saskatchewan”
• Mary John talks about what type of future she would like for her people
• End of videotape

File consists of a Video 8 recording of Mary John in Metlakatla. : Bridget noted in a later 1994 interview with Bob Harkins that this road trip was conducted for Mary and her to attend the basic education class at Metlakatla. This recording has also been reformatted on DVD. This version of Mary John: Metlakatla is the original version filmed using a Video 8 videocassette formatted for hand-held camcorders. The version of Mary John: Metlakatla comprising 2008.3.1.202 is a master copy.

Videocassette Summary
Context: Video-recording conducted by Bridget Moran with Mary John on their road trip to Metlakatla to visit the Elders Group there.

Highlights Include:
0’:05” Bridget Moran records on videotape Mary John in New Hazelton at the road side

1’00” Bridget Moran records on videotape Mary John in front of the totem poles in K’san ‘Old Hazelton’ and note they are heading by car to Prince Rupert

2’00”At Metlakatla Mary is shown eating fried dried seaweed in a hall in Metlakatla with a group of people

7’:35” Mary discusses working in the hospital and financially having a hard time as her husband was out of a job due to change in logging practices. He had a difficult time being at home and Mary sometimes had to walk to work to Vanderhoof, a distance 9+ miles from Stoney Creek. Talks about a time of having to walk to work on the ice and put bales of hay in her boots to walk on the ice

10’:35” Talks about the difficulties of working in the white world

11’:15” Talks about the time that her son made his First Communion; priest offered to buy lunch for all the children; Mary remembers having him ask if she and her son could come into the restaurant as normally they were not allowed to go to the restaurants

14’30” Sandra explains how they had decided to invite Mary to Metlakatla; she had read the Stoney Creek Woman book and wondered if Mary was still alive; she called the Band office in Vanderhoof and was connected with Mary’s niece who asks if she would come to Metlakatla. And then decided to invite Bridget as well.

18’37” Mary talks about the origin of certain Carrier place names for the various lakes in the Stoney Creek area and notes that many white people could not pronounce the names and so they became an anglicized version of native name. Explains the origin of the Bednesti Lake name

21’:55” Mary John explains about how liquor first coming into the territory and talks about how some of the men went on the train to join the war. She sings and drums a song called ‘Passenger Song’ and then explains the song

25’:43” Mary performs the ‘Four Winds’ song

26’:37” Mary talks about how the dancing had died out at Stoney Creek and c.1960 it was recommended that the dancing come back with a pageant to celebrate the 100th anniversary of missionaries arriving in their territory. The celebration was recorded on film. Talks about how dancing has been revived and now is taught to the children

30’30” Talks about the costumes made for the dancing. Talks about a moose hide she made for Eddie John

31’30” Bridget notes that Mary is now making a vest for Justa Monk who Bridget notes she has written a book about;

32:45” Bridget refers to the opening of UNBC and the coming of the Queen to open the University and how some native people in Prince George were against her opening UNBC

34’:40” Talks about the role of the Indian Agent historically

35’00” Talks about the role of policing in the native community and how to improve it

36’53” Bridget is recording Mary John outdoors at Lejac where they are looking at ruins of the old buildings. Mary points out the old Post Office building; Mary then shows the ruins of the old school and talks about segregation of the boys and girls at the school; she shows the play room of the old school; visits a cemetery and shows where Father Coccola is buried; then shows the buildings at Lejac old school buildings

Video temporarily stops

42’45” Shows Mary John back at her house in Stoney Creek

42’50” Bridget asks what is the most common question asked by people – of what do you want for your people – Mary states ‘hang on to culture and get an education”

43’40” Mary states that conditions have improved slightly [compared to 1976 at the time of Coreen Thomas’ inquest] but not to the level that she would like to see – as there are still alcohol, drug and unemployment problems

44’32” Mary notes that the preservation of the language has been ‘really good’ that the Elders are teaching other adults about their culture so that they can teach children; she notes that many Elders can speak Carrier really well – compared to the group noting at Metlakatla that not as many can speak their language.
46’00” Mary states there are many students at the [Yinka Dene] Language Institute; about 15-20 students

47’:24” Mary notes that ‘Potlatches are very important to our culture’ and that the Elders managed to save it

48’01” Mary refers to their road trip back from Metlakatla and their stop at Lejac. She talks about Lejac and how it is now destroyed – it would be better to preserve it and show what had happened there – Bridget compares it to the concentration camps in Germany and the preservation of those buildings to show the horrors of what went on there

49’13” Mary says she doesn’t dwell on the memories of LeJac – she had been there 72 years ago

50’00” Mary talks about the start up of the Potlatch House and the set up of a learning centre and the need to have it create work for the young people – Bridget notes that the potlatch house is now the centre of village activity

52’15” Bridget and Mary John reminisce about ’our’ book – and Bridget notes it was a ‘labour of love’ Mary notes that the book has made a difference – to treat First Nations people more like people – to show [others] [the impact] of racism

54’00” Bridget asks Mary to show the button blanket that Mary was given in Metlakatla and Bridget refers to the button blanket she was given as well. [The blanket is designed as a traditional Northwest Coast Button Blank; on the back of the blanket it is embroidered with beadwork in a circular pattern with the inscription ‘Keep the Circle Strong’ Bridget notes that the Elders there had a wonderful dinner for us as well.

54’58” Bridget videotapes Mary outside by the lake and she shows the outside of the log house which is the Potlatch House at Stoney Creek. She then shows the interior of the building which has photos of Elders on the wall.

Videotape ends

File consists of a video cassette (VHS) recording of the following clips:

• Harkins! -Nov. 23, 1990
• CKPG-TV excerpt -Oct. 3, 1992
• CKPG-TV News: Bob Harkins Comments- Dec. 18, 1992
• CKPG –TV News excerpt -1993
• CKPG-TV News: Bob Harkins Comments -April 5, 1993
• CKPG-TV News: Newsfeed from another news office

Videocassette Summaries
Context: Videotape contains taped recordings originally broadcast on CKPG-TV News, the Prince George CBC affiliate station. It contains multiple recordings of either interviews with Bridget Moran or TV broadcast announcements and news stories relating to Moran’s publications and awards; as well as news stories re: the Kemano Completion Project.

Individual video segments as follows:

(1) Harkins!
Date: 23 November 1990
Length: 30’ minutes
Scope and Content: Contains a recording of a Bob Harkins of Harkins! interviewing Bridget Moran on her books Stoney Creek Woman, Judgement at Stoney Creek and her upcoming publication A Little Rebellion.

(2) CKPG-TV News excerpt Date: 3 October 1992 Length: 2’46” minutes
Scope and Content: Recording of CKPG-TV News excerpt featuring Bridget Moran speaking about her latest publication A Little Rebellion while at a Mosquito Books book signing event.

(3) CKPG –TV News: Bob Harkins Comments
Date: 18 December 1992
Length: 3’minutes
Scope and Content: November weather forecast for Prince George and region, followed by Bob Harkins Comments featuring Bridget Moran and her new book A Little Rebellion.

(4) CKPG –TV News excerpt Date: 1993
Length: 9’17”minutes
Scope and Content: News story on the Kemano Completion Project including a brief excerpt featuring Justa Monk, responding on behalf of CSTC, to the call for a review. Anchorwoman conducts an in studio discussion with Paul Ramsay, MLA for Prince George North, regarding review process.

(5) CKPG –TV News: Bob Harkins Comments
Date: 5 April 1993
Length: 1’53”minutes
Scope and Content: Newscast featuring weather forecast. Bob Harkins Comments featuring Bob Harkins speaking about Mary John and Bridget Moran receiving the Governor General’s Award for Outstanding Community Service from MP (Prince George/Bulkley Valley) Brian Gardiner at a ceremony at Mosquito Books in Prince George.

(6) CKPG-TV News: Newsfeed from another news office Date: unknown
Length: 2’10”minutes
Scope and Content: News story re: Kemano Completion Project and its potential affects on water levels, and fish stock, as well as mention of a federal environmental review.

[Excerpt from “The Life of Agatha Christie” biography on A&E]
[Brief excerpt from an unidentified newscast featuring sports news re: the Grey Cups] [“Mystery”, introduction by Diana Rigg for an episode of “Campion” entitled “Sweet Danger”]

Tape Ends

File consists of recorded audio interviews with Bridget Moran:

• Interview: Bridget’s Interviews re: Judgment at Stoney Creek with CBC/COOP/CKNW, 21-24 September 1990
• Interview: CBC re: Gove Inquiry, November (?) 1995
• Interview: CBC re: Justa, March 1995
• Interview: CBC re: Stoney Creek Woman, 24 November 1988
• Interview: Social Work 200A interview with Bridget Moran, August 1996

Audio cassette contains recorded audio interviews with Bridget Moran regarding Judgment at Stoney Creek with CBC/COOP/CKNW, 21-24 September 1990.

Audiocassette Summary

Scope and Content: CBC Radio Interview:

• CBC Radio Interviewer Bruce [last name?] introduces Bridget Moran who discusses her latest book Judgment at Stoney Creek, which describes the inquest into the death of Coreen Thomas, killed by a car driven by a drunk white man in 1976
• Moran discusses what she sees as “Third World conditions” experienced by Natives on reserves in Canada and discrimination against Native People by the Western justice system as experienced in the Thomas Inquiry in Vanderhoof
• Moran criticizes Prime Minster Brian Mulroney for the plight of Native Peoples in Canada; he had noted that the equivalent of $13,000.00 per year is spent on each Native person in Canada; Moran notes most Native people that she knows don’t see that money
• Moran notes that although she wrote Judgment at Stoney Creek in 1977, could not get it published as it was not considered “commercially viable”
• Bridget plans to write a book about her battle with the Social Credit Party
• Moran notes that this book comes out at a time [interview is during the Oka crisis] when Canadians have to be more aware of the need to settle land claim agreements with Native Peoples in BC and ensure that the environment is protected for the future; talks about massive logging and mineral prospecting occurring in BC which she notes concerns Stoney Creek Elders Mary John & Sophie Thomas
• Notes that few white people have been on reserves and have no contact with the Native way of life in Canada

Scope and Content: CKNW Radio Interview:

• CKNW Radio Interviewer Bill [Good?] introduces Moran and talks about the publication of the book. They discuss the status of native-white relations in BC both at the time of the Inquest into Coreen Thomas’ death and in 1990 at the time of the Oka crisis. Moran notes that natives in Canada don’t’ have the benefit of ‘the rule of law’ in Canada and experience injustice in the court system. Discusses the inquest; the role of Harry Rankin in the inquest. Moran concludes that only once Native People are involved in managing their own education, social welfare and political systems in Canada will conditions change.

Audio cassette contains recorded audio interviews with Bridget Moran and Barbara Whittington on a CBC Radio program regarding the Judge Gove inquiry.

Audiocassette Summary

Context: The recording is a segment from a CBC Radio program with broadcaster Mark [Forsythe?] interviewing Barbara Whittington, professor of Social Work at the University of Victoria [on the telephone] and former social worker Bridget Moran on the telephone from Prince George. They are being interviewed about the recent report released by Judge Gove into the case of the death of a Metis child ‘Matthew’ [Vaudreuil]. The interview focuses on the need for reassessment of social workers and contract workers training and social work education in British Columbia to be coordinated by educators and the Ministry.

Scope and Content: Recording starts with interview in progress – Barbara is answering question by Mark on the findings of the Gove inquiry- that the judge captured the “sadness” of Matthews’ death in the report.

Bridget is then asked by Mark her views on the Inquiry’s report. She states that she didn’t have any problems with what the judge said – but that there is nothing experimental being done here. She notes however that no specific mention is made of the fact that Matthew was a Metis child in a poor family – and that this should have been addressed in the report and findings. Bridget refers to the fact that somehow ‘social workers got the wrong message’ – and refers to her work experience as a social worker that if children were seen at risk in a home then there were removed from their home.

Mark questions Barbara on how the inquiry may impact the teaching of social work. Barbara states she doesn’t’ think it will affect the teaching; and that the report had positive comments on the social work program at UVic – and refers to the working of a ‘decentralized model’ of work. However she notes that a Bachelor in Social Work needs to be seen as a ‘entry point’ only – and that comprehensive training between the University and Ministry [of Social Work] is needed.

Discussion of social worker salary; burnout; and the issue of utilizing contract workers is discussed. Bridget notes that she did some research into this 2 or 3 years ago – and that of the 2000-3000 social workers in BC – there was another 10,000 contract workers doing work ‘that don’t know what they’re doing’ – uneducated workers – dealing with the assessment of potential children at risk.

Barbara agrees that many are not well trained and not well supported and that a coordinated effort with the Ministry is needed so that burnout is addressed and that social workers get the support needed.

Barbara concludes that the report should have addressed the issue of contract workers more than it did. She also notes that it should have addressed the need for First Nations community training in social work
– and notes that there are many First Nations community members ‘ready to go’ with this training. Bridget agrees that this issue was not adequately addressed – and notes that about 60% of children in foster homes are aboriginal. She notes that if we ‘fail a person in one generation’ [as was Matthew’s mother] then we ‘fail children in the next generation’. Barbara agrees.

Mark thanks them both –

End of interview

Audio cassette contains recorded audio interviews from a CBC Radio program interviewing Bridget Moran in the CBC Prince George studio on the recent publication of Justa.

Audiocassette Summary
Context: The recording is a segment from a CBC Radio program with broadcaster Mark [Forsythe?] interviewing Bridget Moran in the CBC Prince George studio on the recent publication of Justa. Mark first speaks to Justa by telephone asking him why he wanted his story told.

Scope and Content: Mark notes that Bridget Moran has just published a new book about the life of Justa Monk, entitled Justa: A First Nations Leader. Before speaking to Bridget, he speaks to Justa by telephone and asks him why he wanted his story told.

Justa says he wanted to tell people about the story of his life but also about the hardships of his people; for example he notes the transportation in the early years was difficult and that it took 21 hours by horse to travel from Tachie to Fort St. James. Also he says that what had happened to him [killing his brother] changed his life. He points out that in particular the Elders wanted him to tell his story. [Mark thanks Justa and the interview ends]

Mark then introduces Bridget Moran and asks her to comment on why she decided to write the book. Bridget first notes that she had heard about Justa’s life while writing the story of Mary John and that many people had suggested that she should write a book about his life as well. Although she had seen him at community events (potlatches) she was not introduced to him until November 1991. At that time he introduced himself and asked her to write his story – because he believed that it is possible to make amends for a bad life.

Bridget goes on to describe the circumstances leading to Justa killing his brother in a fight and that alcohol had been a factor. Justa had contemplated suicide.

Bridget then explains the setting of where Justa lived at Portage on Stuart Lake, 150 miles from Prince George. She notes that in many ways it was a very traditional life, totally dependent on the land. She says that Justa felt it was important in telling his story to tell native youth of ‘what they had – and what they had lost’.

Bridget then tells how Justa had been sent to a residential school at the age of 10 and that when he arriving the priest & nun took away his clothes. When he asks why – in Carrier – the only language he spoke – he was hit by the priest.

Bridget then talks about the structure of the book and notes that “what I was really doing was oral history.” She notes that she starting out interviewing him first because she notes she didn’t know him very well – but that it progress she then just talked with him. Bridget comments that Justa is a ‘real communicator’ and uses body language well – and she noted that he could remember details and emotions very well which gives a “sense of immediacy” to his story.

Mark asks Bridget to explain how Justa went from killing his brother – to becoming a leader of his people. Bridget notes that although it was felt he acted in self-defense, that Justa felt that he had to do penance for what he did. He was charged with manslaughter and served his time in a Forestry camp. After that he decided to go back to school and finish his education in Dawson Creek. He then decided to come back to Tachie to ‘make peace with his people’ and that the Elders forgave him and accepted him.

Justa then went on to work in the Band Office, then as Manager, then as Chief and in 1990 was elected as the Chief of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council.

Bridget states that Justa’s legacy for native youth in particular – is that you can overcome hardships and turn your life around. Bridget notes that instead of drugs and alcohol that youths should look to their culture, language and Elders to help them.

Bridget then notes that her hope is to now hold workshops to help First Nations document their own history. To show them how they can take ‘raw material that I start work with’ and ‘work it up into a readable story.’ She hopes to hold workshops with Bands so that they can ‘do it for themselves’ – particularly as so many of the Elders are sick and dying and won’t be around to tell their stories.

Mark thanks Bridget –

End of interview

Audio cassette contains recorded a audio segment from the CBC Radio program, Daybreak of broadcaster Alison Payne interviewing Bridget Moran on the recent publication of Stoney Creek Woman.

Audiocassette Summary
Context: The recording is a segment from the CBC Radio program, Daybreak of broadcaster Alison Payne interviewing Bridget Moran on the recent publication of Stoney Creek Woman.

Scope and Content: Alison asks Bridget to explain why she is labeled an ‘activist.’ Bridget recalls it comes from her public conflict as a social worker in 1964 when she criticized the WAC Bennett government of its lack of adequate services for foster children and welfare families. And that it was intensified by her open conflict in the BC Legislature in 1972 with the Minister of Welfare Phil Gaglardi, as Bridget, acting as a liaison for the Association of Social Workers and low income groups, criticized the government’s proposed passing of Bill 49 to amend the Social Assistance Act. (The Bill would, if passed, extinguish the right of appeal by welfare recipients if refused the right to services). Bridget recalls that because of the ‘noise in the gallery’ she made she was tossed out of the BC Legislature.

Alison asks Bridget about the book Stoney Creek Woman and why she felt the need to write it. Bridget explains she needed to write the book as she had felt ‘guilty’ about the plight of people on reserves her entire life – and refers to an incident in the 1950s when she had brought her mother Rose Anne Drugan to the Stoney Creek Reserve and revealed to her the plight of poor women on the reserve. Her mother made her promise to assist these women and Bridget states the book was a way to do this. The book about Mary John is a story of a “typical life” of people living on reserves. That it describes the nomadic lifestyle being changed to one of the ‘shock of the residential school’ and the ‘cultural genocide’ that followed. Bridget notes that it was Mary John who realized that Native People would need to speak for themselves to bring about social change.

Bridget speaks about her close relationship with Mary John; Bridget praises her work in trying to change the plight of her people on the reserve for the better and that it became a significant cause for Mary John after the death of Coreen Thomas. Bridget describes Mary John as a woman “dedicated to the world of emotions”

Alison notes at the end of the interview that the launch of the new book is to be held November 25, 1988 at Mosquito Books in Prince George.

End of interview

Audio cassette contains a recorded interview with Bridget Moran for a Social Work class, possibly at UNBC, with questions asked by the instructor and individual students.

Audiocassette Summary
Context: Interview with Bridget Moran for a Social Work class [UNBC?] with questions asked by instructor [Rosalie?] and individual students

Scope and Content:

• Interviewer asks what kept Bridget in social work? – “Not a profession but an addiction”
• Possibility of addiction to social work possibly contributed to the breakup of her marriage – “married a charming Irishman who could not keep his charm at home”
• Likes to take the pain of the job home
• Social work students sometimes afraid to get emotionally involved
• “translate your private concerns into public actions”
• Social workers have to be aware of First Nations culture
• Social workers need to a part of the society in which they are living; Bridget could relate because she was on welfare when she was a child
• Psychologically prepared for the repercussions of her social actions towards the W.A.C. Bennett government; Bridget notes her actions reflected the frustrations of the group of social workers in Prince George at the time – but that she didn’t involve anyone else – if it had it might have been more successful
• Important to provide a sense of empowerment to your social work clients
• Speaks about the response to her book A Little Rebellion
• Speaks about how the book Stoney Creek Woman was initiated by Mary John’s daughter Helen
• Speaks about how the inquest into the death of Coreen Thomas, inspired her to write Judgment at Stoney Creek
• Discusses her book about Justa Monk
• Native people can only “heal themselves through their own culture”
• Discusses her Writers Workshop series
• Re: Oath of confidentiality – ethical dilemmas for social workers - Didn’t mean to break her oath of office but because she did violate it [in the governments view] therefore felt she had to resign

File consists of a recorded audio interview on CBC: All in a Day. All in a Day is an Ottawa-based radio program in existence since c.1975 described as “Ottawa’s drive home radio show brings music, news, current affairs, culture and conversation to listeners at the end of the work day”. This radio broadcast feature entitled “The Other Shelf” was hosted by Paul Mackan.

Audiocassette Summary

Scope and Content: Radio announcer Jennifer [?] introduces CBC radio broadcaster Paul Mackan in an episode of “The Other Shelf”, during which he provides a review of Bridget Moran’s books Judgement at Stoney Creek and Stoney Creek Woman and also provides a review of a third book, Aboriginal Peoples and Politics, by Paul Tennant. Mackan describes Moran’s books as ‘a great banquet’ that speaks to the strength of the human heart. He describes the story of Mary John as told to Bridget Moran; Mary John, a Carrier Indian woman, born in 1913 who describes growing up in poverty and prejudice in Stoney Creek, BC. Paul is intrigued by the ‘native way’ of storytelling and how it involves the listener in the story; and how Native people speak of events that happen to ‘our people’ – that tragedies are a shared experience. Judgment at Stoney Creek, Paul describes as a “tale of native people facing justice system in 1976’ and notes that Moran states this was the first case of prejudice in the justice system to reach national prominence. Mackan explains that the Native People of Stoney Creek had to fight to get an inquest into the accident which killed a 9 month pregnant native woman. Mackan notes that both of Moran’s books are recommended reading for high school students in both BC and the Yukon.He then proceeds to review Tennant’s book. He notes that all 3 books come at a significant time in white-native relations in Canada and refers to the Oka Crisis. He concludes that we must not only do “justice” by Aboriginal Peoples in Canada but “we must do ‘right’ by Aboriginal Peoples in Canada

File consists of recorded audio interviews:

• Interview: CBC Radio re: Judgement at Stoney Creek, September 1991
• Interview: CBC Update re: Inquest, September 1976
• Interview: Sophie Thomas, September 1991

Item is a recording of an audio segment from CBC Radio in which CBC Reporter Karen Tankard provides a documentary report on the CBC Radio program Daybreak on conditions on the Stoney Creek reserve, outside of the farming community of Vanderhoof, 15 years after the inquest into Coreen Thomas’ death in Stoney Creek, BC. Tankard interviews community residents about the inquest and discusses the state of racism in the town of Vanderhoof, BC in 1991 and concludes improvements have not been made.

Audiocassette Summary
Scope and Content: Tankard recalls that Maclean’s Magazine had written at the time of the inquest that “Vanderhoof was one of the most racially prejudiced towns in BC”

Tankard recalls Inquest of Coreen Gay Thomas’ death and includes archived interviews from the 1976 inquest. One Vanderhoof woman says people are putting “racial connotations’ around what is going on in Vanderhoof and that she has ‘many friendships’ with native people that ‘is not unusual’ While Minnie Thomas, a Band Councillor in 1976, discusses how poor white-native relations are on reserve and criticizes the state of housing and the economy on the Stoney Creek reserve

Tankard then talks to students at a dance on the reserve on Sept 15, 1991; she notes there is no high school for the native students. Native student Kevin Prince notes that “white kids don’t like native kids…”

Jackie Thomas who works at the Band Office states that the feelings of racism still exist here in 1991 Yet Vanderhoof Alderman Jack French states that he “doesn’t see it” in Vanderhoof now. Tankerd notes that Native people recall that the Inquest “shamed” the federal government into making some changes – some municipal services now exist and roads are paved in Stoney Creek, yet there is still 80% unemployment and a rise in drug and alcohol abuse. Gordon Smedley, editor of the Nechako newspaper discusses white-native relations 15 years after the inquest – and argues that a ‘core group’ of drug users impacts the image of natives in the community

Stoney Creek Elder Mary John argues that racism still exists and refers to how in the case of one native woman, who was a university graduate that she could not get even a clerical job in Vanderhoof

Vanderhoof resident Hugh Millard – argues that native residents from Stoney Creek are “not hampered by prejudice, but by a lack of education”

Bruce Smith, high school principal, expresses the challenges of keeping native kids in school; that activities have focused on liaison work with the Band. Smith notes the creation of the Yinka Dene Language Institute as means to keeping native students in school - seen as a ‘storefront’ school for adult education

Tankard notes RCMP also attempting to make changes and have hired a native constable

Yet Alderman Jack French notes there is not a lot of contact between the municipal council and the Stoney Creek Band Council – however argues that the municipality has avoided getting involved in such issues – “not our mandate” – the municipality’s mandate is to provide municipal services only.

Tankard recaps the findings of the Inquest – and questions if anything has really changed in Vanderhoof and Stoney Creek since the inquest.

While she recalls that Richard Redekopp was charged with criminal neglect that resulted in Thomas’ death – that due to a lack of evidence he was not convicted

Tankard surmises that perhaps the hope of the inquest that a reunion of white-native community in Vanderhoof and Stoney Creek was ‘too much’ and ‘unachievable’

End of documentary report by Karen Tankard

The Daybreak female radio broadcaster (unidentified) then invites Talk Back listeners to call in on the issue…..

End of tape

Item is a recording of an audio segment from CBC Radio in which a documentary update is provided on the inquest of Coreen Thomas.

Audiocassette Summary
Scope and Content:

• Update on the case of deceased Coreen Gay Thomas
• July 3, 1976 Coreen Thomas is struck and killed by a car walking out to the Stoney Creek Reserve
• Police Report blamed Coreen for causing the accident saying that she was involved in a game of chicken
• The Driver of the car, Mr. Redekopp, had a high blood alcohol content but was not blamed for the crash
• Indians claimed that they were frequently harassed on the road by white motorists
• An inquest occurred and focused on relations between Indians and Whites
• Redekopp, coroner, police detachment, federal department of Indian affairs all seemed to be on trial
• Vanderhoof residents state media coverage is sensational with Vanderhoof unfairly labeled as “the most racially troubled town in Canada”
• Some see problem as due to lack of activities for young people in small communities
• Stoney Creek Indians live in intolerable conditions
• Interview with Stoney Creek Reserve resident regarding sanitation problems; lack of proper sewage system; cases of tuberculosis; high rate of unemployment; she states DIA should be responsible and should come up with a solution
• Problem with the perception of an alcoholic society;
• Archie Patrick, FN leader talks about the prejudice, harassment and racism found in Vanderhoof and other Northern communities towards Native People
• Good things could come out of this inquest – Vanderhoof residents should learn about poor living conditions at Stoney Creek
• Reporter provides update on the inquest; that local Police were accused of intimidating the witnesses
• Coreen Thomas’ death was unnatural but accidental
• Redekopp was negligible because vehicle was going too fast
• Segment of interview with Harry Rankin on the Thomas’ inquest; questions on the state of fairness of the inquest; and the state of white-native relations in northern BC
• Inquest Findings: Measures that should be put into place: Upgrade emergency system in the area, no person be placed in morgue before death certificate is in issue, get resident doctor for hospital, breathalyzers taken as soon as is legally permitted, RCMP officers be encouraged to have parent or guarding present when questioning young people as witnesses, Stoney Creek Band Council and Vanderhoof Council work to establish a Friendship Centre

Documentary ends with interview of Sophie Thomas on need for a change in white-native relations – and ends with excerpt of music from the Vanderhoof ‘pioneer’ song.

End of Tape

Item is a recording of an interview that Bridget Moran conducted with Elder Sophie Thomas and Elder Mary John on the circumstances surrounding the death of her niece, Coreen Gay Thomas who was hit by a car in Stoney Creek in 1976 by a white man. During the interview they are joined by Elder Mary John who also answers questions about Coreen’s death. In the remainder of the interview Bridget asks Sophie about her own life; Sophie talks about being “married off” at 16 years of age; and experiences at the residential school at LeJac.

Audiocassette Summary

Side 2
00’05” Moran asks Sophie about the night that Coreen died and how Sophie learned the news

06’00” Sophie explains who came and told her the news. Sophie describes having to go to the morgue and assisted the nurses in preparing Coreen’s body for burial before being brought back to the reserve for the funeral. Sophie recalls telling the youth who were witnesses to the accident to speak the truth when being interviewed by the RCMP.

07’00 Sophie talks about her reaction to hearing that there was not going to be an inquest into Coreen’s death. She talks about her decision to fight against this and recalls how she notified the BC Association of Indian Homemakers requesting its assistance and how it sent a representative member Kitty [Bell] with the BC Indian Homemakers who interviewed Sophie, other Stoney Creek members and accident witnesses and that a letter was sent to the Coroner urging an inquest. Bridget refers to an article in the PG Citizen newspaper quoting Sophie on her desire for an inquest and they discuss the context of this quote. Sophie talks about her encounter with the Judge to request an inquest. She talks about how he [Judge Eric Turner] had himself caused a hit and run accident and how this may have initially been his rationale not to have an inquest into Coreen’s death.

15’00 Bridget asks about how Coreen’s parents found out about the accident and why the RCMP didn’t notify them. Sophie and Mary John discuss the questioning of Coreen’s sister [Marjorie who was with Coreen at the time of the accident] at the RCMP headquarters in Vanderhoof. Mary John joins the interview and Bridget asks her how she found out about Coreen’s death.

20’00 Both Sophie and Mary talk about Coreen, that she attended St. Joseph’s School to Grade 7. They note she babysat for families in the community. Sophie notes that Coreen and her boyfriend were planning to marry after the baby was born as “that was our custom” and had bought their wedding rings. He was at the Williams Lake Stampede at the time of the accident.

Tape turned off momentarily.

24’00 Bridget then interviews Sophie about her own early married life and about getting married at age 16 and the reasoning for this. Sophie explains that she did not want to get married but that the ‘watchman’ [at the Lejac school] insisted she get married as she couldnot remain at the school. Sophie explains that was the ‘school law’ as the school didn’t want to keep them after age 16; Bridget surmises that it may have been the policy of the Department of Indian Affairs so as not to pay for further education. Sophie notes it was 1932 when she married [Maurice Thomas]; that she didn’t know her husband before; that he was 25 years old and from another village. She explains they got married and she spent 2 days at her mother-in-law’s house alone before joining him. They lived in a log cabin on his grandfather’s land.

29’00 Bridget then asks about the role of the ‘watchman’ at the school; about whether the priests (Father Coccola and Father Joseph) thought it was appropriate to marry off young girls. Sophie recalls the time at the school when she ran off; she notes that ‘religion was so strong’ that they had to get married. She recalls the strictness of the school and how pupils were punished by the priests; she refers to some boys being tied down and lashed.

33’00-34’00 Sophie notes her maiden name was George. She recalls how at the time of her wedding that the priest [?] wanted to have a ‘free dance’ for her wedding as entertainment. She remarks how odd the custom was to her; she explains that there is no dancing at a native wedding.

End of Side 2

File consists of recorded audio interviews:

• Interview: History of Prince George - Bridget Moran Interviews George Henry & Arnold Davis interview, PG Historical Society, ca. 1960
• Interview: Granny Seymour Interview, Parts 1 & 2, May [1962?]
• Interview: Granny Seymour Interview, Part 3, May [1962?]
• Interview: History of Prince George, 1958-1959 and 1960
• Interview: History of Prince George, 1960; various dates
• Interview: CBC - 60th Anniversary Judge [Stewart] Called to Bar, [1982?]
• Interview: Ken Rutherford (Tape 1), 1 April 1993
• Interview: Ken Rutherford (Tape 2), 1 April 1993
• Interview: Paul Ramsey Interview, December 1995

Audio recording is of an interview by Bridget Moran with Margaret [Granny] Seymour at the PG Hospital in 1962. Moran later noted in another recording that the interview with Margaret Seymour was part of her social work. At the time of the interview Granny Seymour states she is 109 years old and says she is to celebrate her 110th birthday in June.

Audiocassette Summary

Scope and Content:

• Talks about a flood in Fort George
• Went on a canoe from Fort St. James to Fort George
• Clothing and food that Granny Seymour grew up with
• Living at Fort St. James
• Discusses the poverty of the First Nations after moving to Shelley
• Discusses the priest who came to the reserve often
• Would cook dinner for the priest as often as she could
• Discusses memories of being a child and living in Fort St. James
• Traveling to Vancouver
• Police presence in Fort St. James – no police; She notes there was no police presence – the HBC boss provided policing. Recounts memories of one native at Ft St James who killed his boss
• Traveling to Fort Fraser by dog team
• Step dancing – remembers dances at Ft St James with the HBC crew
• Cleaning houses - Remembers taking care of house at Hudson’s Bay fort in Ft St James
• Health – talks about her health Visitors to Granny – Priest comes sometimes [to visit her now at the hospital]
• Did not go to school
• Discusses memories of her parents James Bouchey and her mother and her siblings
• Seymour’s first husband worked for HBC Ft St James was a white man Edward Flameau- unhappy memories of her marriage
• Seymour’s second husband was Billy Seymour – happier memories
• Getting caught in a forest fire and a big storm coming from Ft St James
• Talks about looking after Hudson’s Bay store and trading for sugar/tea

Tape ends

Audio recording is of an interview by Bridget Moran with Margaret [Granny] Seymour at the PG Hospital in 1962. Moran later noted in another recording that the interview with Margaret Seymour was part of her social work. At the time of the interview Granny Seymour states she is 109 years old and says she is to celebrate her 110th birthday in June.

Audiocassette Summary

Scope and Content: Interview continues between Bridget Moran and Granny Seymour

• She talks about hard work that she performed at the [HBC] store
• Granny describes trapping at her own trap line
• Sometimes had more on her trap line than her husband had on his
• Talks about birth of her children at Hudson’s Bay in Ft St James and having to birth them on her own or with the help only of her sister [Nellie?] – as there was no doctor available
• Very skilled in medicine
• Everyone came to her for help
• Lived at Hudson’s Bay Post in Fort St. James
• Talks about employment
• Describes early South Fort George – when there were no houses at all; early residents including Charlie Ogmann [sp?]
• Granny notes her children never went to school but learnt quickly
• She learned how to speak French as her father was French
• Granny speaks about her mother – who is described as an “Indian Princess”
• Talks about husband Billy Seymour’s work; Granny describes building her own house at Fort George cutting and hauling down trees by hand

Tape ends

Reel-to-reel audio recording consists of individual taped interviews conducted by Bridget Moran with a number of early Fort George residents recalling the early years of white settlement in Prince George c.1910-c.1915. Interviews were conducted with the following individuals: reel to reel recording of individual taped interviews and interview introductions by Bridget Moran with the following interviewees: Arnold Davis [former Sherriff for Prince George]; J.A.F. Campbell [PG land surveyor]; Alec Moffat; Claude Foot; Captain George Henry [sternboat captain]; Nellie Law [desk clerk at Alexandra and Prince George Hotel from 1918- 1952], John McInnis [former MLA for Fort George]; Georgina [McInnis] Williams; and Peter Wilson, [former Barrister and Solicitor and former Prosecutor for the City since its incorporation in 1915.] These interviews were incorporated into the publication: Bridget Moran, Prince George Remembered…from Bridget Moran, Marsh Publishing, Prince George, 1996.

Summary

Notes: Recording consists of individual taped interviews conducted by Bridget Moran and commentary by Moran that introduces each audio segment. Recording is exact copy of the written transcript later produced as the publication, Prince George Remembered…From Bridget Moran, Prince George: Marsh Publishing, 1996. In the publication foreword, Moran notes that she recorded the interviews on reels, then re-copied them on cassette tapes, and for the book project based on the recordings she did the edits and provided the introductory remarks for each interviewee’s audio segment.

See also the audiocassette summary for 2008.3.1.210.4 “History of Prince George”. The reel to reel recording is incomplete as it includes recorded interviews only for 61 minutes, not the full 80 minutes referred to in the audiocassette summary for 2008.3.1.210.4. The reel to reel recording continues only to the end of Claude Foot’s description of the bar at South Fort George [see transcript, Prince George Remembered… From Bridget Moran, p.25]

00’ 05”-5’00” Arnold Davis– talks about his family’s roots from Ireland and England and arriving in South Fort George in 1917;

5’10”-10’11” Claude Foot – talks about his family’s roots in New Zealand and memories of arriving in Quesnel in 1906, “very few white men”

10’12”-11’08” Alex Moffat – describes stage coach transportation throughout the Cariboo region

11’24”-12’33” George Henry describes working on the boats that plied the Fraser River with the BC Express Co.

13’17”-14’14” Nellie Law describes arriving in Quesnel from England in 1914 and later arriving in Prince George on the Fraser River in 1917. Law was the desk clerk at Alexandra and Prince George Hotel from 1918-1952.

14’45”-15’09” Peter Wilson describes arriving by work train to Prince George from McBride c.1915. Wilson was the Prosecutor for the City since its incorporation in 1915.

15’48”-20’02” Mr. John McInnis recalls arriving from Prince Edward Island in 1910 in Fort George due to the land prospecting for the town site. Describes 10 day horse & sleigh trip from Ashcroft to Fort George and briefly describes Indian Reserve in Fort George and recalls there were few white women in the town at that time.

20’25”-22’05” J.A. Campbell describes survey crew work he did at Fort George in 1908

22’16”-25’36” Captain George Henry recalls cruising down the Fraser River with a gas-powered boat c.1910 and losing crew overboard in the Fraser Canyon

25’47”-33’20” Peter Wilson recalls experiences as practicing lawyer and due to lack of assize court in Fort George until 1919 travelling to Clinton for court cases. Also describes difficulty of boat traveling to Peace River country to hear court cases there.

33’29”-39’24” Nellie Law recalls working first as a maid and then as a desk clerk with the Alexandra Hotel in 1919 and later the Prince George Hotel in 1923 – describes hotel guests; visit of Duke & Duchess of Devonshire; manual work performed including bouncing; stoking furnace in winter for heating.

39’45”-53’48” Alex Moffat – describes old Cariboo Road highway freighting and stage coach line at Barkerville and the ‘stopping places’ [roadhouses] on the Cariboo Road highway which his parents operated. Also describes Cataline’s pack train. Describes luxurious conditions on the BX sternwheeler boats.

56’10”-59’06” Claude Foot recounts a dance in Quesnel; card games and gambling at Barkerville 59’40”-1:00’58” Claude Foot recalls South Fort George and the ‘longest bar at South Fort George End of recording

End of recording

Audio recording is of an CKPG-CBC affiliate recording at the Supreme Court in Prince George regarding the 60th anniversary of Judge J.O. Wilson being called to bar.

Audiocassette Summary
Scope and Content:

• CKPG-CBC affiliate recording at the Supreme Court in Prince George
• Justice Harold McInnis talks about Judge Wilson’s achievements and his career On the 60th Anniversary of his being called to the bar
• Other members of the Supreme Court congratulate him on his anniversary including Judge McInnis & Judge Stewart
• Judge Wilson recalls his early years practicing law

Audio recording is the continuation of an interview by Bridget Moran with Ken Rutherford, educator and former municipal politician of Swift Current, Saskatchewan and later ran for the NDP in Fort George, BC. Rutherford discusses his involvement in politics in Saskatchewan, and subsequent move to Prince George, BC and interest in politics in BC.

Audiocassette Summary

• Recalls the 1953 federal election when he ran unsuccessfully as CCF member for Swift Current, Saskatchewan
• After election decided to move to Vancouver; started looking for jobs and took teaching job in Prince George, BC
• Describes living conditions; living in cabin in Fort George and their early neighbors (Milners (sp?) in Prince George c.1950s
• Recalls running in BC elections 3 times unsuccessful
• Discusses MLA Ray Williston and the Wenner-Gren election issue
• Discusses his thoughts on the current NDP; regarding the issue of Senate abolishment and what he sees as ‘undemocratic policies’

Audio recording is an interview by Bridget Moran with Paul Ramsey. At the time of this interview (December 1995) Paul Ramsey was serving in the BC provincial government (NDP) as the Minister of Health and Minister Responsible for Seniors, a post he held from September 1993 to February 1996. Bridget Moran interviews Paul Ramsey on the state of health care in Prince George. Moran notes in the interview that this material is for an article that she is writing on the crisis in health care in Canada.

Audiocassette Summary

• Paul Ramsey discusses why doctors have left Northern BC; specifically the case of orthopedic surgeons leaving Prince George
• Ramsey discusses burnout by physicians, more money in private sector
• Ramsey discusses the impact of a two tier health care system in Canada; the treatment of health care as a ‘consumer good’
• Ramsey compares the Canadian health care system with the U.S. health system
• Discusses specific case of doctors in Prince George – re. the direct billings crisis in 1993
• Ramsey describes changes in medical training; specialists versus general practitioners
• Budget – cost of health care $6.6 billion – 1/3 of provincial expenditures; expecting cuts in health care by spring 1996
• Expands on what he sees as the federal government’s view of universal health care in Canada; including views of individual politicians, both federally and provincially.
• Bridget provides her views on the pitfalls of a two-tier health care system based on personal experiences and family members’ health care history
• Ramsey provides his views on the British Columbia Medical Association
• Ramsey discusses cases of Prince George doctors who started direct billings to patients and settlement of cases

File consists of recorded audio interviews:

• Interview: Mary John, [Tape] 1 & 2, c.1986-1987
• Interview: Mary John, [Tape] 3 & 4, c.1986-1987
• Interview: Mary John, [Tape] 5 & 6, c.1986-1987
• Interview: Mary John, [Tape] 7 & 8, c.1986-1987
• Interview: Mary John 9 & 10 [#908 March 1985 CBC?], March 1985 [?] or c.1986-1987 [?]
• Interview: Mary John, August 1987
• Interview: Mary John - Cheslatta, 6 July 1993
• Interview: Mary John Potlatch, Terrace, B.C., 9 September 1991

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

Audiocassette Summary
Scope and Content: Recording starts referring to this as a continuation of previous discussion. Mary John talks about fishing and refers to tools in Carrier language.

0’01” She talks about having her children and the use of midwives – and laying of hands by the mid- wives as a healing ritual. There were no doctors in area where Mary had all her children. Recalls in 1946 going to Vanderhoof to see a doctor for one of the more difficult births. Talks about use of mid-wives at Pinchi Lake mines when they [her husband and her worked at] cutting wood for the mines there

8’00” Mary John recalls coming to Fort George – living in tent camp near the tracks. Her Husband worked for a man named Koop

9’00” Mary talks about her children going to Lejac, the Indian residential school “they were lonely and we were lonely….there was silence….everyone [kids] were gone” She recalls that the dids didn’t come home for Christmas – left in September and came back in June. Talks about transport of the kids “big truck” came to get them in the fall to bring them to Lejac.

Mary discusses her own school life at Lejac in 1922 at age 7 – recalls her initial thoughts about going to school; being delivered to the school; remembers talking to her parents once on the telephone from Lejac and being very homesick. Describes where the “Mission School” was located; recalls there were about 40 kids there. Talks about the teachers who were nuns and recalls various students at Lejac; notes she was there until 1927. She left school and a Mountie was sent after her to bring her to Lejac but her mother needed her to stay to look after the other children

20’00” Recalls an “Indian doctor” who came to town from “down south” who was not trusted by the local people who was ‘taking sickness’ out of people and ‘charging for it’ – caused a scandal – “singing hymns” heard he was from the Kootenays. [religious zealot?] they were afraid the Missionaries would punish the children for going to him.

21’00” Mary talks about being punished at Lejac – recalls running outside doors before whistle blew, and the sisters would whip them with a dry willow; says she wasn’t strapped but recalls seeing many strapped

22’00” Mary notes that spoke Carrier as first language and then in Fort St. James took a year to learn a little bit of English. She wasn’t aloud to speak her language at Lejac – she now feels ‘quite bitter’ about that and especially now most parents don’t speak Carrier or teach it to their children at home now

27’00” Mary notes there was no option to send her own kids to public school in Vanderhoof as they had to go to residential school

29’00” Mary John recalls one nice Scottish woman who she worked for in Vanderhoof c.1927

32’00” Mary John talks about where her kids went to school. She continues to talks about where native kids now go to school including at the Price George College

33’00” Mary John discusses her educational experiences at Lejac –

34’00” She recalls that the quality of the food at Lejac– it wasn’t good; too much porridge; not much meat; her job was to clean the dishes of the nun’s dinner tables so she would eat the remainder off their plates. Remembers occasionally getting fish smoked from a community resident and enjoying this

36’00” Discusses the church services at Lejac; singing lessons

38’00” Discusses outings from the school on the weekends including Robinson Point

41’00” Talks about picking roots as her job; recalls that the boys and girls were separated at the school; noted you would be spanked if you talked to a boy at the school; sexual interest shown between the girls and boys

44’00” Bridget asks about the girls experiences with menstruation – Bridget recalls a conversation ‘years ago’ when Bridget brought out a girl from India and that girls in India had to be separated when menstruating; Mary John notes that native girls also had to be isolated; it was considered an unclean time. It was the native belief that if a girl/woman had handled the meat/food for preparation during menstruating, it was considered bad luck for the hunters so the girls/woman were isolated from the community during that time of month.

51’00” Mary John herself did not believe in this custom. So there was a sense of relief when menopause came

End of that session Then tape starts again
51’05” Bridget notes it must have been difficult to talk to boys after boy-girl separation at Lejac; notes she was too shy to talk to boys

54’00” Bridget asks her to talk about her (Mary John’s) ancestors
Her Mother was Angele Quaw; her grandmother was known as ‘Six Mile Mary’

58’00” Bridget refers to a tape that she did many years ago with Granny Seymour and that Mary John may be able to make out some of the recording; Mary John notes that her mother was born in 1900; had Mary when she was only 13 with older man

61’00” Mary John talks about her biological father; had difficult relationship with him; he didn’t want a relationship as father-daughter

64’00” Mary talks about her mother’s marriage to Johnnie Paul at age 17; and they moved to Stoney Creek; they had 6 children; her mother died in 1934 in child birth.

68’00” Mary’s mother’s husband had died a month before she did; Johnnie Paul and James Antoine died at the same time from drinking bad home brew

71’00” Talks about taking care of her siblings after her mother’s death from childbirth

72’00” Talks about Johnnie Paul being a trapper and having a trap line at Stoney Creek

74’00” They discuss Mary John’s mother and grandmother genealogy; Quaw family of Fort George

78’00” Bridget asks her what her early memories would have been of Stoney Creek; Mary recalls tending to her mother during the flu epidemic. Recalls people being buried in blankets; too many people and no time to build coffins. Recalls Father Cocola and Lejac again.

84’00” Mary recalls going to their family hunting grounds at Cluculz Lake in September to hunt; use tents to stay in while hunting; stayed there about a month to hunt/snare animals. Recalls having a shack at Wedgewood in the winter where her step-father worked for the logging contractor.

89’00” begins to talk about memories of Wedgewood

End of tape

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

Scope and Content: Continuation of Accession #2008.3.1.211.1 - Tape #1 & 2

00’02” Mary John continues to discuss their winter camp at Wedgewood; recalls being by herself in the shack; describes the camp; stove; and baking bannock

4’00” Mary describes winter at Wedgewood ; then would return to Stoney Creek

5’00” Mary describes Christmas; they never had turkey, a Christmas tree or presents because they had little money. Yet everyone came together and went to church

11’00”-16’00” Mary shows Bridget how to tan hides and use of oils for tanning and talks about teaching her children how to tan hides and talks about her children

16’00”-20’00” recalls more of how long they would stay at Wedgewood; talks about the village c.1930s; and the Indian Agent

20’00”-22’00” Bridget asks Mary about cases of tuberculosis; how many cases there were in the early days; she recalls working for one white woman and she bought a coat with a fur collar that costs $13.00; also working for Mrs. Silver c.1927

23’00” Bridget asks her about their camp in Vanderhoof; Mary recalls they camped in tents when they went to Prince George; many times went by horse.

24’00”-26’00” Marcy recalls traveling to Shelley for a potlatch and to put up a tombstone for a relative; and then traveling to Fort George. Mary describes traveling to Shelley to the Indian Reserve at one time for a week; memories of people and relatives there and at Fort George

27’00”-28’00” Bridget asks her about the purpose of a potlatch; She describes that it is somewhat of a “gathering” same as for white people, Bridget notes a potluck supper. Mary describes food at a potlatch; memories of people and relatives at Shelley

30’00”-36’00” Mary states she married Lazare John on June 11, 1929 when she was 16 years old; Mary describes the wedding; and the watchman arranging the wedding. She explains that the watchman was like a councilor who looks after the wedding; a heredity chief appoints them (Bridget mentions her tape recorder had been stolen so is asking again about when they were married). Says she did not know her husband before her wedding. Mary talks about her husband’s family; and also her thoughts about getting married so young and with no knowledge of men.

36’00”-37’00” Briefly talks about her thoughts on sex

38’00”-41’00” Talks about early married life with in-laws close-by; no privacy

42’00”-44’00” Talks about racial problems she experienced; her father was a white man

44’00”-46’00” Living conditions for Mary John; poor relationship with mother-in-law; Mary wanted to have her own house

End of tape

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

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

Audiocassette Summary

Side 1
0’02” Improvements within the Department of Indian Affairs; she notes that Indian Affairs was tricking the band. The Indian Agent took a logging contract away from Mary John’s son Ernie because he refused to pay the rate that they wanted in stumpage fees

4’00” Mary John recalls when the community started to speak up against Department of Indian Affairs about 1942. She recalls the Elders Society and the Indian Homemakers Association. She explains that the Elders Society supports the preservation of the Indian culture and arts/crafts; which involves set up of activities including summer camps; showing youths how to use fishing and hunting tools and recreation tools. Bridget asks about Elders involved in the Society.

13’00” Mary talks about teaching Indian language at the school for the youths and also teaching previously in the village for the children yet none of the children continue to speak their language today. But now with parents speaking at home it’s difficult to have them continue to speak their language

16’00” Bridget asks Mary to recall the time when she was named Citizen of the Year in Vanderhoof in 1978. Mary shows Bridget the award and recalls that they ‘had a big dinner’ for her. Mary notes it was a surprise, Mrs. Campbell brought her there – Mary John recalls that she didn’t have a speech planned

19’00” Bridget asks her to explain about the tanning of hides. Mary explains the process from the time of the shooting of the moose; fleshing and scraping of the hide. She explains how to use the knife on the hide so you can see the tissues of the skin. Then Mary turns over the hide to the hair side and shaves off the hair on the hide and then shows Bridget how it is scraped. They discuss the blade and how it is sharp. She explains it is then washed many times to clean the blood off and then it is stretched. She explains it is then spread with oil/ possibly fish oil – the whole hide is oiled up and then left about a week to dry. Then once dry you use another scraper to ensure it is soft. She notes it is a lot of hard work and time to complete. They then talk about smoking of the hides and Mary shows Bridget hides that she had made herself. Mary explains that the Elders have a class for the youths to show them how to tan hides.

29’00” Bridget asks Mary about the last potlatch held. Mary explains what a potlatch is and when it is viewed as a pay-out. A potlatch is thrown to pay back another clan for a service or a kindness that was done to them. She talks about potlatches for deceased persons; and how clans host potlatches. She talks about the foods prepared at a potlatch. Mary recalls “it can cost thousands of dollars” and notes plans in progress for the next potlatch to be held in August in Stoney Creek.

36’00” Recalls when potlatches were made illegal – recalls gifts she received years before at potlatches and ‘that someone benefits from it’ Years ago hides and dried goods were given out. Potlatches started up again in about 1934 and they held a potlatch for her mother when she died.

40’00” Mary explains there are two clans at Stoney Creek – the Frog and the Grouse; she explains that you don’t marry within your own clan.

45’00” Recalls the death of some of her relatives

End of Side 1

Side 2
45’02” Mary talks about her siblings who are still alive

48’00” Talks about the preparation and setting of nets in canoes for fishing

52’00” notes people like to be called native – not Indian

52’30” Bridget asks Mary what she thinks that has changed that is good? She thinks that the good things are better homes, electricity, cars, education, transportation and better roads. She fears there isn’t as much closeness as there was years ago among families – now people sit at home and watch TV. “People use to do things together – they don’t anymore.” Mary points out that another good thing is that people now get pensions.

56’00 Mary John speaks about her sewing business that she now has and the making of mukluks and moccasins

57’00 Bridget recalls bringing her Mother to Stoney Creek Reserve c.1954 and her mother noting her poor life in Ireland and recalling the poor people she saw on the reserve at that time and telling Bridget she had to help those people

59’00 they both refer to poor services done by the Department of Indian Affairs in the 1950s

End of tape

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

Audiocassette Summary

Context: Recording is the continuation of earlier sessions by Bridget and Mary John talking about her life – appears to continue on from the other tape sessions numbered to #8 [Accession # 2008.3.1.211.4]

Side 1: “Mary John #9”
0’05” Bridget interviews Mary John and asks about Mary John’s grandmother who lived at the reserve at Fort George. Mary notes that her grandmother was sent back to Fort George and then to Stoney Creek after husband died. Her Grandmother remarried; she died in the 1950s. Mary talks about her grandmother’s marriage with Za (Jean) Paul – that was not an arranged marriage; her Grandmother “she had a hard life”

4’00” – 7’30” Mary Johns’ mother married Johnny Paul – not arranged; Mary notes that she was born in Fort George. Mary lived with her Grandmother Ann on reserve in Fort George. Mary then talks about her sister Bella – who married Mike Ketlo (sp?) and their children. She died of tuberculosis in the 1950s.

7’40” Bridget asks about the Mission School in Fort St. James – near the church “that is on Mission land” Which is where the village originally started. They talk about the church’s history briefly.

9’00”-14’00” Bridget asks Mary about her schooling at Lejac – Mary says they had reading, writing, arithmetic, penmanship and history. There was no science taught. Mary then describes the routine at Lejac. Doing chores and then breakfast at about 7:30 and then did cleaning chores in the dormitories. Then they attended their classes; then lunch, then played outside and then came back for sewing or embroidery, knitting and then back in classes until 4:00pm. Mary describes recreation – swimming, playing in the field, chores – pulling roots/stumps etc. Bridget talks about Joanne (Fiske?) thesis on the distinction between native boys and native girls’ activities and education at the residential school and that it enabled them to go to work in the hospitals and offices but that the farming education that was taught to the boys didn’t help them as there was no agriculture on the reserves. Mary notes she was ‘teachers pet’ as she had music lessons for singing. Mary notes she didn’t do anything in the kitchen but took mail to the post office and looking after the office for the Mother Superior. She feels she learned ‘the basics’ [but] then they ‘kicked you out at 16’

15’00” Bridget asks about the differences in disciplining methods of children – she notes that it is not part of Indian culture to spank children. She notes it is part of her husband’s sisters to discipline her children – not her or her husband’s duty

17’00” Mary talks about the residents at Stoney Creek who objected to school at Lejac because of harsh disciplinary methods used with their children

18’00” Mary talks briefly about the food at Lejac and speaks briefly to another unidentified woman [Sabrina?] in the room about food preparation [canning?]

19’50” Bridget asks about the Stoney Creek residents who wanted to have a school at the village in the 1950s and wanted their children to go to school there.

20’00” Mary speaks briefly about Father Coccola and that he did the negotiation about the move of the people from the reserve at Fort George to Shelley and about some compensation acquired by the residents. Bridget notes he ‘did not do a favour to the Indians’ – Mary notes that they were forced to leave ‘very illegal’

22’00” Mary speaks again about Father Coccola who could be ‘a very strict man’ but who took care of the people when they were sick and dying

23’00” Mary talks about another priest (unidentified) that she really liked who gave her a job c.1935 when she and her husband cleared land for Lejac and the priest treated them really well. She thinks he was from the Yukon as he had gold nuggets

25’00” Mary talks about her children going to Lejac in the 1950’s

26’00” Bridget talks about a social worker who came to Stoney Creek in c.1955 and Bridget was asked to come out by the Indian Agent to investigate what was the issue. This social worker was scared of being on the reserve; Mary thinks this woman had marital problems and drank a lot

28’00” Mary talks about the Day school operating c.1951 for a short time and the kids were bussed back and forth; other kids ‘orphans’ went to Lejac (lived there)

Tape is poor after this; noise with squeals and recording is faster

29’00” Mary talks about her children (Helen and the boys) not liking Lejac. She notes that one of the boys didn’t like it ‘but didn’t complain’ about it. She notes that ‘no one would talk about it’ “the whole village would be silent” when they left; and the children would be crying.

30’00”-33’00” Bridget asks Mary to discuss her wedding in more detail – Bridget notes that she already has on tape about the wedding night itself but asks for more information about the wedding day. Mary begins to talk about the wedding; there was a Mass, the guests and there was a band….

Tape is unintelligible after this; recording is broken up with interference and then there is no recording End of side 1

Side 2 “Mary John #10”
This side of the cassette has no recording

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

Audiocassette Summary
Context: Tape recording is an interview between Bridget and Mary John in which Bridget initially asks Mary John about events after the inquest into Coreen Thomas’s death. Bridget notes also that she wants to provide an update on Mary John’s life 10 years after the inquest.

Side 1
00’05” Bridget asks Mary John about her role in the Coreen Thomas inquest. Mary thinks that she discovered Coreen’s death due to the ringing of the church bells [to announce a death]. She tries to recall the series of events leading up to her time being involved in getting an inquest. Recalls Sophie Thomas’ desire to have an inquest into her death

6’00” -10’00” She recalls that the [Indian] Homemakers Association became involved in attempting to get an inquest. She says ‘she was just tagging along with it …I was not a fighter” Bridget notes that Harry Rankin stayed at Helen’s house when he represented the Homemakers Association at the inquest. Bridget recalls the ‘marvellous’ dinner that was put on for them at the time of the inquest by Mary John and Helen. Mary John notes it was at the invitation of the Homemakers Association for the group to come to her house.

10’:00”-14’00” Bridget and Mary talk about follow-up to the inquest and Coreen’s family.

14’50”- 25’00” Mary talks about her involvement as well as others in the creation of the Elders Society after the death of Mary’s son due to drowning in 1978. The Society had workshops in an effort to revive their culture with the hope of having the younger generations take pride in their culture. One of the activities was the building of the Potlatch House in 1980 where they did traditional activities including tanning of hides.Talks about acquiring the land to build the potlatch house and having the Chief take care of getting the land from BCR; the Society cleared the land twice over to set up the house. Mary explains that the Society acquired funding of $93,000.00 from ARDA [?] to clear the land from the logs and build the house.

26’00”-30’00” Mary talks about a new project that the Society has to build 10 rental tourist cabins as a business for the youth to operate. Bridget suggests it could be similar to that at K’san. Mary also explains that there is a cook-house at the Potlatch House as well and that it has been used for community events, weddings, dinners, organizational events also.

Tape stops momentarily and starts again

30’05”- 36’00” Mary talks about the drowning of her son and finding of his body in 1978 as well as other tragedies that happened in the community which led to the creation of the Elders Society to assist the youth

36’30” -39’30” Mary talks about the joys of finally having her own house and the building of the house

39’32” -42’40” Mary talks about the organizations that she is involved in now. She talks about a film made in the community about social workers coming in the community to work with Elders to care for issues related to youth. She notes that ‘that’s when the ice broke’ and it made a difference.

43’00” She talks about a dinner that she holds every year for the police officers to thank them for the service they do for society

43’30” Talks about fishing at Fraser Lake

44’00” -46’00” Mary talks about her work now at her house to teach the youth about their culture: making of baskets, moccasins, tanning of hides

End of side 1

Side 2
46’30”-48’00” Mary continues to talk about the activities that she does with native youth to educate them about their culture

48’50” Bridget asks about whether the youth are involved in tree-planting and asks another woman in the room (Bernice?)

50’00” – 56’00” Bridget asks what her three wishes are for her people: better lives; more education for the young people to have better jobs; they need to get out to the white world and not be so isolated; she refers to when she worked in ‘the white world’ She talks about the isolation of the reserve and yet the protection that it offers to the people as well. Bridget and Mary talk about the reserve offering a way to protect the native culture. Bridget asks why it is important to protect their culture. Mary notes their culture is so important; she notes that other cultures like Japan and China haven’t lost their culture so why should the natives.

56’05” Mary notes that none of the grandchildren speak Carrier and the need to protect their culture and language when being surrounded by a white community. Refers to her grandson Fabian who is in the room

57’00” Bridget recalls a Fort St. James woman who tried to keep native kids out of white schools. She wanted them to be kept on the reserve so that they didn’t lose their culture. She talks about the fight by many to get their native status back – those whose one parent is not native

58’00” Mary talks about her worries for the young native people in the community who fear they have no future and who have no employment or education.

End of tape

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

Audiocassette Summary
Scope and Content: Tape consists of a recording of Bridget interviewing Mary John primarily about her visit to the former native village site of Cheslatta

Side 1
Interview in process

00’05” Bridget interviews Mary John, Mary is referring to Madeline her niece.

1’00” Bridget asks Mary what made her decide to go to Cheslatta – to see the site where she had lived. Bridget asks if it was a ‘rediscovery’ trip. Bridget asks if this is where the village was burned out and flooded out [by Kemano development] Mary talks about her son Ernie wanting to go there and create a territorial hunting ground. She talks about going there with her niece Madeline and Alex

8’40” Mary explains how they got to Cheslatta; the travel there was by van through Francois Lake and via logging roads; it took about hour and half drive

11’00” Mary explains it was not the village that had been flooded that they went to; not the original village; she notes there was a campsite set up for them but it was cold at night. There were people there from Stellaco, about 75 total. She describes making bannock on a stick over the fire ‘the real bannock’ for the youth – like an “Indian pizza” (she laughs)

16’00” Mary continues to talk about the activities that she did at Cheslatta; show the youth how to fish, spear fish, clean fish, cut in strips and smoke the fish. There was no smokehouse but they created a lean- to and smoked the fish. Mary also notes another day Mary and Madeline took the youth to the bush and talked to them about uses of trees –

22’00”-20’25” Mary describes the steps involved with showing the youth at the Cheslatta camp how to collect spruce in order to build a smoke house for smoking the fish

29’30” Mary discusses food that she prepared for the gathering for the people

31’00” Mary talks about the group visiting the old village Cheslatta after the gathering

Mary then leaves to attend to a crying baby [a great-grand-child?]; they greet the mother

33’00” Bridget refers to a group of kids she talked to at Kamloops about their book Stoney Creek Woman. Bridget tells Mary she has letters written to Mary John by several students who had read Bridget’s book that she wants to show her

36’00” They continue to talk about the former Cheslatta village and what the former village residents want to do about the village; Mary notes there are archaeologists working there. Mary states the people have not yet received compensation for being taken off their land. Bridget notes those people loss their sense of community

38’31” Mary remarks the people at Cheslatta “have a good chief” “very humble person”

39’40” Bridget asks Mary about the Lejac pilgrimage. Mary then talks about the pilgrimage that is held at Lejac and that she had just been there ‘on Sunday night’; she notes it is arranged by Celina; she notes there were Tache people there. Bridget asks if there are children buried at Lejac and Mary notes there are children and students buried there – about 15 to 20 buried there.

43’00” They briefly discuss if this was a rediscovery for the Cheslatta people at the event. Mary agrees; she notes she stayed there for 10 days; Bridget remarks it was similar to Mary’s former camp of what she had experienced at Wedgewood. They talk about Mary’s son Ernie and that he has in Bridget’s view ‘leadership qualities”

45’30” Bridget asks about getting a bannock recipe for a Senior’s cookbook. Mary begins to tell the recipe

Side 2
47’40” Mary continues to show Bridget how to make bannock

50’00” Mary briefly refers to the event at Cheslatta again

End of tape

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

Audiocassette Summary

00’05” Bridget is interviewing Mary John who discusses a potlatch held at Stoney Creek that Bridget attended. Bridget asks about the talking stick and she asks Mary John to explain its significance. Mary explains there had been a naming ceremony about a year ago and that a woman named Maisie had changed clans from her mother to her father’s clan. Mary notes while this is unusual, her father’s only son had died and therefore requested that the daughter changed clans. At this ‘September potlatch’ therefore this woman had to change tables at the potlatch.

04’00” Mary explains the context of the September Potlatch. She notes that Maisie had hosted this potlatch to pay back for the gifts that had been provided for her from a year ago when she received a new name. They then discuss the amount of money that the host gave to the guests and the amount of money that is normally provided – there is no particular amount ‘whatever you wish’ Mary notes she had provided Maisie with a gift last year of $100 but that Maisie gave her back $200 – that is not required – there is no required amount

07’30” Mary explains that at a potlatch you are expected to bring a case or few bags of food

08’00” Mary discusses the type of food provided at a potlatch; it is traditional food not western food; Bridget notes there was caribou provided there. Mary explains that the host of a potlatch asks people to hunt for moose and deer meat in order to prepare for the food to be served. Bridget then talks about the food that was served and Mary notes it included also fish and beaver.

11’00” Bridget asks Mary to talk about the gifts given to her daughter Flo at the potlatch in exchange for a loan she provided to another woman whose husband had died a year before. Bridget notes it was a ‘touching’ moment.

12’00” Mary talks about the Priest ‘Father Brian’ who was at the potlatch. Four clans collected money and gave it to the priest for his work [missionary work?]

15’07” Mary explains the situation of Geraldine Thomas –that at the potlatch she was not seated before; that is she was not initiated before and so she was seated at the potlatch

15’57” Tape stops momentarily

16’09” Mary continues to talk about Geraldine and the potlatch events; the significance of the tapping of the talking stick; then she was seated and guests give her gifts. Then Mary talks about Ernie and her late daughter Helen who also wanted to cross their clan but that Mary ‘did not let her go’

20’00” Mary talks about the feelings of a child who gives up their clan and that it is like ‘giving up one of your children’ as Celina noted to Bridget at the event.

21’00” Mary talks about her son Ernie who crossed over to his father’s clan and that he was gifted at the potlatch

22’00” Bridget then notes that at this potlatch that the Frog Clan became host of the Grouse clan at this potlatch. Mary explains that the clan then had debts to pay at this potlatch.

26’00” Mary talks about the death of Stoney Creek members; she is unsure when there will be another potlatch in Stoney Creek.

28’00” Bridget notes that she did not understand the ceremony as it was in Carrier language; however Bridget notes it is a pity the white world doesn’t see potlatches as they are ‘so touching’

31’00” Mary explains that each clan takes care of the deceased family members and takes care of putting up the headstone

32’00” Tape ends abruptly

File consists of recorded audio interviews:

• Interview: James McCallum (Tape 1), prior to 1983; possibly 1979 or 1980
• Interview: James McCallum (Tape 2), prior to 1983; possibly 1979 or 1980
• Interview: “A Child’s Christmas in Saskatchewan”, December 1980
• Interview: Recording of Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, post February 1958; c.1958-c.1960 [?]
• Interview: Mrs. Thompson [sp?] Interview, 16 April 1981
• Interview: “Where Winds Come Sweet”, April 13, 1981

Audio recording consists of an interview by Bridget Moran with James McCallum recalling his life, first in Scotland, then Montana and then as a wheat farmer in Success, Saskatchewan. McCallum (1891-1983) served on several community organizations including delegate of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool (1938-1944) and director (1944-63). James McCallum died January 9, 1983 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan age 91.

Audiocassette Summary

• McCallum family moved from rural Scotland to Montana and later Success, Saskatchewan. James McCallum born in Scotland – Nov 12, 1891
• James’ family left Scotland c.1899 via the ship “Caledonia” and came to Montana
• In 1904 his father decided to move the family
• Recalls living in Montana
• Recalls night at the Shaw farm in Montana with horse thieves the night his brother Allan was born
• Discusses trek to Saskatchewan arriving first in Swift Current, Saskatchewan;
• Homesteaded in Success [District], Saskatchewan
• Family’s land was Government land
• Moved from homestead to another farm
• Recalls his schooling; public school in Scotland; private school in Canada
• Talks about ranching
• Discusses income of family
• Describes types of farm machinery and combines; walking plow
• Talks about boundaries for land – no fences etc.
• Provides memories of families from the community
• Recalls memories of his mother managing household on farm
• Recalls work with threshing groups
• Recalls beginning of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool to ensure farmers received fair payment for sale of their wheat
• Recalls attending meetings as delegate for the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture; meetings held in various locales from Montreal to Vancouver

End of tape

Audio recording consists of an interview by Bridget Moran with James McCallum recalling his life, first in Scotland, then Montana and then as a wheat farmer in Success, Saskatchewan. McCallum (1891-1983) served on several community organizations including delegate of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool (1938-1944) and director (1944-63). James McCallum died January 9, 1983 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan age 91.

Audiocassette Summary

• Recalls Success neighbours; Frazer [sp?] a family immigrated from Russia
• Recalls father dying at age 96
• James and his wife Sadie moved into the elder McCallum family homestead in 1962
• Recalls first date with wife in 1912 at dance; famous storm same night killed people in Regina
• Recalls playing violin at dances with Jack Pickett
• Bridget asks his memories of the Drugan family [Bridget’s; James recalls when his wife Sadie and Bridget’s mother became friends. Bridget used to stay with Sadie’s mother.
• Recalls medical facilities in early years; recalls father having blood poisoning and being attended by [the elder] Dr. Graham

End of tape

Audio recording consists of a CBC radio show produced in Regina, Saskatchewan broadcasting a recording of Bridget Moran’s story entitled “A Child’s Christmas in Saskatchewan”. The unidentified male radio announcer introduces Moran’s story noting it is based on her memories of Christmas as a child in rural Saskatchewan c.1920s with her family. The male announcer notes that Moran “now lives in Prince George.” The story “A Child’s Christmas in Saskatchewan” is read by broadcaster Lorna Jackson.

Audiocassette Summary

• Jackson reads the story. Bridget provides memories of receiving the Eaton’s and Simpson’s catalogues and Christmas gifts by postal mail
• Moran’s Dad delivered the mail for a few extra dollars
• Moran recalls the Christmas concert; plays; carols, and the supper dance
• Moran recalls memories of sharing Christmas dinner with the Wright’ family who were Protestant Irish farmers

Audio recording consists of speeches and related forum questions at a public forum in Canada (Ottawa?) in post-WWII period. Speaker refers to this as the “post-McCarthy era”. The MC notes that the “CND” founders are on a speaking tour in the U.S., so it is possible this recording is a component of that tour. Speeches appear to be by Canon L. John Collins & Diana Collins who were both organizers of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, an organization founded in 1958, which by 1960 was the largest mass movement in Britain. The CND organizers included philosopher Bertrand Russell, and chair of the Campaign was Canon L. John Collins and his wife Diana Collins. John & Diana Collins speak on the state of protest groups for nuclear disarmament in Britain, U.S. and Canada. The end of forum includes a political motion that the campaign for nuclear disarmament in Canada will renew itself to approach politicians to oppose arms development in Canada whether at home or abroad.

Audiocassette Summary
Side 1
00’01” -4’06” recording starts in progress with speaker possibly Cannon John Collins, chairman of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

4’07-11’25” recording of woman, possibly Mrs. [John] Diana Collins of the CND; answering question from audience on how to stop nuclear war from happening

11’26-21’39” continued speeches; includes position of [Anglican?] church on nuclear disarmament and position of the Canadian Peace Institute

21’40-24’31” motion on nuclear disarmament in Canada; passed.

Audio recording is of an interview that Bridget Moran conducts with a Mrs. Thompson held in Success, Saskatchewan. Mrs. Thompson talks about municipal politics in the rural town of Success, Saskatchewan when Jimmie (her husband?) was on the Council. Most of the interview relates to Mrs. Thompson’s account of the marital and domestic life Alfie (Guy?) who was another town councilor and known as a local poet.

Audiocassette Summary
Side 1

00’05” Moran asks Mrs. Thompson about the time that Jimmie (her husband?) was on the Council in Success. She recalls when her husband joined the Municipal Council and notes it was for 6-7 years; c.1960s. Bridget asks her to explain the conflict between Jimmie and Alfie (Guy?) who was also on the Success Municipal Council. Bridget refers to Alfie and how he wrote books of poetry.

04’00” Mrs. Thompson recalls Jimmie joining the Council at the time of the municipal conflict about the selling of the Sports ground and that was the time that Colleen [?] also joined the Council. Mrs. Thompson recalls getting involved in the dispute and that she encouraged the community’s women to vote on the issue of this, as well as the assessment role and taxation dispute. Notes that the town was divided “into two camps” on the issue. Also talks about the other issues that Jimmie became involved in including need to better roads in the town.

14’00” Bridget asks her about Alfie and him being a poet. Mrs. Thompson talks about Alfie returning to town after World War II and about his relationship with his first wife Lil. They eventually divorce and he remarried three more times. Most of this section is about his relationship with his second wife.

25’00” Mrs. Thompson notes that Alfie is still alive and is in his 80’s and still writes poetry. She recounts one poem he wrote entitled ‘Town of Purple Gas’ and provides an account of how he was inspired to write this – someone in town was putting an unknown substance in the gas that turned it purple… Bridget notes he was ‘quite the character.’

End of Tape

Audio recording consists of Bridget Moran reading chapter excerpts from her manuscript “Where Words Come Sweet” [later title of manuscript is “The Horizontal Land” which tells the tale of the Doonan family, Kate who Bridget notes “developed as a volatile woman, quick to anger, quick to tears” and her husband Charlie, a “classic quiet Irishman, in fact, rather like my own father” and their children who emigrate to the South Saskatchewan River country in September 1924. As Moran describes in a letter “in short, my novel is a rather light-hearted, hopefully, authentic look at the Saskatchewan of 1924. I was at pains to avoid the dust storm-grasshopper-flat terrain syndrome, and instead to portray the beauty of south Saskatchewan as I knew it, the wonderful blend of ethnic groups, and the richness in character of the people who have lived there.”

Audiocassette Summary
Side 1
Title: Where Words Come Sweet #1

Scope and Content: Bridget Moran reads a chapter from her story entitled “Where Words Come Sweet”. The account of the Doonan family – Charlie and Kate and their children living in the pre-Depression era on the Canadian Prairies

• Kate immerses herself in the Catholic church and its rituals
• Priest Father Boncoeur talks about generosity of those who donate to the Church
• Charlie has difficulty with the Church asking for money same as in Ireland and leaves the Church because of it;
• Conflict between Charlie & Kate regarding religion
• Prairie winter blizzard described
• End of chapter

In this audio segment Bridget reads excerpt from Chapter 17 “Hail Mary, Full of Grace” which provides the account of Father Duroc who Bridget notes in the chapter synopsis “reads out the contributors and the contributions to the church, leading to war in the Doonan household.” And of Kate’s immersion in the Catholic faith and its rituals

Side 2
Title: Where Winds Come Sweet #2

Scope & Content: Bridget Moran explains that the inspiration for the title of the manuscript, Where Winds Come Sweet was derived from a poem by Pauline Johnson – Harvest Time. Bridget proceeds to read the poem. Then Bridget describes the main characters and provides a brief synopsis: The story of an Irish Catholic family, the Doonans, who came from Ireland, originally to Ontario and then to the South Saskatchewan River country in 1924. Bridget describes the characters: Kate & Charlie Doonan, and their kids: Kevin, Patty, Mick, Bridie, Mary, and J.T. She also describes two other characters Barney and Gladys Mullins– caretakers. Bridget reads a version of the chapter “The Teacher Cometh” – noted on audio recording as Chapter 7 [in a later version of this manuscript from November 1981 this chapter is Chapter 14]. The chapter describes the coming of a school teacher Miss Doris Sutton who makes life difficult for the residents – specifically the women folk as the men in the community come to be enamoured with her. This chapter describes how Kate overcomes her dislike for the teacher Miss Sutton, how she spends a weekend with the Doonans and how they become friends.

Bridget then provides a synopsis of another chapter that she entitles on the recording as “Unholy Deadlock” In a later version of the manuscript from November 1981 this chapter is entitled “Give Us This Day” Chapter 16 and describes how Father Duroc arrives in the community in January 1925 and stays with the French Canadian family the Bouchard’s]

In the next audio segment Bridget reads excerpt from Chapter 17 “Hail Mary, Full of Grace” which provides the account of Father Duroc who Bridget notes in the chapter synopsis “reads out the contributors and the contributions to the church, leading to war in the Doonan household.”