COLORFUL ANCESTOR FROM FAMILY TREESuzette Castel graduated from Brandon University on May 2001 with a Bachelor of Education 4-year degree. She moved with her family for a short period of time to finish her university education and then she moved back home. Teaching a grade one class at the Sakastew School in the community is what she does now. She has two daughters named Barbara and Cindy and one son named Darian, unfortunately she lost two daughters shortly after giving birth. On October 1, 1998 she married her childhood sweetheart with 12 bridesmaids and 12 groomsmen standing with them. Suzette is the first to receive a university degree in my family and we are all very proud of her accomplishments.
A WORD PICTURE OF A PERSON I SEE EVERYDAYThe person that I see everyday is my mother. When I go to her house to visit her we usually sit around the table drinking tea and eating bannock talking about the day's events. When I walk into her house she is usually doing something like baking bannock, sewing, or washing clothes. There are rare times when I see her just lying around doing nothing; she's always on the move. When I see her sitting around playing or talking with the children it reminds me of how much my mother is a loving person and that my family and I are very fortunate to have her around.
A photo that means very much to me is a picture of my grandmother, my mother, my uncle, and my auntie's. We had the family gathering at my grandmothers' house here in Pukatawagan. The photo is from a family reunion we had for the Linklater family; also, it was a memorial for my late grandfather Joseph Linklater. This was the time that I got to see family members I haven't seen in months some even years, family members came from Saskatchewan, British Columbia and down south for this special occasion. They live in other parts of the country so that they could get their education and some relocated to make a better life for themselves and their families. The photo reminds me of how fortunate I am to have a large family.
A PHOTO THAT MEANS VERY MUCH TO MEDue to the lack of recreational activities in our community for the youth, there has been a steady rise in suicidal attempts, some were successful and others weren't. Shouldn't something be done very soon before we lose another one of our future leaders? The youth of this community get bored, boredom leads to alcohol and drugs, alcohol and drugs lead to depression and depression leads to self-infliction of some sort. Where the youth get the alcohol and drugs is a question we all know because they get them from bootleggers and drug dealers. Why the bootleggers and drug dealers sell to minors is a question that we all don't understand. We can't keep an eye out on the youth for twenty-four hours a day, but we could help by keeping them busy during the day and some late evenings so, before we think of our needs let's think about the needs of our younger generation. So the question that we ask is what are the people of our community going to do before this problem gets way out of proportion? Through time, effort, and support for one another we can begin to have much healthier lifestyles for ourselves, for our children, for our families, and for our community.
LETTER TO EDITOR ABOUT A MORAL PROBLEM IN OUR COMMUNITY
PERSONAL LETTER TO PENPAL TRYING TO
CONVINCE HIM THAT PUKATAWAGAN IS A WONDERFUL PLACE TO VISITDear Penpal,
The best time of the year if you ever want to visit Pukatawagan would be during the winter or summer festivals. Don't get me wrong, visiting Pukatawagan any time of the year would be a treat. During the winter we get to ski-doo around the countryside and if you really want to have fun, go on a sleigh tied to the back of the ski-doo. Sliding is another fun activity to do especially if you go with quite a few friends and if your too lazy to walk back up the hill then there is the ski-doo that could take you back up.
Ice fishing is also another great activity to do; it gets very exciting when the fish start to bite. Sitting around the hole in the ice talking and having some hot tea with friends is a very memorable experience. During the winter games there are a whole lot of different activities going on; also, people from different communities come down to participate. Whenever you get tired or bored of Pukatawagan and you want to leave in a hurry then just get on your vehicle and go down the winter road. So come on down and visit us soon!
Good-bye,
GeorgeA gathering that I really enjoy every year is Christmas. All my immediate family members usually gather at my parents' house after church to have the supper and open the gifts. The look of joy and happiness on the children's faces is a sight that I will never forget. Sitting around the table chatting with my brothers and sisters is a treat for me since this is the time of the year when all my brothers and sisters are in one house together with their children. After the supper and all the gifts are open there is
FAMILY GATHERING
a very big mess that has to be cleaned up, so everybody does there fair share in helping with the cleaning. Another Christmas has come to and end but the memories will be with us for another year to come.
ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE SONGSBARBARA DUMAS
Beautiful Rose by Barbara A. Dumas / Marlene Dumas
"Dedicated to my sister Rose, who passed away years ago from Breast cancer. My main interest is to sing gospel music. My parents both sang for the church and other church functions. The encouragement to sing comes from them."This piece of music means something to me because the person that it is dedicated to is a person that I saw while I was growing up. We lived in the same neighborhood at the Bronx and I grew up with her daughter Pearl Gott, today we are still in contact and are very good friends.
Some of our community members have taken up the ceremonial traditions of dancing. It has been many years since our community members took up taditional dancing and singing. The traditional ways have been for gone for many years and today one could see the rebirth of these traditions: traditional dancing, traditional singing, and traditional medicine. I am proud to say that natives of Pukatawagan are participating in pow-wows throughout Manitoba and abroad. It only takes a few to revive what was once lost and bring it back to our people. We will have to see if the next generation is willing to stand strong and to lead future the generations into our traditional way of life; therefore, we must teach the next generation the importance of being a human being. Most importantly we must teach them the importance of being a proud native. We are a strong people,
PUKATAWAGAN TRADITIONS
we are a strong nation let us keep it that way for our future.The high cost of living in the north is a burden to the people who live there. For example, an average cost for a family to purchase groceries in a southern community would run about $300.00 dollars for a family of four. For a family living up north purchasing groceries at their local grocery store the cost would exceed about $1000.00 per month. An example such as this is proof that our government should consider raising family supplements for northern residents living in Canada.
IMPORTANT ISSUE:
HIGH COSTS IN AN ISOLATED NORTHERN COMMUNITYDear: Mr. Politician
BUSINESS LETTERMathias Colomb Cree Nation is willing to establish outposts along the Churchill River area in the Pukatawagan reserve and the Highrock valley. We are willing to provide to outside guests the opportunity to explore our countryside and to enjoy the outdoors. The money they spend here in Pukatawagan is for the possibility for future developments. We will provide our guests with guided tours and excellent lodging facilities, so they can enjoy their stay here with us. Our packages will include guided tours for guests wanting to photograph wildlife as well as fish within the lakes and rivers of our territory. This economic venture will succeed if given the support from your office, all that we require is your support and money.
Sincerely,
Tourism office of PukatawaganOne day a hunter was on his way home when he noticed that someone was creeping up on him. When he looked back he saw what he perceived to be a saskwatch. When the saskwatch became more visible the hunter started running as fast as he could. He ran so fast that he could here his own heart beating. Then he came upon rapids; he stared at the rapids for a few seconds and decided that he would rather fall in rather than be eaten by the saskwatch. So he took one last look behind him and he ran towards the rapids, but to his amazement he had jumped right over. As he stood ontheother side of the falls the saskwatch attempted to do the same but he fell right into the rapids.
TALL TALE
