Hello there! I’m a native Cree from the Mathias Colomb Band of Pukatawagan were I was born and raised and I was taught to respect the land and animals and what ever else that the land provides for us. I was also taught to respect all human beings no matter what the color of skin, and by doing so others will respect you back. I have seven wonderful children and they’re my life, and my spouse Everett who gave me seven loving children. I was born in the summer of 1968, the good thing about celebrating a birthday in the summer time is I get to go out on a boat to a beach and have a big bonfire with my wild and crazy friends and party on. I really don’t know why my parents gave me the name Lorraine I never did ask about the significance of the name chosen for me. In my family I have three brothers, two sisters and numerous nieces and nephews, my special relative is my nephew Carlos he’s such a little darling boy and he knows how special he is to me.I have lived in Puk most of my life till the age of seventeen when I moved to Winnipeg. That’s were I resided and met my spouse, had all my children there at the womens hospital. The only places I have visited so far are Edmonton Alberta but I hope that I can take my kids to Disneyland in the near future. Maybe if I happen to get a little stroke of luck I’ll win the lottery.
My hobbies are reading books and doing my usual power walks to the airport and the tunes I usually listen to is country dance mix. I don’t have an instrument of any sort but someday I would like to know how to play a guitar. My favorite movies to watch are comedy and family pics The clothes I usually wear are leggings, t-shirts and sweaters. A favorite food is moose meat stew with bannock and tea. The sports I often play are volleyball and some aerobics. The events I enjoy are the summer and winter games and cultural days and wedding socials.
My three best characteristics are: I’m a very helpful and friendly pleasant person. My three worst are my shyness and nervousness; I worry a lot especially towards my children. The person that played a significant role in my life would be my mother and daughter Chyanne. They both encouraged me to take a big step in life, because there is nothing in this world that can be accomplished if you put your mind to it. My goals are to finish my course and get into the field of helping troubled teens maybe to become a social worker.
That is all I’m going to write about but if you want to know more about my life you know were to come and find me.
DAY 2: DISASTROUS DAY
The most disastrous day that I ever experienced was in the winter of 1985, when I was walking on the ice that was just starting to freeze over on the lake. There was a little boy walking not too far from where I was walking. He waved at me; I waved back at him and he was all happy and content so I kept going on with my walk. Then, without warning, the little boy screamed and yelled for help. I turned around to see what was happening and saw that the little boy had fallen through the ice and was in the freezing cold water. Without thinking I ran toward him and then went flat on my stomach. He was already going down sinking, so I felt for him and sure enough I got a hold of his head of hair. As I pulled him up my heart was pumping like hell. I thought I’d pulled a lifeless little body out of the freezing cold waters but as he came up I could see his eyes moving and looking at me. He was alive and okay and when I took him home he was alert and crying but he was all there. That was my most disastrous and frustrating day and I hope I will never experience this time of day again.
DAY 3.1: THE OTHER DAY
The other day I realized how much my pet dog meant to me after he ran into a vehicle head on and died. My children named our pet dog Tiger he really loved to play and chase after the kids, especially when he knew that a stranger was approaching our property he would bark and come running to our porch. We really had ourselves a good guard dog and I sighed with relief.It reminds me of the time when I was staying at my grandmother's in Edmonton, Alberta as I arrived at the airport my grandmother greeted me with a great big huggable hug and a kiss, I said that I love her and I missed her. She was so exited that I came for a visit, and how long I would be visiting her I told her I’d stay with her for awhile. So when we got to her house she cooked up a whole lot of her famous beefstew. Then after a good meal and washing the dishes we went to the West Edmonton mall did some shopping and we went to the indoor beach, did some swimming sat around and watched all the families, children having fun. My kookoom felt so lonely that she wished all her family and grandchildren would be there with us unfortunately they couldn’t be there with the both of us, then we went for a walk to a near by restaurant sat down had something to eat, then we walked home from the mall to my kookooms house when we both got to the house we were both so exhausted and sweaty I could taste the salty flavor of sweat as it dribbled down onto my lips.
DAY 4: Animal that represents my personality
The animal I choose to represent me is the eagle, because the eagle is such a beautiful animal. It has big bright round eyes and has long sharp claws, it uses to hunt for a prey. And makes her home at the top of the trees made out of twigs and grass so she can lay her eggs and have her little chicks.The eagle is part of my culture a sacred animal to the native people. It uses the feathers for their ceremonial and traditional POW wow dances or we offer the feather as a gift to honor the achievement of the people.
Day 5 Letter from an ancestor
DEAR LORRAINE,
Tansi nosisim. As for myself I’m doing fine, how are my great grandchildren doing I bet their expecting the unexpected as you have when you were just a child. I hope they have a strong will and tackle things the way you use to, I remember when I first taught you how to make your first bannock and it turned out as hard as a board it was so hilarious, but you didn’t give up till you made a perfectly soft bannock I was so proud of you. Then we both tackled with the cleaning of the fishes, rabbits and how to tan a hide, but you did not give up even when you were as clumsy as your father was, all it took was lots of practice and patience. Well my dear grandchild I hope you come for a visit one day and tell me all about my other nosisimak.LOVE ALWAYS
GRANNY HELEN.
Personal conflicts with nature
It was the year 1989 and I happened to be visiting that year when all the boats were drifting out on the lake and all the fishing gear and shacks were on the water due to the flooding caused by the Saskatchewan hydro dam. All the people were in a state of panic and were trying to revive their boats that were out in the lake luckily some of the people took their boats out of the waters with their trailer and helped the others to get their boats to shore and into dry land because we didn’t have a shoreline anymore. But the people eventually got compensated for the lose of their livelihood.
Helpless Southern greenhorns in the north
One day my owner decided to take me for an ice fishing tour to Tait Lake and he didn’t know which direction it wasbut he took off anyway. He followed a snowmobile road and to my surprise we ran out of gas, because he didn’t find this particular lake so he walked on foot and left me behind.
Suspenseful event
It was the year 2000, and it was the time that my spouse, family members and I went to Edmonton Alberta for my daughter Chyanne’s heart surgery. That time was to be a very scary and unexpected moment in my life, my whole world was about to crumbling down on me. Because my daughter, who is my life, was about to go for surgery, she is such a beautiful caring little girl you have to see to believe and I was a nervous wreck.As we arrived at Edmonton we went to our hotel right across from the hospital, there we stayed till it was time to go into the hospital. The time came for us to go. So one of the nurses came for Chyanne and myself to go over the procedure of the surgery and what informed us what to expect and also told us to prepare for the worst.
Then the nurse asked me if I wanted to go with her to the operating room, just to reassure her that mom is there and will be there when she wakes up, so I left her in the operating room and she was crying god it was so heart breaking. Then the waiting begun it was the most devastating moment, I was pacing back and forth for five hours and not knowing what is going on in there, finally it was over the doctor came out and told me everything went well.
Burial tradition
Long ago before any of our generation came about, the people of Pukatawagan made their own coffins out of wood. They had one night of vigil with their departed during which they sang cree hyms and prayed in our cree language. And still to this day it’s almost the same as it was, but the people have requested to extend the one-night vigils to two nights. One night is spent at the home of the departed and another night for the all community members to come for the respect of our dearly departed. On the following third day everyone goes to church for the burial ceremony to put our departed to rest at the community graveyard. There are other burial grounds. One is at High Rock, Lake, MB and there are some marked graves along the shorelines.
Your changing views & tastes
As a child I remember all the violence and destruction that was exposed to the community children and me. It was so hard growing up in that environment. I never had the chance to be myself or just to be a kid as I was always on my guard. But as an adult today I have much to appreciate I have seven loveable children that love me for who and what I am. To top it all I have a second chance to get my education again and I’m going to try my darnest to finish this course and get a diploma. I never had the opportunity to finish up my high school as I was growing due to all the shit that was happening all through my childhood, I’m still dealing with the skeletons in my closet.
Prophesy 40 in years
Forty years from now things will be way better than today with the contamination and the financial problems we seem to be facing at times. And I see a highway with pavement coming through this reserve and a mini mall with a restaurant, a chef of our own and a bank so we won’t have to face with the problem of running out of money all the time like we do today..
Memorable place
My most memorable place was at High, Rock Lake it was were I spend my childhood with both my parents before my father passed on. I remember the times we spend together along with my two little brothers we had such good times just being together as a family. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time I miss having a father he was so loving and a good man he lived for his family even though at times he wasn’t because of alcohol, and that’s what distroyed him and our family.
Colorful ancestor
My colorful ancestor is Arlen Dumas or Ama-thro to those who know him best. He is the only child to Annaliese Dumas my aunt. I chose Arlen as being my colorful ancestor because of what he has accomplished in his short lifetime; he left to attend school out of province at the age of sixteen to attend Lakefield, college where he graduated. Now he’s continuing his education with the aspiration to become a lawyer. My cousin Arlen has overcome much hardship and racism in his short life, all of which he accepted with grace, with a message, to understand and respect eachother, (as part of his traditional teachings). Arlen has a beautiful little boy named star with a condition called cystic fibrosis, I admire my cousin and all he has gone through, he has inspired me and has given me the confidence to continue my education, for this I am grateful.
Puk activity
It was a perfect day to hold a memorial service. The lake was calm and clear as glass; the sun was shining the birds were singing, all around you could hear the gentle rumbling of summer. As I stepped out of my house and into the sunshine I knew this day would be etched into my memory, because this was the day that I finally put my father's memory to rest after twenty-five years, a memorial service was held in his honor. It was my chance to say goodbye and a lot of pain and suffering was finally to be lifted out of my heart as well as for my mothers and siblings. The service was emotional and I cried a lot, but it offered me some closure and comfort knowing that my father's spirit will be set free to be with his creator and parents. We never had the chance to have a proper funeral for my father, because we did not have any remains to be buried, his remains were never found after he had his accident in the spring of 1975.After the service my family, friends and relatives, including my auntie Cathy and my cousin, Shirley Castel (chief of our reserve) gathered together down by the river at Moose Horn (a spot located down the river from Puk) were my father had his accident and drowned. We marked his grave with a homemade blue cross and one of the elders Maryann Dumas said a prayer and blessed the waters and the food we were about to receive. We all enjoyed ourselves, because that is what my father would have wanted us to do, not to be sad. He was the type of person that loved to be happy and to enjoy life to the fullest.
Tall tale
This is a tall tale about the little people that supposedly are roaming around the community at dusk and at dawn, to me its just another thing for people to exaggerate about. These little persons or things seems to be seen mostly at the grave yard and at L.A, and at China town, but I never heard of these little creatures to hurt or bother anybody or for me to see any of them. I won’t believe this tale till I see one myself.
Favorite room in my home
My kitchen, it’s the one place I do my daily chores. I look out the window as I do my dishes and see that the snow is sparkling and the sun is shining and is blinding my not so good eyesight. I hear the sound of the birds singing and my children laughing as they are playing outside, waiting and smelling the aroma of my cooking from the outside and can’t wait to taste.When everything is done my children come in, wash up before they can touch the food that’s been prepared for them.
Review
The movie Once Were Warriors is the best aboriginal motion picture I’ve seen. I took it to the heart; it was just like my life flashed right before my eyes in the way the movie portrayed the characters. You have to see it and you’ll know. It’s about a family who is aboriginal and are faced with a lot of violence and alcohol. The father was into partying all the time, even during school nights and the children were always put aside. And it’s like I was in that movie bacause I was exposed to the life of alcoholism and violence in my years as a child.
Letter to my pen pal
Dear pen pal,
Hi there girlfriend! How are things in your end? As from my end it’s pretty darn good, the sun is shining, the warmth of spring is in the air. It’s the great time of the season to go out on your snowmobile and cruise around, find a spot to have a wiener roast or maybe even find a good spot to slide or to make a snowman.
The summer season is the best time to come and visit it’s the best time to come enjoy all the fine things that Puk has to offer, like the endless boat rides, swimming, camping and the fishing derby’s not to mention the summer games, that’s were all the fun comes in with all the entertainment and prizes, sometimes we have special guests come and perform for the summer games.
I hope I convinced you to come on over and enjoy the summer with my family and me, don’t worry about other people we are all pretty much friendly outgoing people. See you later girlfriend!
Your pal,
Lorraine
Business letter to a politician
February 20, 2002Counselor for Economic Development
Mathias Colomb Cree Nation
Pukatawagan, Manitoba
R0B 1G0Re: Fishing Lodge
Attention: Chief and CouncilI am still waiting for your response on my proposal to develop a fishing lodge in memory of the late Claudemere Francois.
This proposal, which was submitted on January 20,2002, will benefit all, by creating employment, generating revenue and promoting tourism, all of which can ease some of the social burdens that trouble our community today. I must stress that this venture is self-reliant and will not be a burden to the M.C.C.N.
It is important that I hear from council regarding its decision, as I have to finalize business with the bank. Could you please contact me at 553-0225?
Sincerely yours,
Lorraine Francois
How to reach THE PAS via winter road
To reach The Pas via winter road, you first have to go down the lake towards the Bronx area where you will see the start of the winter road heading out to the lake at Whap. Then there you have to go over at least nine portages to get to the main highway, and there you pass the Kissising road, Sherridon road, and the main highway that goes to the town of The Pas. Once on the highway takes about an hour or so to get to The Pas. When you return to head back to Pukatawagan all you need to know how to get there is to follow the trail of beer bottles and KFC scraps.
A Memorable Photograph
My favourite photograph is of my late father Claudamere Francois, I have this photo at home I keep it on my shelf up above my big window It was taken down at the lake were we usually have the winter events. He was participating in the tea boiling event and is waving. I can see he has my mother’s wedding band. I wish I could have the ring for one of my sons to have. to remember their grandfather by. He also has a ribbon pinned to his jacket I presume he must have won the tea boiling contest.
Letter to the editor
Dear Editor,I am very concerned about the contamination that’s been in our agenda for years. I am worried about how the present leaders are tackling the issue with the Indian Affairs to clean out the mess that’s been plaguing and killing off our unborn children, and getting our people sick.
The contamination was first discovered in the early 1980’s in my teen years when I was attending school. I remember when they first built the new school. I couldn’t wait to go in there and learn in a cool clean environment, not like the old run down overcrowded school were we had I felt like sardines all bunched up. There was never a moment that went by you’d see a leak on the floor or ceiling, it was no place to learn.
Then the time came for us to get a brand new spanking clean school. I was very excited. It took about a whole year or so to build the new school and then the time came for us to move in, we had a good start at the first year of school everything was going so well, and like a swing of the magic wand everything fell on our laps. All my fellow students and all who worked in the
School got ill. As for myself I always had kidney infections or urine infections and I was mostly in pain. I got sick of being sick all the time so I removed myself from that situation and I quit school. since then I never had these problems. I hope the next new generation doesn’t have to pick up the pieces of the government’s destruction and for the leaders today to roll up their sleeves and to give and leave a legacy for our children so that they don’t have to be left hanging. Please clean the mess up for the sake of our children’s children.Lorraine Francois
Mathias Colomb Cree Nation
Pukatawagan, Manitoba R0B1G0
Traditions
When one of the community members go out into the wilderness and happen to get a kill let’s say it’s a moose, he or maybe a she goes around the community and offer some meat to the elders and family members or we at times have a community feast.
Some of our community members are into our native way of life. They do the sweat ceremonies, sing to our creator and fast for 10 days to purify the body, before going into our sacred sweats. The custom is to leave some offering to our grandfathers.
