Does a person have to own a tribal card in order to be aboriginal in practice or indigenous in thought?
Did Pascal’s love affair with Al have anything to do with his native inclinations?
Was his homelessness or temporary destitute status attributable to any public perception of his aboriginal heritage?
The questions were many, and each answer automatically prompted further enquiries. The complex issues could and cannot and never will be addressed in one simple answer. That has always been the fallacy of our politically correct society. You just can’t wish ‘equality’. It takes commitment and prolonged effort, not just today but always.
Pascal’s admiration and affection for his pet demonstrated the intricate aspects of caring when one wishes to share to the ultimate degree. It became so evident from his many stories that this gentleman cared so dearly not just for Al but for all of nature, to create a world of encompassing virtue where smiles replace threats and conflict, where children’s laughter is more important than profits, where all sense of discrimination and difference are concealed in the grandeur of nature, and where quiet moments of affection echo the need to share. Pascal’s kinship with Al was enhanced by his inherent native kinship with God’s creation. We can all share that bounty.
Thus a tribal card is not required to think like a native or to be an indigenous person. We must all desire to make this world a profoundly better place and in doing so guarantee ourselves that we will share in an eternal abundance of grace. For what is ‘grace’ if it’s not the presence of God?
That December was incredibly warm, too uncomfortable for many who had already donned their winter wear. For others, it was impeccably wonderful. The priest arranged his schedule to celebrate Christmas Mass on the afternoon of the 24TH, outside in ten degree Celsius weather. Families gathered around. Rose became engaged at Christmas. For Pascal, he had one visitor and longed for another.
It was late in January when he said good-bye to us. In heaven, Al had already established her perch in her favourite tree . . . waiting and knowing. Can you imagine the expression on their faces when they greeted each other?
So often we forget to thank the Creator for the opportunity to meet so many interesting people in our lifetime. Allow this moment then to express gratitude to all of these momentary guests in our lives. Let them become the solid pillars, the totem poles, of our future and of our society.
SOURCES
Narratives concerning the thirteen individuals in this novel coincide exactly with their advice, perceptions, expectations and information. Personal friendships and direct involvement provided the many opportunities to share their difficulties, dreams and achievements.
Besides the information from those direct sources, the author, in order to verify events, referred to the following texts and documents.
Acoose, Sharon, A Fire Burns Within, Vernon, BC: JCharlton Publishing, 2016, ISBN 9781926476117.
Archive of the Jesuits in Canada, website, 2016.
Barkwell, Lawrence et al, Métis Legacy: Michif Culture, Heritage, and Folkways, Saskatoon: Gabriel Dumont Institute, 2006. ISBN: 0920915809.
Canada Census, Population by Selected Ethnic Origins, by Province and Territory, 1971 to 2006.
Canadian Senate Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples: “The People Who Own Themselves” Recognition of Métis Identity in Canada, 2014.
Catholic Independent Schools of British Columbia, website, 2012.
Chippewas of Rama First Nation, website, 2015.
City of Kamloops, website, 2016.
City of Thompson, Hub of the North, Municipal Publication, 2013.
City of Thompson, website, 2016.
Cree Nation of Chisasibi, website, 2006.
Curve Lake First Nation, website, 2012.
Davis, Stephen, Míkmaq: Peoples of the Maritimes, Halifax, NS: Nimbus Publishing, 1998. ISBN: 9781551091808.
Diocese of Kamloops, website, 2012.
Friesen, Gerald, The Canadian Prairies, Toronto: Toronto University Press. 1987. ISBN: 0802066488.
Grant, Bruce, The Concise Encyclopedia of the American Indian. New York: Wings Books, 2000. ISBN: 0517693100.
Hansen, John et al, Urban Indigenous People, Vernon, BC: JCharlton Publishing, 2015. ISBN: 9781926476056.
Josephy, Alvin, 500 Nations: An Illustrated History of North American Indians, New York, New York: Alfred Knopf, 1994. ISBN: 0679429301.
Lockerby, E., Ancient Mi’kmaq Customs: A Shaman’s Revelations, The Canadian Journal of Native Studies, Bear Paw Publishing, 2004. ISSN: 07153244.
Muckle, Robert, Indigenous Peoples of North America: A Concise Anthropological Review, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012. ISBN: 9781442603561.
Neely, Sharlotte, Native Nations, Vernon, BC: JCharlton Publishing, 2014. ISBN: 9780991944194
Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Website, internet, 2016.
Pentland, David, Handbook of North American Indians, Vol 6, p227. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institute, 1981.
Porter, Frank W., The Coast Salish Peoples, New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1989. ISBN: 1555467016.
Proctor, Dorothy, Chameleon: The lives of Dorothy Proctor, Far Hills, New Jersey: New Horizon Press, 1994. ISBN: 9780882820996.
PTBO Canada, 13 Historical Facts about Indigenous People, Peterborough Canada, 2016.
Queens Printer for Ontario, About Moosonee. 2010.
Sabatini, Lawrence, My Journey: Musings of a Missionary, Chicago: Mary Brown, 2010. ISBN: 9780615346960.
Statistics Canada Census figures and demographics.
Suttles, Wayne, Handbook of North American Indians, Vol. 7, pp486-7. Washington: Smithsonian Institution. 1981.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Honouring the Truth, Reconciling the Future, Winnipeg. 2015.
Waldram, James, As Long as the Rivers Run, University of Manitoba Press, 1993. ISBN: 9780887556319.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Immense gratitude is expressed to these thirteen persons whose stories confirm all of the anxieties and tribulations experienced by Indigenous Persons who strive to succeed away from the comforts of their First Nation Communities.
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