by Franks Busch
“It is a new beginning,” said Water Lily Woman.
“Tapwe,” agreed Little Grey Bear Boy.
“What will we do?” asked Flying Arrow Man.
“We will do what we can,” answered Little Grey Bear Boy. “My moosum once told me that life is not about what happens to us, it is about how we handle the things that happen. We will face whatever the future holds, together as Nehiyawak, because we must.”
EKOSI
Acknowledgements
There are so many people I wish to thank, without whom this book would not be possible. First and foremost I must thank my beautiful wife Angie for putting up with this obsession for so long. I hope that the joy these words bring to the people will make up for the many nights I was home, but not home. Next, to my sister Angela, who taught me to read and write when the teachers had dismissed my intelligence because of the colour of my skin. Thirty years later, you again pushed me to rise above what was expected of me and to complete the first draft in only a few short months. To Beverley Rach at Fernwood/Roseway for discovering my work amongst the slush pile of undoubtedly better written pieces and seeing what it could become. To my editor, Sandra McIntyre, for taking a lump of coal and turning it into a diamond. To Edith Friesen for encouragement and inspiration and for welcoming me into the world of authors. It would have been a very lonely place to walk into if I’d had to walk it alone like so many others. To Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair for giving me a reality check early on. Your candour saved me from a lot of disappointment and heartbreak when I learned what to expect from publishing.
To the Elders who took the time to give me the teachings: Jules and Margaret Lavallee, Rodger and Caroline McDougall, David Blacksmith, Colin Mousseau, Myra Laramee, Calvin Pompana, Wilfred Ambigosis, Roger Armite, Art Shofley, Wes and Anne Charter, Gerald Morgan, Wilfred Buck, Carl Stone, Marcel French, Allen Sutherland, Bill Crompton, Horace Halcrow, Mervin Garrick, Martin Nicholas, Phillip Gatensby and many others whose names I never learned but whose teachings stayed with me long after our paths diverged.
To my family and friends who read early versions, bits and pieces and encouraged me to do this: Ryan and Thera Gorrie, Karl and Patricia Schwab, Remi and Marcia Landes, Kathleen Mazur, Phaedra Jenner, Joanne Henry, Delaphine Bighetty, Ron Phillips, Keely Phillips, Grant Stone, Bill and Fay Richards, Angie Renee Bonner, my nieces Alexis, Savannah and Samiya Busch, my nephews Jerome Busch Jr and Fred Kosmolak, Cynthia Robinson, Dwayne Bird, Karl Barker, Brad Cockerill, Reg Bergmann, Linda Thaler, Tammy Lynne Elder, Lora Kay, Shawn Reynolds, Malcolm McColl, Julian McKay, Marilee Bittner-Fawcett and all my friends on the “Grey Eyes, a Native Novel” Facebook Group.
To those Indigenous authors who came before me and broke the trail for a new generation to follow.
And last but not least, to the students of the Aboriginal Centre of Winnipeg’s Adult Ed class of 2012 who read the unedited manuscript as I was writing it and provided feedback by way of their assignments and quizzes: Robert Colomb, Gabriel Merasty Jr, Alexis Thomas, Kristin Sinclair, Betty Maud, Brandi Hanslip, Brittney Phillips, Cheryl Shappee, Courtney Bird, Effie Ross, Kenneth Bradburn, Kristin Monkman, Norma Prince, Terrance Prince, Sharla Bluebird, Stephanie Head, Blackwolf Hart and any other students whose names I didn’t get. Reading your comments, analysis and critiques helped shape the work. I hope that seeing my journey and helping me along the way will inspire you to succeed in whatever endeavour you choose. Ekosani.
Consider donating this copy of Grey-Eyes to Eagle Touch the Clouds, a non-profit initiative to build a Native American literature section in public libraries in Canada and the USA.
In Canada, send to:
Eagle Touch the Clouds
PO Box 32045 London PO
Westbank, BC, V4T 3G2
In the USA, send to:
Eagle Touch the Clouds
PO Box 111259
Tacoma, WA 98411-1259
www.eagletouchtheclouds.com
Frank Christopher Busch is a member of the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation in northern Manitoba. Educated at the University of Manitoba, his articles on First Nations social and economic topics have been published in such Canadian newspapers as the Vancouver Sun, the Winnipeg Free Press, and the National Post. Frank honed his writing skills while working at a law firm during the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement, where he interviewed hundreds of survivors and wrote their stories for their claim against the Government of Canada. He wrote Grey Eyes, a novel, in response to the message he received over and over from residential school survivors: “I just want my culture back.”
Visit www.greyeyesnovel.com for more information.