On the road-north this time

Page 6

Curiosity plays a big role in what I do. I walk up to people and ask them questions they wouldn't necessarily get asked by any other person. I ask questions like: Why is your community called such and such and why was it changed to this other name? Or, That hill over there, what is it called? The lake, is it still OK to fish in? If not, why?

Am I curious? Well, I am. I used to upset my grandmother when I asked a lot of questions about things and asked people about themselves. She would tell me not to ask them. Well, I had to know. I was not satisfied with a tree standing there. I had to know why?

One of Edmonton's landmarks that interests me is the Crowne Plaza Chateau Lacombe's LaRonde Restaurant, the only revolving restaurant in Edmonton. I was asked a few times to have dinner there, but due to other commitments I was never able to make it.

I finally decided to have brunch there on a recent Sunday. It is an interesting place. The staff was great and I guess I stared out the window long enough to see every detail of the city from the 24th floor. I asked the front desk to give me more details. Yeah, I know, I was curious again.

Apparently the hotel opened on Dec. 28,1966. Room rates back then were $17 dollars a night. It was named after Father Lacombe, who was a friend to not only the non-Aboriginal people, but to the Aboriginal people. The hotel, once considered the largest revolving dining room in the world, is still considered a tourist attraction, said guest services supervisor Lisa Chun.

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I left Edmonton in the morning for the five-hour drive to Nis-tah-wy-yahk, named by the Cree people for the three rivers that blend together just by Macdonald Island in Fort McMurray. I planned to get there around 3 p.m., but I had a coffee with Mary Bourque at a restaurant in Grassland. She is the daughter of George and Pearl Bourque.

Growing up in the community of Sweetgrass Landing, just north of Fort Chipewyan, Mary and her sisters, Merle and Brenda, welcomed most of the community's children into their home. I admired their mother for her patience and wondered how she coped with all the kids running into their home, me included, for a drink of water or some popcorn.

I was scheduled to meet with Lynne Clarke of Keyano College to discuss for a story a number of projects of interest to the Aboriginal people of the area. There I had a chance to say hello to Marlene Cardinal who works in student services. Marlene has worked for the college for more than 20 years and was an inspiration to me as I once walked the hallways.

I used to feel proud knowing that an Aboriginal person was one of the first people you would see when you walked past Student Services. So thank you Marlene for being an inspiration to hundreds of Aboriginal students. Keep up the good work.

I was honored to have Elsie Yanik accompany me to the communities of Fort McKay and to the Fort McMurray First Nation community in Gregoire Lake. Elsie is 86 years old, though you would never guess that. She has a lot of wonderful teachings and I felt blessed that I was able to spend that time with her.

Elsie said that she believes that the reason people comment on her energy is because she remains active everyday. She said that she walks everyday and follows a routine.

"I like to get up early, say my prayers, and then have my breakfast, do my vacuuming and clean house. Then, about 10:30, I prepare lunch and then I go for a walk up around a park and up on a hill. My life has to have routine in it; otherwise, I cannot balance anything else. I've been like that since I was very young. I think it is because of the way you were brought up," she said.

On Aug. 30, I went over to the IGA parking lot to watch two groups of people-those from Mikisew Energy Services and the local Metis association-literally assemble their floats for the annual Blueberry Festival parade. Mikisew Energy Services took home a first and third place in parade competition. Jo-ann Lepie, the Mikisew Energy Services float organizer, proudly held up the ribbons they had won, and said that it was because of the effort of a lot of people who volunteered their time that winning was made possible.

During the annual festival the city host's a number of activities over three days, including a pancake breakfast, a hotdog lunch, and a slo-pitch tournament. There is also a carnival with midway.

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On this trip, I had the opportunity to tour Fort McKay, located 55 km north of Fort McMurray. The community is surrounded by the oil industry and is home to more than 300 Dene and Cree people. I spent a few hours at the Elders' centre and enjoyed Jeannette Brownson's bannock. I would've liked to stay longer, but that is how it goes. Time always seems to fly when you are enjoying yourself.

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Back closer to home, hundreds of people enjoyed Alexander First Nation's annual powwow on Aug. 23 and 24.

Parts of the arbor provided shade for the people, while others enjoyed the sun and heat. Carrie Avveduti, the communications officer at Alexander, said that more than 500 people attended the powwow both days.

"It went really well. We had beautiful weather both days. We had 250 to 300 dancers at our powwow with beautiful costumes, and we had visitors from all over the province and other provinces as well. Next year we'd like to see more people, more sunshine and more dancers. And we'd also like to thank all the people who attended our powwow, especially the dancers and the drummers who did a good job entertaining the crowd. We hope to see them all again next year."