Returning home to Indian Country

Page 5

This is a picture of my daughter Nadia. I called it "Returning Home." Nadia was raised by her grandparents Gladys and the late Dan Pelletier at Gordon First Nation in southern Saskatchewan. This is the territory of Treaty 4. This picture was taken four years ago, just after we returned home to live at the Thunderchild First Nation. We live in the Treaty 6 territory. Nadia spent part of the summer with us. It was the summer of 1994. It was a time of reunion.

We have been home for a little more than four years now. It's been an interesting four years. I was not raised on the reserve as a kid. I have child welfare to thank for that. Sometimes it's hard not to be bitter about the experience of being taken away from my extended family. It's taken a lot of work to fit back in to the community after being taken away. I guess my bitterness comes from the fact that child welfare isn't around when you're all grown up and trying to return home.

I am very grateful to Nadia's grandparents. There was a time when I was not able to be a good parent to my oldest daughter. Her grandparents stepped in and raised that girl. Since I have confronted my addictions, I have also tried to rebuild the relationship with my daughter. It's really hard for me to admit that I did not always do so well by my oldest girl. But that's a part of the promises I have made to myself about how I am going to live now.

I have to admit that I talk this column out every month. It's my wife who actually sits in front of the computer typing my words. Every now and again, she pokes me and makes me be a little more honest than I want to be.

Every column I write, I try to find something that I can share with the people who read Saskatchewan Sage. I try to write a message about something I have had to really struggle to learn. Maybe by sharing these lessons I might make it easier for someone else.

As the years go by I see my children progressing through school, sometimes with a lot of struggle. Well, that's hard on a dad in some ways. I am really proud of their accomplishments and that so far they are sticking with school. But its hard to believe that the oldest ones are almost grown up. I guess first babies always have a special place in their dad's hearts. It's more than that though. Two of my children now have more education than I had when I went back to school as an adult.

When my wife and I were talking at my son's Grade 8 graduation just a few weeks ago, we realized that many of the graduates had more education than their parents had the opportunity to earn. In one way, this is very sad. Just think of all the contributions that our communities have been robbed of. Yet, it gives me great hope at the same time.

There really is a revolution happening in "Indian Country." I believe this revolution is based on the idea of "returning home." It is about our culture, our traditions, and the responsibilities we have to our extended families.