The alkali Lake Story: VICTORY

Pages 12 and 13

No one would have thought that so many people would have attended the film premiere of Honor of All, but the gymnasium was packed to capacity March 22 at the Poundmaker/Nechi Centre, 10 km north of Edmonton.

The two-part film tells the story of the Alkali Lake Indian Band near Williams Lake, British Columbia's fight against total alcoholism on their reserve, to where today, approximately 95 per cent of the band are abstainers of alcohol.

Indeed, this film could be called the "Little Big Movie." The struggle of the Alkali Lake Indian Band from 10 years ago, when the reserve was known in the area as the Alcohol Lake Band, and what they have accomplished over those years to today, should be shown not only in Canada but throughout the world.

It tells a moving story that is very real, and the uniqueness of the movie is that all the actors are from the Alkali Lake Band, or working with the reserve.

They themselves tell their own story.

My fondest memories of this film is when, early in the movie, Phyllis Chelsea, acting as herself, sitting in the kitchen of her home with a bottle of wine at the dinner table, worrying about her children, her drinking, decides to quit.

It is this turning point by Phyllis Chelsea that is the beginning of hope for the rest of the band who would follow her example in the years to come.

The most moving part for me were the eyes of her husband and present Chief of the Alkali Lake Band, Andy Chelsea, at one point in the movie, Andy is standing outside the school house on the reserve and two little children walk up, tired, clothes messed up, and hungry.

"Did you eat this morning," says Andy, and the two little children reply that there is no food in their house, as they walk on past him and into the school.

It is at this point that Andy's eyes follow them and you can actually see the hurt, the sadness and the final surrender in them. He goes home to his wife and with all the strength in him drained, gives up in her arms as they hold each other.

It was not an easy task for the people of Alkali Lake. Portrayed in the movie were bootleggers both on and off the reserve, an alcoholic priest and a people that knew no other life than that of alcohol..

Many scenes showed young children drinking. One scene focused on a small boy walking to a cupboard early in the morning, and taking out a pint of whiskey, drinking from it and then coughing.

Another scene shows a car accident and members of the Alkali Band all bloodied, sitting on the side of the road, drunk and laughing at what had just occurred. Two RCMP approach and say to each other something to the effect that they should have known that it would be members of Alcohol Lake.

Fred Johnson, another member of the band, played his part as a fast-moving, happy go lucky drunk, very well. He, too, played himself and he told the audience gathered at Poundmaker's that many times while acting out his part he felt dissatisfied until he really saw himself on the film and "then I saw the real me. When I was angry at Andy because he wanted me to quit drinking and seek help and my eyes were angry, that is how I was," Johnson said.

The people of Alkali Lake wanted to get their message across, and they did just that in this movie.

From a small AA group of two people, Phyllis and Andy Chelsea, along with a non-Native supporter at the beginning, to many people in the group at the end.

They did it with feeling. All through the movie a song could be heard when needed, and timed right, called "The First Step." This song added to the feature and at

the end of part one, when the band was now swinging around to deal with the alcohol problem, Andy's face on a close-up, turned towards the camera lens. The director held this shot of Andy with a grin on his face and the song, "The First Step" came over it. This one particular shot told a story on its own.

From alcoholism, a constant struggle to obtain sobriety over 10 years, for all the people of Akali lake - Andy's face portrayed it all, ending in a sign of hope and "we can do it!"

During a break the people who made the grip from Alkali Lake were introduced and had the opportunity to speak.

"The priest I had leave the reserve married the nurse, but ever since 1983, he has returned. On every New Year's Day we hold a party, and 500 people showing up at the last one, for him. Today, he thanks us for what we did," said Chief Andy Chelsea.

"There is another five per cent we have to deal with, and once that is done, we still have a long ways to go. A lot of our teenagers are already alcoholics because their mothers were drinking when they were carrying these children. So we are looking at three generations and another 60 years before we are completely alcohol dry. I have been chief now for a month, so probably now I will raise some more hell, Chelsea finished, to the applause of the audience.

"Guess who's going to hold things together while Andy raises hell?" laughed Andy's wife, Phyllis.

"We have a lot to be grateful for, like Albert Lightning, who came from Alberta

and helped us with so much. We had to learn to reach out to another province, to learn.

I always say at home when I talk about our growth that's the people from Alberta that reached out and cared to come and teach us the things that we know today."

Poundmaker's Director Pat Shirt commented that the film was the honor of one and the honor of all.

"One of the things I know is that nobody from the Alkali Land Band received any honor from the film. People only receive awards on honor from what they give, and this community has given a lot. Now they are sharing throughout the country, and that is something we need," said Shirt.

The Alkali Lake Indian Band is sharing. They are sharing with their film that tells their story and their struggle for sobriety. At Poundmaker's they received a thunderous applause and standing ovation for a film that tells the truth, right from the heart, about the disase of alcohol and the people of Alkali Lake's step forward and fight against it.