A little about
crime prevention; a lot about yourself
Yvonne Irene Gladue, Sweetgrass Writer , Hobbema
The excitement was evident as a group of young people sat
through a class on bullying at the Western Horsemanship Riding
Clinic in Hobbema on Jan. 12. After the half-hour class, the
kids rushed out of the room to the stalls to groom the horses
and ride.
The clinic began last November and is operated with funds from
the National Crime Prevention Strategy. The clinic work to improve
participants' social skills as well as their basic riding skills.
The young people learn everything from how to install or remove
a halter and bridle, to how to build a comfortable relationship
with a horse.
The children, between the ages of nine and 16, share five horses
and three stalls between them at the Panee Memorial Agriplex
building in Ermineskin. The clinic is held twice a week, with
the first half-hour of each class dedicated to crime prevention
and youth issues, including suicide, depression, bullying and
peer pressure.
The riding clinic has had a lot of success, said Denise Montour
manager of the Samson Youth Crisis Centre. The 15 students who
take part in the clinic are a mixed group of experienced and
inexperienced riders, she said.
Montour believes that riding horses makes kids aware that there
is an other ways of spending time than doing drugs or being involved
with alcohol or criminal activities.
"Even in the first riding class, you can see the physical
appearance in them [change]. They become bright and confident
because that is how they feel. You can see the change in their
behavior as they overcome fears and begin to take risks. It's
been a big learning experience for some of the children. We've
had some bumps and bruises and a couple of the classes have been
cancelled due to the weather, but nonetheless the classes are
still going on," she said.
The clinic invites Elders to come in and lead cultural activities
or offer advice and listen to the children. "By doing this
they instill morals and principles in their lives."
Montour said the idea of combining the riding clinic with workshops
on crime prevention came from her experiences as a teenager.
"I got into trouble between 14 and 15 years old and I believe
that it was my being involved with the rodeo circuit and riding
horses that helped me through that period in my life. It kept
me from falling off the wayside," she said.
Montour said Hobbema would like to see horse riding events start
to take place in the community once again.
"Hobbema was once on the map for rodeo events in Canada.
We were once called the rodeo capital of Canada and this is one
area that the Hobbema Agricultural Society is hoping to revive
within the youth population.
"The age of technology has taken over a lot of the kids'
time, so that they do not seem to have time to get involved in
recreational activities anymore. Our theme for the crime prevention
strategy is 'Going back to the basics,' because in reality that
is what we now need to do," said Denise Montour.
Montour, who has her bachelor's degree in Indian social work
through the First Nations University of Canada, comes from a
family of 12. She is the third youngest. On Jan. 16 her parents
celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary. "Fifty- six years
is long time. They persevered. Who stays married that long anymore?
My father, who is largely my mentor, ran the Samson Farm and
Ranch. He was a rancher, a cowboy and an athlete who worked with
many people in the province in the area of ranching and agriculture.
He's always been my greatest support. My mother, herself, is
a herbologist and I believe that it takes someone special to
be at home with the kids and raise all of them. My father was
a very good provider so my mom could stay at home and he still
is. Both of them passed on the knowledge from my ancestors about
maintaining and sustaining values and the sacred stories that
were passed down for many generations," she said.
The graduation ceremony for the clinic will be held either at
the end of March or the beginning of April, said Montour.
"We will be having a closing ceremony where the students
will demonstrate their riding skills, as well as touch on what
they've learned in the presentations. We are hoping that this
project will be ongoing, providing that the funding is available,"
she said.
Top
Joe P. Cardinal
- He will be missed
Sweetgrass Staff
Joseph Patchakes Cardinal, known as "Joe P." to
his relatives and friends, passed away Dec. 12 at the age of
82. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Jennie Cardinal,
as well as seven children, a sister, Catherine Cardinal, and
a large extended family.
Born to Patchakes and Honoreen Cardinal at Birch Mountain in
northern Alberta on Nov. 19, 1921, Joe's early life was spent
on the trapline along with five sisters and one brother.
When Joe, the youngest son, was just six years old, his father
passed away.
In 1929, Joe's family moved to Saddle Lake, where he attended
the first Blue Quills Indian Residential School to Grade 6. Joe's
recollection was that he had learned some English and mathematics,
but he got a lot of experience working on the residential school's
farm.
At 19, Joe joined an armored division of the Canadian Army and
survived Germany, Italy and the beaches of Normandy. Following
the Second World War, Joe met Jennie Caroline, whom he married
in 1947, and with whom he had eight children: Ernie, Theresa,
the late Eugene, Anne, Emile, Elaine, Ricky and Mona.
The couple became foster parents to numerous children and they
adopted several: Ruth Morin, Wilton Goodstriker and Charlie Monckman
of Edmonton; Francis Whiskeyjack of Saddle Lake; Ross Hoffman
of Smithers, B.C.; Earl Henderson of Prince George, B.C.; and
Butch Campbell of Tennessee, U.S.A.
The family in time expanded to include 22 grandchildren (two
predeceased Joe) and 15 great-grandchildren.
With a large family to care for, it was only natural that Joe
also cared about their community. In the 1950s and 1960s, he
took on leadership roles in Saddle Lake, culminating in his becoming
chief for two consecutive terms.
Joe's devotion to community service continued throughout his
life and he contributed to many organizations, such as Native
Counselling Services of Alberta (27 years) and the Aboriginal
Multi-Media Society (AMMSA), publisher of Windspeaker and Alberta
Sweetgrass (15 years).
For many years and until his death he also had an active role
on the Dreamcatcher Aboriginal Youth Conference's board.
"Joe Cardinal's wisdom and vision were integral to the Dreamcatcher
Aboriginal Youth Conference at Grant MacEwan College," said
Gerri Nakonechny, dean of Health and community studies at the
college. "Joe's belief in the power of education and community
was a great gift to thousands of youth across our country who
attended Dreamcatcher."
It is only five years since Joe and four other Elders guided
the formation of Amiskwaciy Academy in Edmonton in order to bring
a culturally based curriculum to Aboriginal high school students.
In the eulogy that Nechi Training, Research & Health Promotions
Institute's CEO Ruth Morin prepared with the help of the Cardinal
family, she wrote, "Joe gave the school its name, as well
as provided direction for the education of the young. Today the
school has been recognized nationally and internationally by
receiving many visitors ... Joe believed and advocated the importance
of education for the young."
Ruth Suvee, chair of the mental health diploma program at Grant
MacEwan College in Edmonton, said she had known Joe and his family
since the 1970s and she praised Joe's commitment to children,
education, social and correctional services and other endeavors.
She made special mention of his cross-cultural work, noting that
although some Elders are opposed to teaching Indigenous culture
in an institution, Joe saw the need to meet people where he found
them and to pass the teachings along.
She said he recognized that many Elders have departed without
their knowledge being shared, and he was aware of the large urban
Indian population that may never get the opportunity to learn
in a traditional setting.
Joe did considerable cross-cultural work for the staff at Grant
MacEwan, she said, and when the mental health program ran a retreat,
he said it was "very important to integrate the cultural
teachings of the 16 Elders at the gathering," so that those
who would work with Aboriginal people would understand them.
"Joe endorsed it. Joe was a very traditional man, but he
was also very involved in church. He believed in sharing traditional
beliefs and practices."
Suvee attributed his generous spirit and lack of prejudice to
the fact that he had traveled extensively and had "a bigger
world view.
"He walked his talk. He touched a lot of people."
He was an Elder advisor for the K Division of the RCMP, worked
for the Aboriginal wellness program, and he helped establish
the Nechi Institute and the Capital Health Region in Edmonton.
Additionally, Joe served as an Elder on the National Parole Board,
where he addressed about 2,800 inmates during his tenure, a responsibility
he accepted with humility and respect, said Suvee.
In all these roles, those who knew him say that he was masterful
at accommodating and blending traditional and contemporary practices
and beliefs.
In the early 1990s, Joe was one of the Elders who went to Davis
Inlet, Labrador to help a troubled community there.
Lynda Ferguson, a Métis from northern Alberta who works
in the Aboriginal Education Centre at Grant MacEwan, said that
while she was not a close friend of Joe's, she knew him as an
Elder.
"He was an absolutely amazing man."
Ferguson heard Joe speak at Amiskwaciy Academy many times and
said "His guidance as far as culture and tradition has made
that school what it is.
"Whenever I heard him speak, I found him to be very inspiring,
motivating, and I think he is going to be missed by hundreds
and hundreds of people."
Particularly youth, she said.
"That's one thing Joe P did, was he was able to captivate
the young people."
Harrison Cardinal, president of AMMSA's board of directors and
best man at his sister Jennie's marriage to Joe, said his brother-in-law
worked very hard to reach young people.
"He's always been the same. He believed in his work. He
was a man of honesty. He believed in people. He cared for people."
Harrison considered Joe his teacher and in recent years spent
long hours listening to him talk about his beliefs.
"In the sweatlodge, when we sit together, this is where
I learned lots. The way he talked to people, the way he described
the knowledge and wisdom that an Elder has."
Two years ago, Joe asked Harrison to go with him to Saskatoon.
"He talked all the way out there. I found it very strange
that he would be talking to me like this while we were traveling.
He never quit from the time we left Saddle Lake First Nation
till we got to Saskatoon...telling me the things that he believed
in. Telling me the things that should be done and had to be done."
Harrison said on one important occasion he had the opportunity
to use some of Joe's words to help ease the pain of a family
who had tragically lost a loved one. When Harrison told Joe about
it, he said, "'That's good. That's what I'd like to happen.
Carry the message out. Take it along with you, because if it's
important to you, use it.'"
Noel McNaughton, secretary of AMMSA's board, had known Joe since
1969.
"He was a friend. He has always been a leader and a man
with humility, which is what a leader needs. He tells the truth
as he sees it, and he doesn't insist that everybody see his point
of view.
"Some of the things that shaped him I think... there were
some Elders around that helped guide him.
"One of the things that was very important in his life and
I think taught him a lot about what he was-he was in the Second
World War... And Joe discovered through that that these guys
were the same as him, and it had a profound effect on him. I
think that kind of guided him through the years with people of
all races and nationalities... There was no racism in him. He
related to you by who you were, rather than where you came from
or what your race was.
"One of the other things I heard him say a few times was
'The role of a warrior is to face his own worst enemy, which
is him... The task of the warrior is to overcome the fear of
death and face who you really are and overcome your ego.' Protecting
his community is the other part of the warrior's job, McNaughton
said he learned.
"Really, the warrior's task is to battle himself and to
overcome all his fears and his faults ... and that was something
I think Joe also lived by," said Noel McNaughton.
Rosemarie Willier, vice-president of AMMSA's board of directors,
is another who knew Joe P. Cardinal as an extraordinary person.
"I have never, never heard Joe say anything bad about anyone.
Whenever he said something, it was always something good, and
he showed a lot of respect, particularly to women. Joe was such
a gentleman and we'll definitely miss him.
"The first time I met Joe was at Nechi when he was helping
as an Elder... One of the things that I noticed about him too
was that he touched so many lives because he was so involved,
and I used to wonder, 'My goodness, where does this man get all
the energy?'"
Willier said she was happy when Joe joined AMMSA's board, because
she recognized how much help he would be.
"He is the type of person that you know immediately he is
an honest person and that the decisions he helped to make would
be something that I would respect.
"He was a no nonsense person," Willier said.
AMMSA board treasurer Chester Cunningham also observed Joe in
numerous roles over the years.
Of his board contribution, Cunningham said, "his presence
kind of stabilizes, gives people a comfort zone" in which
others felt free to express themselves and know their opinions
would be received with respect.
Joe was "a real good pipeline into the community, and an
observant person. And he shared his ideas. He never kept them
to himself," said Cunningham.
They met "in the mid-60s" when Joe was with Alberta
Community Development, building Aboriginal capacity to run their
own organizations and improve access to employment and training
opportunities. "Bringing them into the new world, I guess,"
explained Cunningham. "Because they were holding workshops
and trying to develop some of the organizations into taking over
some of the stuff that belonged to them."
Cunningham remembers that Joe worked on recruitment workshops
at Syncrude in an effort to bring in more Aboriginal employees.
"When I went to set up Native Counselling (Services of Alberta),
I wanted Joe on the board, but Joe was the chief of Saddle Lake"
by then, said Cunningham.
Around 1974 or 1975, Joe did join Native Counselling Services'
board, and when the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) started
requesting Elders to work in institutions, Cunningham said he
recommended Joe for that role.
"Joe was really a good Elder... He explained culture to
me. That culture wasn't like the light bulb. You didn't turn
it on. You lived it. And he said, 'Culture is your living. You
bring your background, but the first thing you have to recognize
is you're a person first'... Too many of them try to say that
they're an Aboriginal first and then go to the person, but it's
the other way around."
While serving on the parole board, Joe's participation "helped
change the whole format of the parole hearings. They weren't
as structured. They got into a circle and everybody talked."
That change "really worked out with Native people,"
and Joe's influence led to formation of an all-Native parole
board, Cunningham said.
The CSC offered Joe a job in Ottawa, but not only did he not
want to relocate, he also did not like the idea that the system
aimed to "categorize" Elders and put them under the
auspices of prison chaplains.
Corrections wanted him, in effect, to create job descriptions
for Elders working within the correctional system, who would
then be mired "in a bunch of paperwork," according
to Cunningham.
Joe told them, "No. Our culture is not paperwork."
He also made it clear that Elders would be independent of the
chaplains, Cunningham stated.
Joe "was a good representative" for Aboriginal people
at home and on the international stage, Cunningham recalled.
"He told it as it was, and I never heard him raise his voice.
He was always interested in the family."
Ruth Morin said Joe will be missed.
"However, his teachings of love, camaraderie, commitment,
and the vision of helping the young people are left with us.
His work is complete. Our job is to honor and continue his vision."
Top
