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1-hc Ca|gaPy Herald, Calgary, Alberta, saturday, August 14, 1943

Stoney Indians Ask More Land

Can't Get Livelihood on Present Reserve; Anxious for Children

By M. D. McCORQUoDALE

A correspondent of The Herald: High Rivev‘.

No white man's meeting was ever carried on with more earnestness, dignity and clarity of purpose than dominated the council of Stoney Indians who met last week in the foot-

hills vvest of High River.

It was zl gathering of Stoneys

who have been obliged to leave the Morley Reserve in order

to make a living for themselves and their families, They scatter through the hills getting 6 ~ —

work from ranchers and farmers to eke out a meagre livelihood, It is, at best‘. a precarious existence. and among them has g1‘0W1'| the sure conviction that something must be done to improve their lot.

And so, for ten days before that meeting. an Indian rider had cit- cled the hills, notifying tribesincn or the date and place of meeting. It was fitting that they chose as rendezvous the old Emerson place in the hills southwest Df High River which has from ancient times been lleatlquilrters of the Stoney tribe.

By this meeting they hoped to bring to the attention of the gov ernmcnl their great need, Seventy

Indisn families were reprcscntcd in that mitheﬁllg and as Thomas Peter, uni. of the e..‘el' trihcsmsn, bnirl in uwr, “since seventy years I

,ucvci- saw a meeting hkc we make

Vhuw."

'- 'l'ht~y slit in u circh-, young and old rising in turn to speak his thought, und there was no dissent- ing voicc, no argument. All that lhcy asked was that the govern- ment recognize that Morley Re- serve is over-populated. incapable of maintaining them, and that the government provide them with more land in order that they may

grow gardens, Too Many and have hay and on Resewe feed for horses

and cattle. Al- most every speaker prcsentcd some new argument or clrcumslancc, but all bore, straight as an arrow, on the necessity for more land. better adapted to the work which they would like to do, in order that they and their children might have a chance to "live healthy."

They do not ask relief in lhe sense in which it has bccn dolcd out to white people. But they do ask that they be p- idea with a means ol making a1 ing, so that thcy may support themselves.

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Thcir basis of appeal to the gov- ernment was that there is much poor stony land at Morley. A few families on the hotter land manage fairly well because they can grow feed and gardens. But there are lot) many who must find s livcli- hood elsewhere. Some of those who drift from the Reserve return from time to time. some send chcir children to the lvlorlcy school. others winter in the hills with no fixed abode, travelling to and Ira with their families looking tor u rk. It is a nomadic life unsuit- cd to the rigors or this climate.

This hope for more land is no dream of reccnt date. From the time the original peace treaty was made in 1377, it has been talked amongst the Bearspaw band of the Stoney tribe that they were to get zinotller reserve in the foothills souLh ol the purcut rc- servc oi Moi-icy. This word has been passed down. As King Bcurspaw tells it, “At time treaty was made, Gcorgc lvlocnougsll, head man, took trip to scorch for land lor us in foothills. He found

good land from sheep creek south. But soon after, he dic. No papers signed. Nobody educated cnough to fight for Bearspaws, so they novcr get that land. But we think of this."

There was no chairman in the usual sense, but a nod or a glance from the leaders directed pro- cedure. The meeting opened im- pressively with the singing of “God Salve the King" in Stoney language,

cveryone stood- Seek Chance ing with bowed F0, ch,1d,.e,, head and closed

eyes. Peter Dick- son led in the singing, and John Dickson recited the Lords prayer. Out of courtesy to the two or three whites present Most-s wcslcy acted as interpreter, translating from 19- than hirznr, sh. ,

Johnny Left I-lalhl was the first speaker. Johnny is a young man who has seen something oi the world. He was one of the Can~ colon delegation to the Empire sport ,meet in Australia. He said: “In Morley, you can't do any- thing because land is poor. Almost everyone gets tired and lazy, be- cause land is poor for most of us. We want better life. Our children might raise up good with plenty vegetables and milk. At Morley all children can't be raised good; grub too short; than children get sick. Not enough milk cows, Down on the range we might have cows, milk, gardens and raise children good."

Peter Dickson: “Younger men say they have children and want to know children's future. Years ago this what we scc‘ around us was

‘We Need Some Place to Grow Things...’

our country. Nowadays ranchcr larmors, make money, get rich In- dians all time poor like dog I know the Qucou gave us treaty peace, and cvcr since, we do not‘ steel or kill amongst settlers or Alberta. I want that treaty peace to stand, but give us farm land and we win go Iarming."

Mark Lctt Hand: “lliorlcy is too small and too poor. Indian works all time but nevcr makes so much as $100 cash. suppose government would find lor us land in toolhills betwccn sllccp Creek and old Man we would he belter.”

it , + - , "Glac. Wt: \ chic . v.C,°)y. l

I want i:.~5f_tlnnk about hing ‘too when government gave us lunii. ./tl lime ltl'S| ll‘(?£i|y W , made nlIl< timers all tinle were lluckskins, rude, hunted. Supposed to be good life for Indians thcn. Times change. It is no longer good. I am glad young fellows talk of

children. If we don't get some place to grow things, might have Stﬂ‘l‘VallOl1. We Prospect 0! want llferent 5,a,.,,af,-,,,, life for children, with plenty to

out, so that grand~cilildl'en be like white men. In llrst treaty gov- eminent promised kind for hunt- ing, now wc want land to farm. I think myself land round head or Highwood bctwccn shccp Creek and the Old Mail."

Paul Amos or Morlcy, spectacled, reader, thinker: "I um supposed to

The Indians in these two pictures are members of the. Stone! tribe, who claim that their present reserve at Morley will not support them. Above, Mrs. Ezra Left Hand and her family. "In the old dill/S." says Ezra Left Hand, "Morley was good for running horses, hunt- ing, trapping. Now our young men have education and think of crop business." Below, Marl: Left Hand, his wife and child. “Morley is too small and too 1200!," he told the meeting. "lrlnlilln work: all the time and never makes so much as $100 cash." I ,_ be wise nlcn. ”;ut can’! understand wllllt has comc to us.’ Way hock yt'ili‘H Jigtl, 0lill.imL'i'.~' lull whill is In be future. I remeiilber lhem, our Chief Bearspaw. Up at Gleichen first treaty peace was made, and that time they say this country be longs to Indians. God made it. and the Indians to live in it. We don't lose those words since. At that time governnlent said he just wanted to borrow land, and pay us peace treaty of $5 a head cl year. As lung as the sun shines, as long as liver run, they give us treaty peace, and if Indian Wants arly— think, ask for it and government will give it.

"NOW I think this country rich with oil. and tattle. Indians want to be more like white people. Mor- ley is too small; just two, three families make good living and make pastures. And some or us don't know where to live. so we stay away. Suppose government gave us land down here, in ten years there Will he better life.

“Our boys go to school, but there is nolhing for them illtcl’. I think school boys on land makes better life. We want better life for chil- dren. That’s how I look at it."

King Bearspaw: "I like to live with relations. but since 20 years I have not lived at I‘/lorllzyl I like this country and would like to stay with fellows here. Since live years, police officers tell me to look out [or our people in these hills, but they are suffering by themselves. We want to be straight people, but if slilrvzltion comes perhaps we don't care. That's why ii" government buys place for us to raise stock and feed in these hills it must be now, don't Wait (00 long. lvlrirley is poorest Reserve in Al- berta to grow things, We have ncvcr taken up arms or gone against govemmellt. Now is time to help us."

The interpreter, Muses Wesley: "My father big chici long ago, He talk of new reservation down here between Sheep Creek and Old Man. 1 got boys that farm good, and I can help."

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Out of all ‘that can be learned

from ranchers and hills people, the

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situation of these stoncys is quite as serious as indicated in their talk. Dire necessity prompted the coun- cil. There are said to he times when they are actually hungry. such seasonal work as they may lind ulong the foothills is mainly lcncing, haying and stocking, and they make very good hands with stoc Sometimes they have Work; sometimes there is none. some- times there is plenty to eat, some- times the larder is stripped.

"The Indians wllom I know,” one r a n c h c r dcclurcs, “are industrious men, working to make a living for their families. These men, womcn and childrcr » owded in tents or in some l-r cow

camp through our ha .L winters, .

nrr not living under -healthy con. uilions. 1 wnuhlnr. i-illl llwm in healthy pcoplc, tlue cnlircly to con- ditions under which they are Ioreetl to livc. They have no pcnnancncc of home, being obliged to wander. widely in search of work. Mostly_ their foatgear is the moscassin, um suitable for long rainy periods; Thcy rarely have clothing suitable to the scoscns, These men do not-, ask relief; they ask only lor in means to make a living.

"The very fact that they have left the Reserve and are looking tor work, is some cvidencc that ii they had a fixed abode of their own for the successful raising and feeding of cattle, and land suitable for garden stuff, they would be healthier, happier pcoplc. Surely this could be made available to

them. From my

Have Record experience with them, I would

0! Honesty say they am

most deserving. I have found them good workers, law abiding, good stocklnen, honest dealers, and with moral standards or high order. No matter how great their neces- sity, I have never known them to steal a calf or cow, if they get land which can sustain them, I be- live they would he good Canadian citizens." k \ or t

The education ‘Indians receivd cd is bearing fruit in an awareness that milk and vegetables are good ior growing children. But in their nomadic state, there is no place to store food [or the \vinI.cl'.

Paul Amos, who lives at Mor- ley. gives u picturr of native “shar- ing.” He says, "\Vhere 1 live X grow line garden, llig cabbugc, car- rots. potatoes. I have rooihousc way deep in bank, full of ve;:e~ tables for winter. My wife and I look and say it is good. Then other Indians get hungry. Round Christmas democrat wines with hungry family. They get vege- tables. Tllen come two democrats, five, eight democrats. All hungr . They gct vegetables. Comc March, my wire and I look. No vegetables left. Then we hungry too."

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