Grey Eyes (39 page)
Authors: Frank Christopher Busch
“My son will keep us fed.”
“And my husband!” added White Willow Woman.
“I am afraid I am not so fortunate⦔ lamented Drifting Butterfly Woman.
“We have not forgotten how you cared for us in our time of need,” said Singing Doe. “And we will now repay the kindness you once showed us, my sister.”
The women got to their feet and left the lodge together. Flying Arrow Man and Little Grey Bear Boy helped Many Fish out of the lodge so he could see what was happening.
The entire Eagle clan had gathered in front of their lodge. They had laid out many items on a great elk hide in front of them. Nearby was the body they had dragged back from
Nisichawayasihk
. It seemed they wanted to have an elaborate funeral.
“People of
O'pipon-na-piwin
!” announced the lone Eagle twin. “Today we pay honour to a great leader of the
Nehiyawak
!”
Singing Doe looked at Drifting Butterfly Woman.
“The Eagle clan believes this man deserves to be buried in the proper way among the
Nehiyawak
,” she continued.
“Man?” whispered Little Grey Bear Boy.
“I don't understand⦔ said Flying Arrow Man.
Two of the Eagle warriors came forward and drew back the blanket that had covered the body. It was Painted Turtle Man. The survivors gasped at the sight of the Bear clan medicine carrier, the one so many had called â
moosum.
'
“This great man has served the
Nehiyawak
since long before any of us were born,” she said. “It is in his honour that the Eagle clan would give away all of our earthly possessions to whomever is in need.”
The people of the
O'pipon-na-piwin
murmured their approval.
“Furthermore,” added the Eagle matriarch, “I would humble myself before the
Nehiyawak
. I have acted shamefully and am no longer capable of leading the Circle of Clan Mothers. I must walk with humility and follow the lead of those better suited to serve the people. I would support the leadership of my sister Drifting Butterfly Woman, of the Crane clan, if all of my sisters are in agreement.”
The remaining matriarchs nodded in agreement and Singing Doe smiled at Drifting Butterfly Woman. “You are the youngest woman ever to be named leader of the Circle of Clan Mothers,” she said.
“I only wish it were under better circumstances,” Drifting Butterfly Woman replied.
“We are in agreement,” announced the lone Eagle twin. “I have only one more mistake I need to correct. Last year, a young woman of the Turtle clan presented herself to the Eagle lodge. In my foolishness I turned her away, much to my son's dismay. He loves her. I would offer my son, Sharp Stone Man, to her, if she would still have him.”
The eldest of the Turtle girls stepped forward and walked over to the Eagle lodge. She stood in front of Sharp Stone Man and reached out her hand. He took her hand and let her lead him back to the Turtle lodge. The
Nehiyawak
cheered this union and the balance it would bring to the new village.
“Let all who are in need come forward and claim what they can use,” said the lone Eagle Twin.
With that, the Eagle clan became the poorest family in
O'pipon-na-piwin
. The
Nehiyawak
milled about, receiving their gifts and paying homage to the great medicine carrier of the Bear clan. Painted Turtle Man was given an honourable burial in a place upon the cliff next to Gliding Heron Woman. This place would become the burial site for the people of
O'pipon-na-piwin
.
“It is a new beginning,” said Water Lily Woman.
“
Tapwe
,” agreed Little Grey Bear Boy.
“What will we do?” asked Flying Arrow Man.
“We will do what we can,” answered Little Grey Bear Boy. “My
moosum
once told me that life is not about what happens to us, it is about how we handle the things that happen. We will face whatever the future holds, together as
Nehiyawak
, because we must.”
EKOSI
Acknowledgements
T
here are so many people I wish to thank, without whom this book would not be possible. First and foremost I must thank my beautiful wife Angie for putting up with this obsession for so long. I hope that the joy these words bring to the people will make up for the many nights I was home, but not home. Next, to my sister Angela, who taught me to read and write when the teachers had dismissed my intelligence because of the colour of my skin. Thirty years later, you again pushed me to rise above what was expected of me and to complete the first draft in only a few short months. To Beverley Rach at Fernwood/Roseway for discovering my work amongst the slush pile of undoubtedly better written pieces and seeing what it could become. To my editor, Sandra McIntyre, for taking a lump of coal and turning it into a diamond. To Edith Friesen for encouragement and inspiration and for welcoming me into the world of authors. It would have been a very lonely place to walk into if I'd had to walk it alone like so many others. To Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair for giving me a reality check early on. Your candour saved me from a lot of disappointment and heartbreak when I learned what to expect from publishing.
To the Elders who took the time to give me the teachings: Jules and Margaret Lavallee, Rodger and Caroline McDougall, David Blacksmith, Colin Mousseau, Myra Laramee, Calvin Pompana, Wilfred Ambigosis, Roger Armite, Art Shofley, Wes and Anne Charter, Gerald Morgan, Wilfred Buck, Carl Stone, Marcel French, Allen Sutherland, Bill Crompton, Horace Halcrow, Mervin Garrick, Martin Nicholas, Phillip Gatensby and many others whose names I never learned but whose teachings stayed with me long after our paths diverged.
To my family and friends who read early versions, bits and pieces and encouraged me to do this: Ryan and Thera Gorrie, Karl and Patricia Schwab, Remi and Marcia Landes, Kathleen Mazur, Phaedra Jenner, Joanne Henry, Delaphine Bighetty, Ron Phillips, Keely Phillips, Grant Stone, Bill and Fay Richards, Angie Renee Bonner, my nieces Alexis, Savannah and Samiya Busch, my nephews Jerome Busch Jr and Fred Kosmolak, Cynthia Robinson, Dwayne Bird, Karl Barker, Brad Cockerill, Reg Bergmann, Linda Thaler, Tammy Lynne Elder, Lora Kay, Shawn Reynolds, Malcolm McColl, Julian McKay, Marilee Bittner-Fawcett and all my friends on the “Grey Eyes, a Native Novel” Facebook Group.
To those Indigenous authors who came before me and broke the trail for a new generation to follow.
And last but not least, to the students of the Aboriginal Centre of Winnipeg's Adult Ed class of 2012 who read the unedited manuscript as I was writing it and provided feedback by way of their assignments and quizzes: Robert Colomb, Gabriel Merasty Jr, Alexis Thomas, Kristin Sinclair, Betty Maud, Brandi Hanslip, Brittney Phillips, Cheryl Shappee, Courtney Bird, Effie Ross, Kenneth Bradburn, Kristin Monkman, Norma Prince, Terrance Prince, Sharla Bluebird, Stephanie Head, Blackwolf Hart and any other students whose names I didn't get. Reading your comments, analysis and critiques helped shape the work. I hope that seeing my journey and helping me along the way will inspire you to succeed in whatever endeavour you choose.
Ekosani
.
Consider donating this copy of
Grey-Eyes
to Eagle Touch the Clouds, a non-profit initiative to build a Native American literature section in public libraries in Canada and the USA.
In Canada, send to:
Eagle Touch the Clouds
PO Box 32045 London PO
Westbank, BC, V4T 3G2
In the USA, send to:
Eagle Touch the Clouds
PO Box 111259
Tacoma, WA 98411-1259
Frank Christopher Busch is a member of the
Nisichawayasihk
Cree Nation in northern Manitoba. Educated at the University of Manitoba, his articles on First Nations social and economic topics have been published in such Canadian newspapers as the
Vancouver Sun,
the
Winnipeg Free Press,
and the
National Post
. Frank honed his writing skills while working at a law firm during the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement, where he interviewed hundreds of survivors and wrote their stories for their claim against the Government of Canada. He wrote
Grey Eyes
, a novel, in response to the message he received over and over from residential school survivors: “I just want my culture back.”
Visit
www.greyeyesnovel.com
for more information.