Attawapiskat visit: Day 3

I forgot this for Day 2:

We spoke with deputy chief Theresa Spence. She’s fairly new to Attawapisket, being an ‘off reserve’ native/ she spent 5 years in a residential school, losing her language, her culture and her identity & hope. She was very political at first, discussing the crises openly, but not giving any clue as to whom she feels is at fault. After I pretended to turn off the camera, she was far more open.
Theresa and her kids live at the homeless shelter. Although her house was unaffected by the sewage back-up and the diesel fuel contamination, she willingly gave it up to a young family with 6 kids. She sees it simply as the right thing to do; there was no sense in 3-4 people living in a house and 8 going to a 10x20 room in the shelter. Would our politicians have done the same? And would they have been as unassuming and self-deprecating about it?

Day 3:

First thing in the morning we spoke to Alex Kataquapit, with Rosie translating. He’d done his hair for the camera, and was very self conscious. Rosie sat beside him, disrupting the line of his eyes to the camera, but I decided to let her stay there since it made him more comfortable.
Alex talked about how the community is lost”, leading to abuse, alcoholism and suicide attempts. He didn’t really want to answer questions; he had a message to tell.

After that we spoke to Jackie Hookimaw-Witt, who worked for the health dept up there. Her husband teaches at the school, so they get the best housing available, usually reserved for outsiders coming up to teach. Here, it would be considered a low-end townhouse, up there, it’s a jewel. She had a great deal to tell us, and the papers to back it up. What a fabulous resource. She also made us waffles with local cranberries and blueberries the size of a nickel!

We returned to the homeless shelter to help Rosie distribute the donations that came in yesterday, and to film a bit more. I was very conscious of our 3pm deadline to catch our plane!

I took off my coat & hat so it wouldn’t get in the way as we filmed the sorting & choosing of the donated clothes. I’d brought up a box of Ty beanie babies, and I handed a few out to the kids as I waited for things to get started. I was saddened by how serious the kids were all the time. Even the smallest child seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders.
I’ve heard that small children are very in tune with their mother’s emotions. They can tell if things aren’t right with her, and they take her uneasiness onto themselves. Well, I believe it now.

Rosie had told us how much it hurt being homeless, how insecure you felt, and scared all the time. These kids were showing the same emotions, adding mistrust and doubt of any stranger’s motives. It was sad to see a 2 year old not trusting me enough to take a teddy bear out of my hand. And not smiling even after her dad took it from me and gave it to her. She just kind of…. studied it. And kids normally love me. Even strangers sitting next to me at a Timmies notice their babies love me. But not here. Here they doubted.

One of the residents asked to be interviewed, as she had a story to tell. We went to her room to tape her. The story was depressing, and apparently all too common here. She, 3-4 kids and her elderly mother, crammed into a 16X10 room, at least until last week. Last week her mother, who had been on intravenous feeding after a major stroke (still in the shelter!) had a second major stroke and was finally medivacced out to Kingston. But no family member was allowed to go with her. Partially paralyzed, unable to speak, and suffering memory loss from the two strokes, this grandmother is alone in a strange city’s hospital. She may die there. But there is apparently no money to send one of her kids to be with her, or to oversee her treatment.

By now it was after 2pm, we had to hurry to get to the airport. But my coat was gone! OMG, did someone think my coat, hat & gloves were a donation? How was I going to get home with no coat!! Angela & I panicked. Rosie was very calm, a tower of common sense.
“Why did she just leave them here? What was she thinking?” I wasn’t, I hate to admit.
But, everything was found, and we made it to the plane on time, barely. I was in such a rush to get checked in, I forgot my cane in Rosie’s truck. I don’t know how, my back was killing me.

I was torn about leaving. I couldn’t wait to get to the hotel in Timmins for a hot shower, some real food and a large glass of wine. But I hated to leave; the people were so warm and welcoming. Even with nothing they were so giving.

We’d done so little to help, not even giving them hope. Most people flat out did not believe that we would ever return. They didn’t believe that the doc would be made. Or that their call for help would be heard. We were warned that “people” would try to stop us from making the doc, because other reporters had come and gone, but the message was never passed on.

I burn to prove them wrong. To show that the millions in federal funding given to Indian & Northern Affairs never reaches these people. It’s spent on big offices in several cities, and office staff, and make-work projects that have little or no impact. To show that in a country named one the best places to live in the world, we will not accept these conditions for our citizens. Much less for our first peoples!

Expect a PSA (30 seconds) and a mini-documentary teaser (5 minutes) soon. I have the footage, I have the computer… I will do this.