Hierarchy Endorses Catholic Indian League

FE 8 - S4 - R... 4 23 2
MOTHER MARGUeR IT E
. AN
11 90 GU Y S f
MON TREA L P 0
OTTAWA, CANADA
VOL. XVIII, No.3
MARC H :-r 9;"
~"""
Hierarchy Endorses Catholic Indian League
HUNDREDS HAVE ALREADY JOINED
PONTIFICAL HONOURS SUGGESTED
O n awa ec.CC) - T he President o f the Admin ist rative Boa rd of
the Ca nad ian Catholic Conference o f Bishops advised the Secretary
of the Catholic Indian League that at a recent meeting o f the Board
the H iera rchy strongly endorsed the Catholic Ind ian League of Ca nada.
It also favoured the suggestio n o f outstand ing Indians being among
Ca tholics list('{1 for Pa pal ho nours from time to time.
The League has been founded Bishop Coudert
on June 27, 1954, at the issue of
the National Pilgrimage of the
Bishop Coudert, Vicar Apostolic
Indians of Canada, in Cal)-de·la· of Whitehorse, in the Yukon TerMadeleine. P .Q. Its Honorary P re- rilory, stated that he endorses the
sident is His Exc. Bishop H. Rou- plan to foste r the establishment
t hier, O.M.I., Vicar Apostolic of of a League, and that he trusts
that our bcst Catholic Indians in
Grouard, Alberta.
Among the B ishops who endorsed full y the plan made to foster all our missions will, with enthuthe establishment of the League siasm, join the League from the
amo ng the Catholic Ind ians of Ca- start. Eventually, when the League
nada, we note Their Excellencies becomcs properly organized , he
B' h
J L Cd t OM I
f hopes that every Catholic Indian
IS ops . . ou er, . . .. 0
wo rthy of the name, will j oin.
His Em . CClrd . p, E. Leg e r, of Mo nt reo l, (1. 1 on d Hi s Em . Co rd , C, E.
Wh itehorse, V.T_. A. J orda n. O.MJ .,
MeG,,;gon, of T oro nto, {r.l h Cl ve stro ngly e ndo rsed t he Co tho lic: IndiCln
of Prince·Ru pert, B.C., II. Belleau, :::-::-_
'C_o_o_,._o.,o~""tr.":'_3_._'_
0'_.CI_'--:-:c_cLc,_o:,:. ,~o_'_C~O:"_O~d~O~.__-c_ __
O.M.I., of 1\1oosonee, Ontario. L .
..\(,
S,h,[f", O.M.I" 0'. BI, n,·S,blon,
P .Q., J . M. Troeelher, O.M.I., of
~ ,~ '"
_
Fort Smith, N.W.T.
~
,The Very Reverend Fa.thers F .
\~c." ('<('- ' ~
OG rad y, O.M. L, 0 F ourme r, 0 .1.1. G~ ~''i ~ "
..
.
L, P. Piche, O.M.I., all Prov incial !i- ~"
a...~
I he Anntl al Report of the D epartment of Cltlzenshlp
of t he Oblate Fathers, and rcpre:::> and nmn);ration fo r the fi scal year ended 2\ larch 3 1, 1954 , published
sentati ves of the J esui! missions oC recently, indicates that the Educatio n and Wellare programme for th e
C.au g.hnaw.a
RegiS._
and FN~
ran- l ndia ns of Canada has b een qu ite effective durin"" the fiscal year under
_m
_ g~_, St.H~
review.
have pled ged ,thei r support.
To date, at least 15 centers have
The Director of the Indian Af·
been heard fro m, namely: Village· fairs Branch, Mr . H. M. J ones, aCHuron, Poi nte·Blelle, Bets iamits, fi rms that: "Taki ng greater advantand Romai ne, in the P rovince of age of provisions of the Indian
Qubec, Ogoki, Ontario, God's Lake, Act, Canadian Indians conti nued
Ottawa rndia n women lire
Man., Dillon. Sask.. Hobbema, to show increasing interes t in man·
Gurneyville, Assum ption (Hay Ri- aging their own acrairs and in tak ing: F:reater interests in the adver), Lac la Biche and J oussard, promoting their own economy dur- min ist ration of their reserves: sinin Alberta, Fort Franklin in the ing the fiscal year under re view." ce 195 1. an amendment to the
N.W.T. and North west River, Nfd.
According to the report this at- Tnd ian Act allowed them 10 vote
tit ude was typified by t he work and to be elected as Chief or CounArc hbis hop J . M. Le m;e ux of Ot.
of elected councils, whose compet· cillors.
t Cl wO, Me m be r of th e C.C.C . BOClrd .
ent management of band funds was
Since then 70 of them arc now
partially responsible for the growth
of the Indian trust fund, and by taking part in Council meetings.
band housing projects, with Indians either as Chic( or Councillor.
Three women have been elected
providing prac tically all the labour .
Chief: they are Mrs. Jessie Lumm,
Interest in formal education con· Chief of the Hazelton Band , Babi ne
tinued to increase, with a num ber Reserve, in B.C.: Mrs. Grace Vickof students at the Secondary school ers , Chief of the KitkaUa Band .
level or beyond. is also dou\)le Skeena Reserve, and Mrs. E lsie
that of two years ago.
Knott, I\Iud Lake Reserve, in Ontario.
Economic Development
Mrs. Lumm is 53 : she wo rks in
During the 1953-54 fiscal year. an Indian hospital. Mrs. Vickers
972 homes were built and 2,108 is a wh ite woman who married an
were repaired; on two reserves Indian; she is the Chief si nce 1952;
(Blood, Al berta and Cape Croker, and post mistress at Kitkalla since
Ontario), the bands operated hous· 1953.
Mrs. Knott, 33, is superinte ndent
ing projects at t heir own expense.
Forty saw-mills operated by the of Schools in her district : she driBranch in areas where sawn t imber ves a bus daily for the school
is not available, prov ided m any children ; she is also director of
the Girl Gu ides and Boy Scouts.
His he. Bis ho p J ohn C. Cod y, Clf
Hi s h ~ . A r~ h bi s hop M . Bo udon , of
opportunities for local labour.
Her husba nd is a member of the l o ndo n, Ont Cl rio, Pres id e nt of the
St. Bon ifoe e, Me mbe r of t he C .C.C.
band council.
Admin istrot io n BO Cllrd .
(ConI. on p Cllq..... col. 1)
C.C.C.
Educ""'lon and Welfare Boosted
,'.If>
bid'
'
Y n Ian Ad"
minis t ra t Ion
Women Play Greal Pari
In Indian Councils
L1
...
Page 2
THE INDIAN MISSIONARY RECORO
Remembrance of the Indian Pilgrimage
MARCH,1955
June 1954
News Briefs
TO BEAT DRUM FOR MOVIE
Hobbema, Alberta - Jonas Ap·
plegarth who was handed an im·
portant role in Warner Brothers'
production of Battle Cry last yea r,
will be taken on a tour of major
Western Canadian cities in March;
this tour wil be in connection with
the Canadian opening of the picture he made last year in Holly·
wood; the premiere was held in
Vancouver, March 4.
The tour will include Calgary,
Edmonton, Regina and Winnipeg.
/
/
SIOUX TRAINS TO BE NURSE
Winnipeg, Feb. 21 _ Manitoba's
first Sioux nurse·ta-be started 2'h
years of hard training today. Bel·
ty Bunn, 20, a Sioux from Birtle,
Man ., was "capped" during the
week·end to mark the end of her
six·month probationary period at
the Winnipeg General hospital.
She is training under the auspices
of the department of Indian af·
fairs , and said she would like to
work with Indians .
Teaches Indians
Native Cralls
Eskimo Sisterhood in
Alaska
st. Mary's :Mission, Alaska.
Across a vast wasteland and tundra, 160 Eskimo students attend
St. Mary's Residential Mission
School in Western Alaska. The
Mission School was bcgun in 1949,
under the supervision or the
Jesuit Fathers; the Urs uline Nuns
conduct the school.
Last year a sisterhood for Eski·
mo girls, called the Oblates of
Our Lady of the Snow, was found·
cd. Three noviccs have joined the
Order recently: they are Sisters
M. Bertha, M. Catherine and M.
Cecilia.
151.942 Indians
Now In Canada
Canada's population of 15,400"
000 includes 151,942 Indians Cit·
izcnship Minister PickersgiU reo
ports in a return tabled in the
commons.
The return, for R. Hardy Small
(PC- Toronto Danforth ), also said
there are 2,223 Indians reserves
in Canada.
The Indian population in 1949
was 136,407 and in 1944 125,686.
The Indian Affairs Branch carries
out a survey evcry five years.
NEW HOMES AT CRESTON
Th e Rt . Hon oro b le L. S. So int- Lou. e nt, Pre m rc . of Can a da , greet ed 2 00
In di an pi lgrim s fro m West e.n Con od o , on th e ir visit at th e Por li o me nt in
Ottowa ; t he p. ime Min is te r is s how n h e r~ greeting Ceci lia Dic k of W ill ia ms
La ke In dia n Res ide nti a l Sc hool, B.C.
Indian Handicralt Still
Flourishing
WADENA.- That India n handicraft has not died through the
years was proved by George Chap·
lin , Indian instructor on F ishing
Lake Reserve, when he brought to
the Wadena News Office a pair of
gauntlet gloves made for him by
a treaty Indian, Muriel Desj arlais.
The gloves were made from
home·tanned leather, soft , smooth
and Illiable. Each cull had an exquisite flower design in white, red
and green beading. The gloves
were a masterpiecc of intricate
needlework.
WE LFARE SERVI CES ACT
Toronto, On1. - Among the legislation to be introduced in On·
tario, we note a new Act for
entitled Indian Welfare Services
Act, which will 'Provide that native
Indian widows, living on or off
the rese rve will benefit, under
the mothers' allowance Act. Spon·
sorin g the iegistl3tion is the Hon·
orable Will iam A. Goodfell ow, Mi·
ni ster of Public Wellare.
TO AITEND
NON·INDI AN SCHOOL
Creston, B.C. _ The Indian reo
Southampton, Ont. - Four ad·
servation has seen a complete new ditional classrooms are planned
village constructed with moderniz· at the Southampton P ublic School
ation in homes, living conditions to a(X!omodate 120 children of
and buildings. The area which the nearby Saugeen Indian Reser·
will be seeded to lawn gives the ve. The capital cost of the exten·
appearance of a well planned com· sion will be borne by the Depart·
ment of Citizenship.
munity.
FUR AUCTION HELPFUL
Wal pole Island, On1. _ At a
recen t fur auction held on the
Walpole Island Reservation, bid·
di ng maintained a fail' price; the
Indians endorsed the new system,
which puts ready cash into their
hands in mid·winter, when em·
ployment slackens.
Behind the sale is the co-operative move by the Federal and
Provincial authol'ities to better the
lot of Canada's citizens.
Federal Grant Asked
Victoria, B.C. - The Federal
Govern ment is being asked for an
ann ua l grant of $8,000 which the B.
C. Government says could res ult
in a better livelihood for Northern
Ind ians. The money would be used
to pay the salary and expenses
of a game management biologist
for Northern B.C.
TALK ON IROQUOIS
"The Iroquois: their past and
prescnt," was the talk presented
to a French audience at the Na·
tional Museum in Ottawa.
The speaker was Marcel Rioux,
anthro pologist at the museum.
Mrs. Rioux gave a survey of
the history of the tribe, from its
"League or Nations" days to the
present life on the reserves.
A colored film was shown, de·
picting the life of the Iroquois
living near BranHord.
Rev. Father Cyr is an Oblate
priest on the Labrador, who
teaches the Indians Indian crafts.
The Montagnais and Nascopie
Indians have so far wandered from
the way of their fo refathers tha t
they have forgotten even s uch a
simple thing - to an Indian - as
making s nowshoes.
Rev. Father Cyr is teaching
them the art again and the In·
dians are now turn ing out highly
creditable snowshoes once more.
High School Students
"
At Pincher Cree k
Pi neher Creek, Alberta - Are·
quest from the Peigan Indian
Agent at Brocket to provide hig h
school education for Indian stu·
dents with -the non·lnd ians at P in·
cher Creek, was granted by the
local school board, provided that
van and school accommodation is
available, and at a charge of $150
per pupil per yea r.
OBSERVE LONCBOUSE RITES
Feb. 3 was the last day of the
SixNations Indians Longhouse reli·
gious Festival of Repentance.
Formerly called the Feast of the
Wh ite Dog, the festival is being
held at three longhouses _ U pper
Cayuga. Lower Cayuga, and Sene·
0..
Pa rt or the recen t observance at
the Lower Cayuga longhouse was
the feather dance. About 600 In·
dians among the 6,000 members
of the reservation are followers
of the Longhouse religion.
INDIAN PUPILS
OTTAWA - R. F. Davey, super·
intendent of education for the
federal Indian aUairs branch, reo
ports that since 1945 school enrol·
ment of Indians has almost
doubled, reaching about 32,000.
TH E INDI AN MISS IONARY RECORD
MARCH, 1955
CANADIAN HIERARCH Y
PUBLISHES CREE
NEWSPAPER
(ConI, from pa q8 1. eol. 2)
Mehlbers at lIobbehla
The Lague was organized early
this year on the reserves near Hobbema, Alberta, with a total membership of 114. On January 13, 30
members Crom the Samson Reserve
joined, on J anuary 20, 34 (rom
the Louis BuIl Reserve a nd on
January 27, 50 from the Ermineskin Reserve became members. It
is expected that on the Montana
and lPigeon Lake Reserves the
League will be established short-
Lac La Biche, Alberta - Father
R . Levert 0::\1.1 ., is the publisher
of " Ki tchitwa ) l ileh " (Sacred
Heart Review) a monthly magazine I)ublished in Cree, and printed in syllabic characters. T h is
paper has a circulation o f 1250
and is supplemented by a yea rly
calendar which has unique feat ur-
".
Th e
Calendar
The Cree Indians have a special
The Ermineskin Council is form· calendar of thei r own which carcd of: Cyprien Laroque, President, r ies a single stroke [or each day
Ross Littlechild, Vice-President, of the year. Sundays are indicated
and James Listener, Secretary- by an "X" and Holy Days are indicTreasurer; the Samson Council has ated by a Church-like symbol. A
for President: Dan BuUalo, James small dot on the days' strokes
Train is Vice· President and Meyers indicates a day of abstinence, while
Buffalo is Secretary·Treasurer; in a cross on it denotes a fast da y.
the Louis Bull Council, Dan Des·
The left side of the calendar
champ is President, George Bull,
ca rries the chu rch symbol for
Vice-President, a nd Percy White,
the month while the column
Secretary-Treasure I'.
to the right carries the Cree
symbol
for the month. The
Local Council at V ill age. llu r~n
Cree Indians indenlify their
On January 5. a loca l Counci l
nlonth of the year in r elation
was established at the Huron vilto the habits of the g:f'lCse.
lage, near Quebec, P.Q.; among
ducks and deer and the comthose present were Chief Alphonse
ing o f the snow.
T. P icard , and Sub·Chiefs, Gerard
In the Cree language. J anuary
Gros·Louis, Dame Edgar Gros- is "the long month" or l he month
Louis. and Mr. Roger Vincent; of the moon. F ebruary is the month
Miss Denise !Picard, Mrs. Theophile of the Eagle, while Ma rch is the
Gros·Louis, Mrs. Arma nd and Alex- month of the Goose and April is
andre Gros-Louis, and Mr. Ray- the month of the Frog. May is
mond Vincent.
ncsting time for the birds, June
The Rev. GCQrge S. Gagnon, is is their hatching ti me and July is
chapla in of the Lorette Huron the month when they woult.
Council.
August is the month of the fl ying birds as they start their trip
A Special Invitation
to the south and September is the
The members of the Missionary mating season for deer. October
Association of Mary Immaculate Is ,the month of the ice, November
are invited hereby to join the is the month of the hoar frost
League; already 60 members of while December is the month of
the At .A.M. I.. from Dillon, Sask., the snow as trees are weighed
are ready to become members of down with snow.
the Lcague.
Just as a sales manager
trace the travelling of his
Twenty to twe nty·five membel's
sales crew, or a general might
are eXpected to join shortly at
1)lace the pos ition of his troops.
Ca lais (Sturgeon Lake) Alberta; at
thl'! Cree Indians use a pi n
the Long Lake Reserve, Gu rneywith a small fl ag on it to mark
ville, Alberta, th League is now
each
da)·. The fl ag is moved
being organized; the League actacross the calendar each mornivities will begin shortly at the
ing.
Sucker Cree Reserve, near Jo ussard, Alberta.
Alms and purpose of the I"eague Ohsweken Lea ders'
The Catholic Indian League is Course
cssentially a Catholic action moIndians Crom 15 reservations in
vement, in accordance with the Ontario attended a five-day leaderdirecth'es and instructions given by ship course at Ohsweken beginning
the Bishops and Archbishops. It Fe. 28. The Six Nations Council
does not intend to take over from authorized the course planners to
many already existi ng organization hold the c\'enl in the di ning hall
or Catholic associations such as the of the Ohswekcn fairg rounds.
C.Y.O., Knights of Columbus, the
About 30 Indians attended the
Confraternity of Christian Doct· confe rence. designed to assist Inrine, the Missionary Association of dians in social work and other
Mary Immaculate or others; for the projccts on reservalions. A similar
already existing groups, the League course, which met with consideris only solliciting thei r adherence able success, was held at North
and the registration of their mem- Bay last year.
bers.
The course is being planned
jointly by the community prog rams
The Nootka Ind ians of Van- bra nch of the Ontario department
couver island long ago built sea- of education and the social work
worthy canoes for fishing expedi· division o( th~ Jndian affairs
branch,
tions far out to 5ea.
The Indians look forward to getting a new calendar each year and
their paper every month. Father
Levert dreads the day when modern living will catch up with hii
Indians and h is press will roll for
a fi nal issue.
Father Levert is a native of Sudbury, Ontario; he was ordained
in 1936 and has devoted his e ntire
priestly life to the min istry among
the Cree Indians of Alberta.
He is now located at Lac La
Biehc, Alberta, which used to be
a centra l point fo r the Oblate
missions in Western Canada .
ly.
NATIVE MLA HELPS
HIS PEOPLLE
Va ncouver , B.C. _ Frank Calder, B.C. Member of the Legislative
Assembly for the Atlin constiluency (2,000 voters ) is doing wond·
erfu l work on behalf of his people.
He has spoken for them over
the years since he was first elected
and has helped bring their pl'obIcms to the attention of his fc llow
legisla tors and to the Canadian
public.
Mr. Calder is the only Canadian
native elected to any Parliament,
and he takes an active interest
in every pro blem that has a bearing on the Indian people of B.C.
Official Delegate
Lebret, Sask. - OHicial delegate fro m the Saskatchewan
Teachers College in Moose J aw
to the annual Western Canada
student teachers convention held
in Vancouver from Feb. 21 to 24
was a lull·blooded Indi:!n, Clive
Linklater of Lebret.
A fo rmer student or the St.
Paul's Indian high school at Lebret, Mr. Linklater held the position of president of the student
body and editor of the school
paper for three years.
He spent an add itional year at
the school as a cadet instructor
before coming to Moose Jaw in
1954. He represented all six classes of the college at the Conference.
•
Magazine
Pu blishers
"
Fort Al exa nd er, Mon.
l eft to right : Ph il ippe Plomondon, .,..ith
Pa ul Fa ntaine IGr.
101 and
Chartes
Iruye re
(Gr. 9 ),
J unior Se mina ria ns,
ore shawn h e t e
pr;n1 in9 the school
magaJ ine " Ideo l".
•
Page 3
Claim Compensation
Caughnawaga , P.Q. The
Chief of the Caughnawaga :\10hawks, t o~ether with a del ~ ation
of Councillors, visited Ottawa recently in order to press their claims
for compensation due to them alone for territory which will be expropriated for the St. l~awren ce
seaway.
A number of white squatters
are living on land that bord~r.s
their reservation and the munlCIpaily of Cote Ste. Catherine on
the South shore of the st. Lawrence River. It is claimed that
,p resent residents on the disp uted
lan d do not have the title to the
properties to establish legal ownership.
Much concern is shown over
Ole loss of the waterfront on the
river; many depended on fishing
for rood and the children have
round their recreation on the river
shores lor may generations.
Apostle of the Sioux
st. Francis, S.D. - On October
27, 1954, Father Eugene Buechel,
S.J ., missionary to the Sioux Indians in South Dakota, from 1907
to 1954, past away. He served the
Sioux on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations.
l'laving mastered the Teton dialect o( Ihe Sioux, he composed
a Bible History in 1927, tra nslated
numerous prayers, hymns and in·
structions; in 1939 he published an
excellent grammar of the Lakota.
The Sioux affectionately called
Father Buechel: "WambJec Sa pa",
(Black Eagle ).
R. I. P.
Wife of Grey Owl
Die s at Timagami
T IMIGAMI
Mrs. William
Turner of Timigami d ied in
Haileybury hospital Saturday. She
was 67.
A fu ll-blooded Ojibway, she was
the Indian wife of Grey Owl,
Archie Bela ney, Engl ish-born author who posed for years as an
Indian and was the author of
many best sellers.
She is survived by her second
husband and three children.
Page 4
THE INDIA N MISSIO NARY RECORD
Cross Lake Indian Residential School
MARCH, 1955
TH'
INDIAN MISSIONARY RECORD
A NATION AL PUBLICATION
FOR THE INDI ANS OF CANAD A
f"OlOnded In 1938
Mana g ing Editor :
REV. G. LAV IOLETTTE, O.M. L
G ene. ol Secre ta.y,
In dian and Eoldmo WeUare Ca m",l..lon .
Unh e •• itv, OUa ... a.
P"bll . b e d '-n Ume. a v ear b y
Tbe MI... lanary Obla t.. 01 Ma.v
ImmacIOlale.
Subscription : $1 .00
0
year
P,inted by Le Droll. 0 Ila""a.
,o,,,tho,;zed o • • econd cia •• maUer, Po.l
OWce Deportm e nt. Ottawa. Co nada .
ED UCATION AND WEL FARE
(Con t. from page
1. eol. 2)
An increase of 30,000 acres of
land under cultivalion in Manitoba,
Saskatchewan and Alberta, totalling 363,000 acres, produce(! more
than 4,000,000 bushels of gra in.
Some $20,000 worth of handicrafts were produccd on thc Pierreville, Manitoulin Island, St. Regis
and Lorctte rese rves. Members of
Homemakers' Clubs made close to
10,000 garments which were sold
to the Department of National
Health and Wel£are.
One hundred and twe nty-six revolvi ng fu nd loans totalling $138,
414 were approved du ring the year.
Sixty-nine grants for the re-establishment of Indian veterans totalling $14 1,254 were approved.
Declining fur priccs, high commodity prices and low production
affe cted adversely the economy of
the Indians who subsist on fu r
rcsourccs. However, assistance given to I ndians was continued
th roughout Canadaj for instance,
Indians trapping in the Saskatchewan river della shared, in the past
year, $346,000 in the proceeds of
the muskrat development projcct.
Social Welfare
One hundred and sixty-nine Indian Homemakers' Clubs continued
their work in home improvement,
sewing, and assista nce to less fortunate members of the Band. Club
conventions were held throughou t
Canada.
Social leader training courses
wcre given in all P rovinces. These
courses were successfully conducted .
Owing to an increase in t he number of Indians qualifying for Old
Age Assistance net expenditures
for dircct relief showed a dccrcase
as compared with the previous
year. notwithstanding regional unemployment and the depressed (ur
market.
Family Allowances
As of December 31, 1953, 19,
002 families received allowances
for 32,031 children; 90% of the
payments were made by cheque
Lefl : Grades 7 and 8 : Si tt ing: Fr. Cham be rland , O.M. I., Pr inc ipa l
wi lh Sist e r M. SI-A nn!!, Gro de 8 le a cher, a nd Fr. SI_Ongl!, O.M .1. Firs' tOW :
L. to R., Th erese Colo mb , Ol ga Ross a nd Ch ris' ino Watt; Bock row: L . to
R., And rew McKo y, Fred Sinclair a nd Jo nah Budge.
Righi: Grod e 5 pu pils : Fro nt ro w: Siste r M . St-A nn e and Fa th e r
Cha mbe rla nd, O.M .I.; Se cond row : L. to R., Be lla Chub b, Eilo Ross, Mart ha
Watt and Noella Mu skeg o; Th ird raw: L. to R" Em ily Oi.... on, h a Ross an d
No ra W a lk!!r; Bo ck row: L. to R., Jimm y Osbo rll'e, Bon ifa ce Ma son, Will iam
Ross an d Vic to r Rob inso n.
(October 1954 - pho tos, courtesy Cross Loke Schoo1l
and only 7% in provisions. Total
family allowances paid during
1953, was $3,846,650.
Four thousand Ihrce hund red
and seventy·three Indians in Canada, 70 years o( age and over
received old age secur ity pension
in 1953.
Education
626 appoi ntments were made to
the tcachi ng staff; teachers of Indian status nu mbered 52; one of
these was a supervising principal
of a group of schools for the staff
of 26 teachers, all but one of whom
were of Indian status.
Motion picture p rojectors were
in regular use in nearl y al\ resi·
dential schools, while fil m-stri p
projectors were provided for the
Day Schools. A number of radios
and phonographs were supplied to
the schools.
In additio n to phys ical education
and sports programmes, activities
such as the Boys Scouts, Girls Guides, J unio r Red Cross, Choirs, Cadct Cor ps, 4-H Clubs and othe r
group of activities that afford
tra ining in leade rship and stimulate intercst in social and econom ic
organizations, werc encouraged in
Indian schools.
29 hospital teachers were e mployed by the E ducation Service;
these teachcrs carricd out an educational programme for adult and
children patients in 12 institutions.
Secondary education was given
to India n pupils in nearly 200 secondary schools for non·India n pupils, while at several Indian Residential schools, c1asswork in High
School subjects was conducted.
Counselling and monetary aid
were available to every older boy
or girl whose occupational interest and choice indicated the desir·
ability of a course of training at a
business college, vocational school,
or technical institute.
During 1953-54, there were 3,38 1
Indian children attending non·Tndi an schools; 11,090 were enrolled
in Residential SSchools, while 13,703 attended Day schools. The
overall percentage of attendance
was 85%.
67 resident ial schools were in
operation. 360 day schools, 22 seasonal schools and 12 hospital
schools.
Reserve Property
Revenuc derived from land salcs
was considerably higher than in
previous years. Collections on land
sale contracts totalled $380,747.
Rentals collected under leases and
permits totalled $908,428; 2,878
leases and permits were in force
at the end of the fiscal year.
Receipts from the disposal of
petroleum and nat ural gas r ights
totalled $946,426. Receipts from
the disposal of timber were $522.143.
The Indian t rust fu nd (which
is sharcd by 366 bands, tota ll ing
nearly 110,000 Indians) now stands
at over $23,000,000, a $500,000 increase over the preced ing year ;
71,463 Indians received treaty a nnuities, totalling $359,935.
Personal savings showed a total
credi t of $756,657.
789 Indians were enfr anchised
du ring the year; in Yuko n T. - 16:
in the N.W.T . - 16; in B.C .. Il 2;
in Alberta - 96; in Saskatchewan _
121; in Manitoba - 155; in Ontario
- 233; in Quebec - 15; in New
Brunswick - 13j in Nova Scolia
12.
E ngin eering and Construction
Duri ng the year under review
emphasis was placed on the improvement of existing school plants
and the deSigning and construc·
tlOn of addi tional schools, on the
planning fo r conslruction of othcr
buildings to be used both by India ns and Branch officials, and on
the extcnsion and improvement o [
installations for such services as
sewage disposal, drai nage, power
and water supplies for Indian reserves.
The total expenditure lo r the Indian Bra nch for the fisca l year
1953·54, was over $16,000,000; while
$341,000 went for Branch Admi nistration, Indian Agencies received
S2,535,ooo j the Rcserve and Trust
Administration : $ 183,000; WeUare:
$2,881,000; F ur conservation; $3 13,
000, and Education, close to $10,
000,000.
Indian Princess
(OUawa Journal)
We stretch back into 1954 fo r a
moment to announce our woman
of the rear - Princess Wapiti.
We select her because she kept
her head while all the other pr inccsses were lOSing t heirs and
moaning for Hollywood contracts .
Miss Evelyn Eagle Speaker, a
pretty Alberta gi rl, was named
Princess Wa piti by a council of
Indian bands when she was chosen Qucen o[ the Calgary Stampede. Sh had her moments of
glory riding in the Stampede
Parade and welcoming distinguished guests. But, we thi nk,
any princess could do that.
Princess Wapiti is our princess
beca use she worked l or her room
and board while attend ing business school - and was a pr incess
only dUring the vacation _ and
graduated with honors. Shc completed the ycar with a general
average of 90 percent, and won
medals for ty ping proficiency and
one o( the highest marks ever
given by the school in shorthand .
Now she is employed by a Calgary busi ness fi r m and proves
every day t hat beauty and brains
and Indian d ignity have restored
the sheen to the title she was
given.
Qu' Appelle I.R.S.
News
Leb rcl, Sask . T he February
iS$ue of the school magazine. T ee·
pee.Tid im!:s. commemora tes the
Golden J ub ilee of the province o f
Saska tch ewan in p ublish in,l! a
short historical notice on the
Q u'al>l)elle r ndian school.
The school was founded in 1883.
together with the former Indust·
rial school at Dunbow, near Cal·
gary. Al berta. and the Battleford
Industria l school in Saskatchewan.
In 1880, Bishops Grandin of Sas·
katchewan and Tache of St. Boni·
face . conceived a plan for Indian
education by which Indian schools
would be built and kept UP by the
Government, under Church auspi·
"" In.
Page 5
TH E INDIAN MISSIO NARY RECORD
MARCH, 1955
1883, Parliament voted the
necessary funds for the e rection
of the schools. Although the late
Governor Dewdney at first refused
to begin the erection of the Qu'Appelle industrial school. Sir J ohn
A. MacDonald, the Prime Mi nister
of Canada , ordered t he Governo r
10 build a school on land bought
by Bishop Tache.
T he main build ing of the school
was erected the followin g year ;
in Octobe r 1884, six Grey nuns
arrived from Montreal to ca re for
and ed ucate the children. Father
I-Iugonard. O.M.I., was appointed
fi rst princi pal of the school in
January 188 -1. The school opened
with 22 boys in 1885; by 1893 the
first build ing was trebled in capa·
city and could recei ve 225 ,pupils.
Th e Qu'Appelle school was th en
the most successful of its kind in
Canada.
Sister Marco ux, s.g.m ., has bee n
instrumental in doin g the reselrch
work connected with the writing
up the history of the school, at
the req uest oC the Provincial De·
partment of Education.
The ' school pupils will take an
active share in the celebration of
the Saska tchewan Provincial Jubi·
lee; a radio program will be
broadcast from the school May 26.
Student Counci l.
The Grade 11·12 pupils have
elected a student council: the P re·
sident is Ernest Scott. Vice·P resi·
dent is Lorraine Bellegarde, Sec·
retary, Gerald Starr.
lIockey
The 1955 Hockey season wellt
off to a fl yi ng start with th ree
teams: J uniors, Midgets and Bantams.
The Lebret team took top hon·
ors at the Hockey to urnament held
in Edenwold , J anuary 22. More
victories were wo n at F ort Qu'Appelle, Sintaluta, Wolseley a nd
South Qu'Appclle. In the fi rst
S.A.H.A. play·offs, the J uniors fin ·
aUy lost to WolseJey; the Bantams
bowed to Moosomin and the Mid·
gets were defeated by Yorkton.
Better luck next year!
Street Lights at
Nanaimo
N ANADJO - X anll imo I nd ian
Reserve N o.1 is to have a new
street lighting system.
A contract for t he operation of
to 300·watt multiple street light·
ing fixtures has been signed by
the B.C. Power Commission and
federal aut horities.
The new street lights, to be in·
stalled shortly by the power com·
mission, wiU mark another ste p
of progress by the local India n
band. The Nanaimo band is the
amalgamation of fo ur tribes that
joined many years ago under the
name "Snenymous," which means
"great and mighty people."
The contract between the com·
mission and federal gover nment
was negotiated originally by (orm·
er Chief Edison White. The pre·
sent ch ief is Thomas Seward .
Meets City Council
Duncan, B.C. - For the (irst
time in the history of British Columbia, an Indian Council met reo
cently with the city Council in
order to d iscuss a purchase of 47
acres of India n r eserve land for
the expansion of the city.
The land wanted by the city
is owned by Charlie Williams, a
Cowichan Indian. It was explained
to the city Council that before
Williams cou ld sell he would have
to have permission from the ba nd;
to tal value of the land is appraised
at $38,500.
Five members of the Cowichan
band Council wel'e present with
Chief Stan Modeste.
Indian Brotherhood
Meets in Winnipeg
Winnipeg, Man. _ Fifty delegates from 20 reserves, incl udi ng
15 Chiefs and 20 Co uncillors from
Manitoba attended the annual In·
di an Brotherhood Convention h eld
in Winnipeg's Labour Temple.
Among the topics discussed
were: P ensions for elderly In·
d ians; payment of Provincial tra p·
pers licenses; the p urchase and
consump tion of liquor and the
legality of the sale of Saint Peter's
Reserve, North or Wi nnipeg.
Chairman of the Convention was
Chief Geo rge Bar ker, of Hollow
Water Reserve.
HUMAN TOTEM POLE
N.r .B. Charged With
Discrimination
Toronto. Feb . 16 - T he Primate o f the Anglican Church in
Ca nada has pro tested the Na tional
F ilm Board wh ich . he cla ims, S U~·
,!Zest throuf!:h its film that the Ro·
ma n Catholic Church is the onl y
one wo r k in~ among th e Eskimo ~ .
although 82 ("1" of them are sa id
to be bal)tized Anglica n!l.
The protest called for withd rawal or mms under circulation; apparently one of t hese fil ms arc
'Angotee'. which was filmed at
Chesterfield Inlet , N.W.T., and at
~o nd Inlet, in Baffi n L and.
At Chesterfield Inlet, there is a
Roma n Catholic 1o1isson wh ich is
the focal point for 12 others in
that genera area ; it is a maHer
of simple mathematics since t he
Catholic missions arc many times
more numerous than those of the
Chu rc h of England in the terri tories inhabited by the Eskimos.
New Day Schools In
Saskatchewan
Otta wa - Tenders were invited
fo r the construction of the fol ·
lowing sch ools in Saska tchewan :
1. One·class room School on P ine
Blu ff Reserve, Ca rlton Indian
Agency ; 2. On e·d assroom School
on Ministikwan Reserve. Meadow
Lake Agency; 3. Two-class room
School on Cowessess Reserve,
Crooked Lake Agency.
I t is hoped that these schools
will be erected early in the Spring
so as to be ready fo r occ upancy
in the Fall.
I n Alberta
A two·classroom School is to be
erected soon on the Driflpile Re·
serve. Lesser Slave Lake Agency
in Alberta; a one·classroom School
will be built on the Boyer River
Reserve Fort VermilJon Agency,
Al berta.
The box ing tc om o f St. Po .. l's In w
d ia n Schoo l at No rth Vonco....e. , is
t ra ined by Alex 51.oin an d Bill
Nah a ncc, an In d ian . Th e boys o.e :
t op 10 botto m : SIc ... Tho ma s 1112
In Unity There is Strength
The re Clre morc than 7 8,000 Ca t holic Indions in Canada
Join the Catholic Indian League of Canada!
fbs l, Ed go . Newman 1106 lb l l ,
E.n ie Cam pbell iS5 Ibs ) , Will ard
Le wi s 1147 Ibsl , And re w Gco.ga
/ 9 5 Ib, ) , a nd W illie Nohon ee 170
Ibs ) .
- ((curlesy Andrew Poul)
Th e growi ng in terest among
India ns in fo rmal ed ucat ion is in·
d icated by the number o f stude nts
a ttend ing secondary schools, colle·
ges and special courses; they num·
bered 1,644 in the past fiscal year.
Page 6
THE I NDIAN MISSIONARY RECORD
Nos Saints Martyrs Ca nadic-ns (II)
L'EGLISE ET LA MAISON
DE L'IMMACULEE-CONCEPTION
La formul e dll voeu de 1635 comportail , pour les missionnaires,
une seconde obl i~al ion: dedier .i l ' r mmac ult~e la premiere e~li s e q ui
se consi ruirait cn Huronic .i 1a suile du voeu. Ce fut l'e~1ise d 'Ossossa nc.
II y avait longtemps que, au
bourg d'Ossossane. sur les bards
de I'actuelle baie de Nottawasaga,
levait Ie bon grain parmi l'ivraie.
De Sai nt·-Jose ph d' i honatiria, les
Peres s'y rendaient a tour de rOle
clleill ir les epis murs. " Enfi n voici nos desirs accomplis," annonee
Ie P. LeMercier au P. Lejeune, Ie
21 j ui n 1637. "J e ne donnerai
plus dc simples csperanccs it Votre Reverence: on trava il1e dej a
it dresser notre cabune a Ossossane. El nous atlendons des ouvriers pour y baUr une cha pelle
e n l"honneur de la Conce ption de
No tre·Dame."
Un an plus ta rd : " No us sommes
s ur Ie poi nt de lever no tre nou·
velie cha peJ!e: elle a ura t renle
pieds de longueur. seize de Ja r·
geur et vingt·quatre de hauteur.
Si Dieu nous fait la grace de voi r
eet oU\Tage accompli. ce sera non
pas un des plus grands mais un
des plus jolis de la NouvelleF rance."
Or, a celte dale, les autres Peres en residence a Ossossane
etaie nt suint J ean de Brcbe uf,
sai nt Charles Garnier ct Ie Perc
Paul Ragueneau. A ia fin d'aout,
quand Ie P. Jerome Lalemanl, oncle du P. Ga bri el, remplacera
saint J ean de Brebeuf comme s uperieur de la mission, il y fera
ve nir saint Antoine Daniel. Sa int
Jean de Brcbeuf reto urne ra a
Ihonatiria , ou missionne sa int
Isaac J ogues.
I.e 8 decembre 1638, la nouvelle
chapelle. bien {IUC inachevee, sert
au ba pleme de seize personnes
ad ultes, parmi IcsquelJes trois ou
quatre chefs de families, avec
fe mmes et enrants.
"Nous avo ns bien raiso n de eroi·
re quc la Vierge i mmaculee a mis
la main .it cel ouvrage", ccrit Ie
nouveau superieur, "ca r ces ba ptcmcs ont He conferes Ie jour de
J'I mmaculee·Conccplion et dans
J'cglise que nous sommes en train
d 'elever en l'honneur de l'Imma·
cuice, selon notre vo(! u."
Des son entree en cha rge, Ie P.
Lalemant, un organisateur de
grande classe, avait pris Ie parti
de construire dans un endroit propice, .it la lois accessible et reti re,
hors des vi llages, une residence
ce ntrale unique, d 'oil les missionnaires rayonneraient dans les diverses chretienles. A qu i ded ierat·on ce pos te important? 0 550 Ssane s'appellc deja La Conception.
Le nouvel H ablissemenl, par
un ha bile compromis, s'a ppellera
Sainte-IUarie. C'est Ie p , l"alemant
qu i Ie dit: "Nous avons donne a
ceUe maison Ie nom de SainteMarie ou Nolre·Dame de oJa Conception ." Et il ajoule: " Les obli·
gations que nous avons a ceHe
,grande Princesse du ci el et de
la lerre sont telles que nous
souffro ns de ne pouvoir lui en Himoigner assez de r eeonnassanee.
A\l moins aurons-nous dorenava nl eeHe consolation que ehaque
fois qu'on parlera de la principale
deme ure de ceUe mission. en 1a
nommant Sainte·Marie. ce seront
au tant d'hommages qui lu i seront
rendus de notre conHance. de noIre devotion et de nos actions de
grace."
CeUe residence, que Richelieu
fit forti fier par la suite, - d'ou
lu i vient son nom de "Fort Sa inte·
Marie" , - ahrita, durant l'une ou
i'aut re de ses dix annees d·exis·
tence,
j usqu a
soixante-qu in1.c
F r an~ais (religieux, donnes, employes, soldats) . Outre les depen·
dances indis pensables (menuiser ic. forge , H able) , elle s'accrllt
d'une grande cglise (eonsaeree .it
saint Joseph) et d'un hopital Sain·
te- Marie des Hurons: sai nt Isaac
Jogues en di rigea la construction,
de 1639 a 1642 : saint Charles
Garnie r y fit sa profession solennelle, en 1643; suint J ean de BrebeuC y vint re ndre compte .it ses
su perieurs des agisscments de
Dieu en son arne, saint Noel Chabanel, a la Fete-Dieu de 1647, y
prononta son voeu heroique de stabilite, saini Gabriel Lalemant, recente reer ue, s'y pre para .it devenir Ie com pagnon du gean t des
missions huron nes, et tous de ux,
Ie 21 mars 1649, y furent tem po·
raireme nt inhumes.
C'est Iii auss i, sous l'oeil de Marie, que Ie fervent neophyte Joseph Chiouaten houa ina ugu rera,
par huit jours d'exercices s pidtuels, les retrai tes ferme es pour
milita nts d'action catholique, Aujourd'hui, grace aux excava tions
effeclUees par les urcheologues
Kidd et J ury, Sa inte· Marie des
Huro ns est de venue. par un secret
desse in de la Providence, Ie grand
centre historique et touristique de
J'O nta rio, la porle d'entree, pour
lous. du sanetuaire national des
Saints Marty rs Canad ie ns.
• • •
L'espoir que les J esuites avaient
mis dans !'invocation de Marie
n'uboutit pas a la prosplirite rnater ieHe. Obliges de sui vre d ans
l'ile Saint·J oseph
(aujourd'hui
Chr istian Island) leurs ouailles
lerrifiees et d'incendier eux·memes le ur residence, pour qu'eUe
ne servit pas de fortcress e aux
Iroquois victorieux, enfin dccimes
par la mort de cinq de leurs meHleurs apotres, les miss ionna ires,
apres vingt ans et plus de penible
lebeur, quitterent la Huronie avec
les restes de la pauvre nation hur onne, reduite de vingt mille iI
deux mille personnes.
!\Iais ils avaient obtenu des suc·
ees spirituels .it portee Cternelle :
la vertu !leurissait ou avail pousse
Ie vice; la ve ritable redemption
triomphait de la superstition, des
mi!\iers de vieillards, de femmes,
d 'enfants et de guerriers Haient
morts baptises, ceux qui avaient
surveeu, guides par Ie saint Pere
Chaumont, formaient, sur I'ile
d 'Orieans, une chrctientc modele, assez fervente pour que put
s'y fonder, durant l'h iver de 16531654, une Congregation de la Sainte-Vierge, la premiere en Amerique du No rd. La devotion a I'Immaculee avait porte ses fruits. des
fruits de saintetc.
( il sui vre)
Ad rien POU LIOT, S.J .
Acliviltls feminines
Village-H uron, P.Q. - Le Comi te Domestique, sous la presidence de :'>Tada me Ar ma nd Gra sLo uis, a organise un comi te de
coutu re t res acW .
Tous les mereredis, une do uzuine de dames et demoiselles de la
Reserve se livrent a des travaux
de couture. de lricolage et de tis·
sage. Ce Comite Domes tique, fon·
de par MJle Berthe Forti n. tra·
vailleuse sociale, a aussi organise
une ser ie de cours sur la couture.
Mile Edith Dumont u remporte
un beau sueees, dans un debat
oratoire qui eut lieu a LorettevilIe; Mlle Dumon t avait it de£endre
la femme d'autrefois en face des
problemes de I'heure actuelle au
point de vue de I'instruction et
du travail feminin . El1e s'en cst
tiree avec beaueoup de brio et d 'a
propos.
Tout Ie monde applaudit a une
serie de cours de dessin et de
peinture donnes Ie jeudi, au Cou·
vent dn Village-Huron. par 1\1 .
Jean Bastien, fils de M. Cyrille
Baslien , du Village·Huron. M .
Bastien est professeur it I'Ecole
des Beaun x-Ar ts, il Quebec, ct a
parfait ses Ctudes s ur l'art it Paris .
(G.s.G. )
MARS, 1955
RADIO COLLEGE
PARLE DES INDIENS
:'>fontrral , P .Q,
J acques
Roussea u est Ie confer encier de
Radio-College qui nous parle tous
les vendredis soirs de 8 heures
8.30 heures depuis Ie 14 janvier,
s ur " Ces gens qu'oll dit sauvage" .
La serie des 15 confere nces se
terminera Ie 22 avril. L'auditoire
prend contact, pur ceUe introduction a I'ethnologie canadienne.
avec une population sympathiq ue
qui a joue un grand role dans
l'histoire et qui fait partie integranle de la nation.
I.e eonfereneier, dirccteur de
I'lnstt ut Botanique de Montreal,
presente un ta blea u tres in teres·
san t d e Ja prc·histoire des Indiens
du Canada.
a
Hommage au
docteur Rivard
O ttawa - L 'Office X ational <l u
Film vie nl de preparer un film
s(Jnore sur Ie docteur Pa ul L eon
R ivard. residen t de ClOVll , P.Q .,
charge de la sante pour les 2,500
I ndiens et des quelq ues trois mi!les buc herons de la re~ion d u Haut
St-:'I la urice.
Depuis vingt ans, Ie docteur Rivard prodigue ses soins aux bl anes
et Indiens de son immense territoi re, dans l'Abiti bi. Le film porte
pour tit re: " Medecin du No rd";
il cst d istribue aetuellement a trave rs Ie pays.
Tous ses patients rendent temoi·
gnage a sa bonte et il son gra nd
devo uement. Le docte ur Rivard a
un poste de r adio emetleu r, ( YE2
VW) Clova qui Ie relie sa ns delai
il to us les coins dc son ter riloire.
• I.e Grand Chef <les I>ra iries.
Par P. E. Breton, O.lt1.l .
Biograpltie du Pere l~acoulbe ,
O.M.l .. 011. revit tme grande fiaure
histo rtqlle qui ressort dans son
activite sodale d'jllitiation it la
C1i! ture de peuplades 710mades et
it un regime de pail: entre tes trio
bus de /'ouest canadien. ($2.00) .
MANIWAKI
La Chambre de Commerce de
Maniwaki desire exprimer sa reo
connaissanee au chef William
Commando ainsi qu '.it toule la Ban·
de des Algonquins pour avoir accCder a leur demande de construi Te la nouvelle et magnifiquc
piste " Bush Trail", d'environ 25
milles de longueu r. il trave rs les
plus beaux decors de la Reserve
Indienne de Ma niwaki . Le chef
indien fut present lors de Ia distribution des prix aux gagnants
du "Dog Derby" Ie 6 fevrier.
S. E. Mg , Mo u,ice Roy, A,c heviq uo
do Que be c, , c commonde fo,te me nt
I' eto blisse me nt d e to Lig ue d es I'h
dic n ~ Cll lh(lliq u c~ dll C(l n(ld(l ,
MARCH, 1955
,f-·.-..-.·-··- ·.-.·-,·-.·-.·-----·"'"\; Garden Club
\ 2~~fe g'(J~ !
\
-.~.-
-..-.-..-.-..-..-..-.. '
..
Page 7
THE INDIAN MISSIONARY RECORD
- :
Is it t ru e t h a t Cath olics con s ider a ll n o n -Cat h olic
c hildre n illegitimate?
No. It is Church law that
t h e wedding ot a Catholic
must be performed In t he
presence of a priest and two
witnesses. In the case of noncatholics, the Church recognizes the sacredness a nd
binding nature at all ceremonIes which mark "the conhlgal
union or mall and woman,
contracted between two qualified persons, which obliges
them to live together throughout life."
Is a Cath olic pe r m itted to
ge l a d ivor ce?
The Church does not recognize any absolute divorce
between a couple who are validly married, where one or the
other would be free to marry
again. F'or good reasons (Infidelity, cruelty), the ChUrch
m ay approve separation from
bed and board. In such cases,
a catholic may be permitted
to get a civil divorce In order
to satisfy some legal requirement. He may not, however,
r emarry during the lItetime
of the other party. In case
where the Church has dec reed
nuJllty- where, according to
Church law, there was no
marrIage In the tirst place- a
decree of annulment may
sometimes be necessary.
W h a t is t h e mean ing o r t h e
Mass?
The catholic Mass differs
from a Protestant Communion service-not only In ceremony but In what each congregation believes is taking
place. The Mass is the central
act of worship In the CathoUc
Church. It Is the true sacrifice of the Body and Blood of
Christ, made present on the
altar by the words of consecration (over the bread,
"This is my body " ; over the
wIne,
" This Is
my
blood .. . ").
"In this divine sacrifice,"
the Council of Trent declared,
"the same Christ is present
. . . who offered H imself . . .
on the altar of the cross
only the manner of offering
Is different."
Mass must be celebrated by
a priest or bishop , with whom
the congregation joins In offe ring to God "a re-presentation and a renewal of the offering made on Calvary ."
Catholics believe that after
the priest pronounces the
At Long Plains
PORTAGE, :'Ifan. - The Long
Plains Indian Reserve in Southern :'Ilanitoba is really a community apart from others. It is
a developing community and one
that ultimately will be overcrowd·
ed and thus present new problems.
The reserve is on good agricultural land and until recently was
nearly all solid bush. Now a bulldozer and a big ractor plow arc
bcing used to open lots fo r farm·
ing. The cost of breaking is charged to the rcscrve; the land is
farmed by the owners, and the
cost of breaking collectcd. Mr.
and Mrs. Fricsen, teachers at thc
Day School, have orga nized the
only Indian Garden Club in the
province of Manitoba . Ten of the
pupils have plots in the garden
and club contests arc quite a
cha llenge.
The new Day School grounds
are very attractive with its flower
beds and beautiful lawn.
School Kiddies
Don't Know 'Car'
PR I ~CE ALBERT, Sask. T each ing Indian children in the
northern wilds is much the same
as teaching anywh ere- else - but
there are some differences.
John Goertzen, a teacher in
northern Saskatchewan for the
past 16 years, explained on a visit
here that words like "car" and
"train" aren't used in teaching
primary pupils.
"A story abo ut a trai n or an
automobile doesn't mean much to
a Metis child who has seen neither," John explained. " I just
substitute 'plane' and 'canoe' and
the children can gain more from
the story since they are Iamiliar
with those modes of travel."
John would like to see a text
book written specially for north·
ern schoolchildren. He has suggested a group of northern tea·
chers each write a story to be
included in such a book.
Ra re Art Collection May
Return to Ca nada
VICTORIA, B.C. _ A rare collection of B.C. Coast Indian totems,
canoes, cooking utensils, ceremonial masks, and other hand iwork,
stored in London vaults for 25
years, may be returned to this
province.
This collection has been recently show n at the South Kensington
Imperial Institute; Mr. Gunderson,
B.C.'s trade commissionner, is taking initial step toward h aving it
brought back to B.C.
words of consecration the
whole substance of the bread
becomes the Body of Christ,
the whole substance of the
wine becomes the Blood of
Christ. T hey believe that
Christ is truly and substantially present in the EucharIst, body and soul, humanlt.y
and divinity.
BISHOP-ELECT OF KEEWATIN
Ottawa , :\Jarch 11 -
T he appointment of Rev. Fr. Paul Dumo u-
chel, 0.:'11.1. , as Bishop-elect of the Keewat1·n::;~~~~'~I!'~n~;l:O:
b a,
has been announced today by His Exc. the
The Bishop-elect, was born in
5 1. Boniface, Man., in 1911. In
1931. he joined the Oblate Fathers
and was ordained priest in 1936.
He devoted all his missionary !i(e
to the Saulteaux Indians of Southern Manitoba. He acquired a great
fluen cy in the language and wrote
an excellent grammar in that dialect He took an active part in
several missionary congresses; at
one time, he was a lecturer at the
Ottawa University's Institutc of
Missiology.
At the time of his appointment,
Bishop Dumouchel was Principal
of the Pine-Creek Indian Residential School. Camperv ille, Manitoba;
he was also a member of the Obla·
te Fathers' Provincial Council at
St. Boniface .
The new Vicar Apostolic sucBishop P. Dumouchel, O.M.1.
ceeds His Exc. Bishop M. Lajeunesse. O.M.1. The majority of the Kewatin. The Keewatin Vicariate
population is of India n origin; it has its headquarters at The Pas,
numbers 7,950; the non-Indian Manitoba; it covers most of NorthCatholic population of the Vicar- ern Manitoba, with sections of
iate is over 5,000. Fifty missionary Northern Saskatchewan and Northpriests, 31 lay Brothers, and a western Ontario.
number of Sisters. belonging to 7
It is expected that Bishop Dureligious congregations. make up mouchel will be consecrated at
the personnel of the Vicariate of The Pas. early this Spring.
Ad Mullos et Faustissimos Annos!
$3 15,000 OFFERED
• We heard that some of the
oldsters at Caughnawaga are com·
plaining about the Irocluois school
pupils not learning their native
language, t/lell are asking to get
their school curriculum ,.evised so
as to include all hour's instruction
daily. with perhaps a reward to
the pupil showing most progress.
This is not such a bad idea
after all; there is 110 reason why
hldian s should loose the precious
heritage of their mother tongue.
Too mallll Indian s have been "1.'.
miss, perhaps unconsMollSly, in
this matter.
Where the Indian language is
spoken in the home, it wouLd be
desirable that the primal'll grades
should be taught in Ihe 1Iative
tongue so as to introduce more
rapidlll the official languages of
tile countrv to the natives.
Indian s are generally known to
have a great facilitll ill learning
language s: there aTe some of them
in the Northwest Territories who
speak fOIlT languages fluently:
Cree, ChipeWII(lIl, English mId
Funcil.
• As they wai ted outside a theatre
(or the second showi ng of a Western featuring Indian fig hting. the
cl'owd from the first show came
out
A small boy and his father, defi·
nitely of Indian extraction, were
among the first to pass.
As they drew within earshot I
overheard the liltle boy say, in
all seriousness: "That was a swell
movie. Daddy, but don't we ever
win '? "
NORTII VANCOUVER, B.C.
A land deal involving property
owned by the Squam ish Ind ian
band in West Vancouver' is likc ly
to be decided very soon when
band members will consider an
offer to pu rchase 63 acres of foreshore land for $5,000 an acre.
The site is wanted for apartment
buildings.
The Indian Affairs Branch is
taking a neutral attitude in th is
question; approval of the sa le
would mean cash distribution of
50% of the $315,000 to about 600
members of the Squamish ba nd;
the remaining half would be placed in the band's own fund .
"EXAGGERATED" STORY
Cardston, Alta . - "Time Magazine", in a recent story, featured
a report on lively illegal liquor
traffie by members of the Blood
Indian band of Cardston. with the
nearby liquor stores and taverns
across the United States border.
The story has been greatly exaggerated, according to Ralph
Ragan, Indian Agency sU I>erin·
tendcnt at Cardston; he stated
that the re might be isolated cases
of Canad ian India ns getting liquor
on the American side, but not on
the sca le representcd in the Time
report. He said that t he "situa·
tion is not alarm in!:" ; he noted
that the liquor slore in Babb,
Montana, was closed and few, il
any, Canadian Indians were going
as far as Browning.
• Eskimos belong to the Mongoloid race. Although their language is un rel ated to any other
Indian tongue, the Eskimos 3re
people who came from Asia as
the Indians did.
Page 8
T HE INDIAN MISSIO NARY RECORD
Arti st' , dra wing af tlr", new l OO _pup il E.m ines ki n Ru id e nt ia l sc ha ol na w
bei ng e ' e ct"d n" ... H .. b be m .. , Al bert.. .
II.
MARCH, 1955
T hi , build ing , ep lac es th e fa .me . E.m inesk in school fo", nd ed in 189 5;
t e, .. n 8 cI ....,.... m b",ild in g will comp ld e th e ;n , tit"'ti .. n.
'Io,y
nd, ... A H ,,;~ Br"",h
THE CATHOLIC INDIAN LEAGUE OF CANADA
Under the pa troooge of
Our Lody of the Rosary
CONSTITUTION
Ill S League ca ll be organized Sllccessfully only ij Catholic IIIl/iull s co-o perate with the Missionaries. Th e activities of the League will bc directly in aerordonce with thc Catholic Actioll program_ of
Ihe Diocese or Vicariate Apost olic, L eague
ml'mbers arc in" ited to solicit cffecti-.,l' help
from neighbauri"g Catholi, .I(1 ioll groups
HlC" as.- Th e Catholic Womel/'s "" agile, the
Kn ights of Columbus, tJf(' C.Y.O., the
e.C.D.
• T hree stages are foreseell ill the organizatioll of the L eagllc ,I. local Councils will fir st be establish,
making use oj already exi!.ting local
Catholic organizations;
2. after a sufficient IIlIlIIber of local COIIIIcils are organized, regional or provincial
sections will be established;
J. a N at ional Federation will bc established
lat er and a formal constitlltion will be
adopted then.
T
• Tlte official publicat ioll 0/ Ih c Leaguc
will be 'h e " l l/diwl Missionary Record" .
SPecial bllllef;'ls will be published frolll lime
to lilli e, and mailed dirrclly to lite local
Coullcils.
• The aeting secretary of the J..eague is
the secretary of the Indian and Eskimo We)·
fare Commission, 1 Stewart StreH , Ottawa (2),
Onl.
I. A IMS AND OBJ ECTIV ES
1. To co-ordinate the work o f the local
Catholic Action orga ni7.ations, (but without
destroyill,!!; their identity ), in order to give
th em a wider scope of action, and to foster
Ihe creat ion of a po werful orga nism for the
p romo lion of reli,!!;ious, educational and social
welfare;
Z. To foster the creation of local Catholic
Aclion p:roups where, at presenl . there is no
such group ;
J. To insure that all Ind ian children of
school age receive a Ca tholic educat ion ;
4. T o promote Christian leadersh ip especial.
ly 1I1ll0 ng young poople, and to d evelop con ciousness of social reslxmsihilities to wards
the Church and the Stat e.
II . MEt\'I8ERSHlI)
Every p ractising Roman Ca tholic Ind ian
in Ca nada m.. y be a member of th e League.
Rf'Ristralion is to be made with the local
:\ Iissionaries. who will forward the na mes to
the Secretary of the Oblate Commission . in
Ottawa.
).Jembership cards will be ~e nt to all
bona ft de members, who will then be invited to make a contribution , the amount of
which shall be determined by the Counci l
offtcers. T hese contributions shall be for·
warded to the Secretariate to provide funds
for publis.hing the information bulletin and
to help establish a fund wh ich will b e available for the SUllpo rt of the regional meetings..
III. CO UNCILS
It is recommended that , wherever there
are at leas t JO members, local Councils should
be established . Each Co uncil shall elect the
following offtcers :
a ) a President,
b ) a Yice- President,
c) a Secretary-T reasurer.
T he Presid ent of the Council shall be the
chairman of the meeting. He will direct the
d iscussion of Ihe topics on the 3f!:enda. He
will act under the gu idance o f the :\ 1issio nary.
T he Vice-P resident will take over thc
dut ies of the President when the la tler is
absent.
T he Secretary-Treasurer will keep the
membersh ip reg ister up to da te. H e will receh·e and record the contribu tions of Ihe
members, l ie will also record th e minut{'s o f
each mccti ng.
IV, ELECfl ON OF OFFICE RS
Offtcetii will be elecled e\'ery two years.
The Secretary o f the Lea2;ue, in Ottawa.
should be advised of an\-' election and of its
resulls.
.
T he l\ l issionary shall be ex-offtcio chaplai n of the Cou ncil. He shal1 be its /( uide
and '1(IvL<;or. H e shal1 attend Council meetings. lead it in prayer at the opening and
at the close of the meeting. ( If unabl e to
a ttend he ma y d l'le~ate these responsibi lities) .
V. ME ET INGS
1. :\I eetin\{s should be held at least
monthly if possible.
z. T he P reside nt shall be the chairma n
of the meeti n.~ or . if he is away, Ihe VicePresident will assume this du ty.
3. Suggested order of the
lTI ecfin ~s :
a) cedin~ mecting
b ) Call to order
c ) Prayer :mel hym n
d ) Roll call of offt cers
R ead i n ~ of minutes of the p rec) Read in,!!; of correspo ndence from
the Gener.. l Secretarv
f) Secretary.T reasurer·s· report
J!:) President's report on the activities
of the Council
h ) Admission o f new members
i) Discussion of a topic selected by
the President of the Cou ncil
j) Clo' ing pmy" " nd hymn.
VI. SPEC IAL COMMIlTEES
When the membership of a Counci l is
more than 10, special committees may be
established accord in\{ to the needs o f the local
organizations.
VII. DlSTRtCf COUNCILS
I. After 5 or more local councils are
e~t a bli sh ed ,
a District Co uncil shall be set
up. T h is d istrict Counci l should meet at
least o nce a year.
2. District Council offt cers shall be:
President. Vice- Presiden t. Liaison Offt cer.
T he main d ut y of the Liaison Officer will
be to visit each local Co uncil in his dislricl .
at If'ast once a year. li e will act as D istrict
Council secretary.
For fu rther information concerni ng the Lea·
gue, please write to the acting secretary.
Re v. G. Lav iolette, 0 .~1.l..
Secretary,
Indian and Eskimo Welfare Commission,
Un iversity of Ottawa . Ottawa ( 2). Ont,