CORY LITTLELIGHT
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MENTAL HEALTH
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KYLE LEDESMA
NEW TRIBE magazine TERRANCE HOULE
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BOOK REVIEWS
*ON THE TABLE *TRIBE POETRY
COMMUNITY PROFILE
Free Vol. 1 2 Issue 4 JUNE 2013 Now Available online www.usay.ca
NOTEBOOK from*the*editor Hello New Tribe Readers,
Need updates on upcoming USAY and New Tribe Magazine events? Feel free to search us out on Face book and join our growing friends list. We post upcoming events, submission r e q u i r e me nt s and deadlines, and fun stuff like upcoming movie nights and book clubs. It is also a great place to comment on stories or articles you wish to see in our upcoming issues.
It’s June already? Overall I feel 2013 is going by fairly quickly, and maybe it’s because of all the great events that have been happening in our city over the last six months, with plenty more on the way over the summer months. June is also when Father’s day arrives so remember to say a few words of thanks to that old fella that has helped shape the person you have become, Do you have an opinion on this hopefully for the better. ;-) issue of New Tribe magazine? In this issue of New Tribe Good, bad, or ugly send in magazine writer Christine your thoughts and we will McFarlane talked with artist print it in the letters section. Terrance Houle on what it’s like creating art in Canada. Spread the word, and stay true We also feature some great to it. community profiles and also post the events calendar for the John Medeiros Calgary Aboriginal Awareness Managing Editor week hitting us later on this New Tribe Magazine month.
NEW TRIBE
Calgary’s Aboriginal Youth Monthly usayeditor@gmail.com Managing Editor John Medeiros Graphic Design Aboriginal Design Group Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth Suite 600, 615 Macleod Trail South Calgary, Alberta T2G 4T8 403.233.8225 Executive Director LeeAnne Ireland Program Manager Rachel Paris Office Manager Jessica Hawryluk Board of Directors President Sarena Provost Vice-President Amanda Gonet Treasurer Melaina Patenaude Secretary Cheryl Hanley
NEW TRIBE is a monthly magazine. Our mission is to promote a positive outlook on Aboriginal living in an urban setting by promoting information sharing within the Aboriginal and youth communities Opinions expressed in submitted work/letters are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NEW TRIBE or USAY. This magazine is a forum for Aboriginal youth to speak their minds and share their stories without intervention. The publisher assumes no responsibility or liability for plagiarism of the works in the magazine. All writings are presumed to be the original work of the contributing authors.
Special Thanks to our Community Partners & Funders
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CONTENTS
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16 JUNE
COVER STORY TERRANCE HOULE 22 By: Christine McFarlane
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NEWS BRIEFS
24 20 AB AWARENESS
7 WHAT’S GOING ON?
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HAVING GOALS
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GROUP HOME
10 HEALTH
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MUSIC REVIEW
12 ON THE TABLE
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MOVIE REVIEW
14 POETRY
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BOOK REVIEW
15 CREATIVE
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COMMUNITY
16 COMMUNITY
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U AROUND TOWN
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NEWS*BRIEFS
Aboriginal Happenings From Across Canada First Nations leader Elijah Harper passes Revered First Nations leader Elijah Harper has passed away. Harper died on May 17 of a heart attack. He was 64. His wife, Anita Olsen Harper, children and the Harper family issued the following statement: “Elijah was a wonderful man, father, partner. He was a true leader and visionary in every sense of the word. He will have a place in Canadian history, forever, for his devotion to public service and uniting his fellow First Nations with pride, determination and resolve.Elijah will also be remembered for bringing Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal people together to find a spiritual basis for healing and understanding. We will miss him terribly and love him forever.”
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Harper, of Red Sucker Lake First Nation in Manitoba, became the first Aboriginal person to serve in a provincial parliament when he was elected a Manitoba MLA in 1981. He served in the Manitoba legislature until 1992. During that time he held the cabinet portfolio of minister of Northern Affairs for two years, from 1986 to 1988, in the NDP government of Howard Pawley. Harper received national attention in 1990 when he stood in the Manitoba legislature and refused to accept the Meech Lake Accord for its lack of consultation with First Nations. Consequently Manitoba was unable to pass the accord, which served as the beginning of the end of the Meech Lake Accord in Canada. That year Harper was named “Newsmaker of the year” by the Canadian Press and given the title of
Honourary Chief for Life by the Red Sucker Lake First Nation. In 1993 Harper was elected to the federal government in the northern Manitoba riding of Churchill as a Liberal. He served one term as a federal politician. Condolences poured in from First Nations leaders and non-Aboriginal leaders following Harper’s death. Ontario Regional Chief Stan Beardy said the best way to honour Harper’s legacy is to continue fighting for First Nations rights. “Elijah Harper was a courageous and committed advocate for Indigenous rights here in Canada but also internationally,” Beardy said. “He will be sorely missed and we will always remember all that he did in advancing and protecting First Nation rights.”
SOURCE -WAWATAY NEWS ONLINE
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TRIBE*creative
APOLOGY TARRA WRIGHT-MANYCHIEF 6
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What’s Going On? JUNE,2013 May 29 - June 01 Fairytales- Calgary’s International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Plaza Theatre Calgary, AB June 02 Enerflex MS Walk Prince’s Island Calgary, AB June 06 Calgary Art Walk Stephen Avenue Calgary June 07 Don Amero Blind Beggar Pub Calgary, AB June 08 Carifest Shaw Millennium Park Calgary, AB June 08 2013 Aboriginal Graduation Banquet & Pow-Wow McMahon Stadium
Calgary, AB
June 13 - 15 Ignite! Pumphouse Theatre Calgary, AB June 16 Safeway Father’s Day Walk/ Run Eau Claire Calgary June 16 Father’s Day Calgary, AB June 17 - 22 Calgary 2013 Aboriginal Awareness Week (see events calendar on pg 20) Calgary, AB June 19 - 22 Sled Island Festival www.sledisland.com Calgary, AB June 20 Ziggy Marley Jack Singer Concert Hall Calgary, AB
June 21 - Aug 18 Shakespeare in the Park Festival Prince’s Island Calgary, AB June 23 One - Magic or World Dance Southern Alberta Jubiliee Auditorium Calgary, AB June 25 Wordfest Presents Jeannette Walls Epcor Centre Calgary, AB June 27 Annual Canadian Water Summit BMO Centre Calgary, AB Calgary YMCA Rec night Every Tuesday 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
If you have an event you’d like us to include in our monthly calendar, email it to us - usayeditor@gmail.com by the third Wednesday of the month. Submission deadline for the July 2013 issue: June 26 NEW TRIBE JUNE 2013
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HEALTH
Mental Health Over the Summer by: Alex Rojas
When summer break approaches most people prepare themselves to relax and embrace the reprieve they have earned from their academic efforts. The vacation from school that the summer season represents brings with it thoughts of free time and how to fill it. However, if the time is not used wisely an individual may find themselves unprepared for their return to school after their time off for summer is over. Therefore this guide has been created to help people formulate ideas on how to stay mentally active and academically sharp until they return to their schools when the fall semester begins. 10
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There is an almost limitless amount of things that a person can do to keep their minds agile, so that when they go back to school they are prepared and not sluggish about meeting the demands of their school work assignments. One of the most accessible methods of maintaining a proper academic mindset is to never really take a break from educational ventures. While many folks openly welcome the scheduled rests from subjects like mathematics and reading, continuing to exercise your skills in those areas is probably the best method of maintaining academic prowess. Maintenance ensures the avoidance of rigor.
Such subjects are often viewed with a bit of dismay, and so people are not always enthusiastic about keeping up on them when an outside structure is not urging continuance of the work. When grades are no longer a factor of someone’s educational experience, the apparent rewards and incentives are no longer as obvious as they are in a school setting. If you can find a way to actively pursue learning opportunities and exercise your critical thinking skills in a way that provides feelings of accomplishment, keeping yourself mentally prepared and agile should be easy. So how is this done? First
and
foremost,
COMMUNITY , reading skills are the very foundation of learning. The ability to read enables you to learn about any number of other subjects without direct hands on experience. Luckily, practicing your reading skills is one of the easiest and most readily accessible methods of exercising your brain. Reading materials are available everywhere and from a variety of sources. Written materials that can entertain you are easy to read, so no matter what you are reading about you will experience the benefits of engaging in an academic practice outside of school settings. Simply reading a magazine will accomplish this.
in ways that would not be at libraries and even certain shops nationwide. expected traditionally.
There are also trivia games that introduce players to facts about a great number of subjects including current events, history, art and music, and any number of other kinds of information that may even be found in a class setting. There are games that promote the practice of drawing, and there are games that develop hand and eye coordination. Games can come in books, can be found in newspapers, are in the form of board games, and also includes video games. Games can be played with objects, or sometimes they require that individuals play them mostly within their Another method of own minds. maintaining the level and state of academic Actively working with achievement you experience computers is a great way in a school setting can be to keep your mind active as simple as playing games. and involved. Reading and There are games that a great number of other touch on every conceivable beneficial practices are subject including every field inherent within the use of of mathematics, reading, computers. Although it may history, and others that not be readily apparent will exercise your brain that using a computer is in a myriad of ways both keeping your mind active intended and unexpected. and engaged that is exactly Word games such as what is happening when crossword puzzles and you use a computer. Surfing Scrabble are available that around through the internet introduces keep players actively spelling constantly words while also teaching you to new information them about the definitions across a broad spectrum of of words. There are word educational fields. It is not games that scramble letters, difficult to find a computer which exercise the brain to use, as they can be found
Finding ways to implement the use of mathematics in your daily life is a simple way to exercise your mind. You probably use math everyday without even noticing that you are doing so. Cash transactions are an example of the practical applications of mathematics, and drafting a budget is as well. Involving yourself in a project that will require you to employ the use of measurements is another way of applying mathematics in your day to day life. There are many ways that mathematics can be employed, all you have to do is put a little thought into finding them. So as summer break approaches, put some thought into how you will stay alert and intellectually involved until you return to school at the end of the summer season. A recap of the ways you can stay sharp that were listed in this article include games of all varieties from many sources, reading materials that engage you and keep your interest, actively using mathematics, finding ways to utilize critical thinking skills, and additionally being involved with music and the arts will also do much towards helping you stay prepared until you return to school. Stay active and stay intelligent. NEW TRIBE JUNE 2013
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FLAVOR
On the Table Slow Cooker Beef Stew INGREDIENTS
3 pounds cubed beef stew meat 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup baby carrots 4 large potatoes, cubed 1 tablespoon dried parsley 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 cups boiling water 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix 3 tablespoons butter 3 onions, sliced 1/4 cup red wine 1/4 cup warm water 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour DIRECTIONS
Place meat in a large plastic bag. Combine 1/4 cup flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt; pour into the bag with the meat, and shake to coat. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add stew meat, and cook until evenly browned on the outside. Transfer to a slow cooker along with the carrots, potatoes, parsley, and pepper. In a small bowl, stir together 2 cups of boiling water and dry soup mix; pour into the slow cooker. In the same skillet, melt butter and saute onions until softened; remove to the slow cooker. Pour red wine into the skillet, and stir to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom. Remove from heat, and pour into the slow cooker. Cover, and cook on High for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to Low, and cook for 6 hours, or until meat is fork tender. In a small bowl or cup, mix together 2 tablespoons flour with 1/4 cup warm water. Stir into stew, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until thickened. 12
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connect
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POETRY
Wingz of Despair
by Kyle Ledesma
This time in life when you believe you’ve fallen my spirit spreads my wingz but can’t seem 2 soar something is holding me back, still the Creators callin I’m the lion that seems 2 have misplaced his roar. I’m in a hallway of doors I approach they shut there’s no one 2 turn 2 for help when I’m in need. I’m dug deep now buried in my own rut, emotional wounds are open can faith stop this bleed?? My life is in the hands of people I don’t even know the team and ones I love have shunned me and turned back. An experience so horrendous as I still grow the line is 2 tight now who do I call for slack?? These feelingz are crushed 2 enormous extreme’s I’ve benn blinded by pain so all I feel is sadness. Lies and deceit haunts my hopeless dreams, by far the roughest road heading 2wards madness. I feel like I have ultimately failed am I dying? A person struggling in the swim and there’s no life guards. At times broken from anger my reflection is crying, glass is my ground cracking before me into shards. Screaming for help but my vocals are torn with no sound, a one sided match of tug-of-war as I draw near the pit. Reality strikes at its peak face 2 face with hell’s hound, was this all that life had 2 offer me?? Is this it??? Now I stare at the moon and agonize over lost time, can my spirit keep me strong?? Anxiety beyond repair who will help me fly 2 freedom?? “LORD KNOWS” I didn’t commit this crime I am KYLE LEDESMA these are my Wingz Of Despair.
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CREATIVE
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Community PROFILE
Samantha Shibley
by TARRA WRIGHT-MANYCHIEF
As a recent graduate of Mount Royal University, Samantha Shibley has spent the last five years learning to balance school and life to successfully complete an Applied Business and Entrepreneurship Degree in Sport and Recreation, and continues to set a positive example for many Aboriginal Youth in our community with her new role at Calgary’s Between Friends. Originally from Beaver Lake Cree Nation in Northern Alberta, Samantha Shibley grew up in Calgary, specifically in the northwest but recently relocated to the southwest last year. During Samantha’s early years she moved through a variety of different grade schools before ending up at the Calgary Academy, where she found a nurturing educational environment that meet her needs. As the eldest daughter of the family Samantha has worked hard to be a positive role model for both her two younger sisters and for other Aboriginal youth in the community. 16
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This June Samantha will represent her family and community as she receives her degree from Mount Royal University and strives to meet the news goals she has set for herself as she successfully closes this chapter of her life. Through Samantha’s journey she has learned many lessons that she hopes to pass on to other Aboriginal community members.
first year at university she took a full course load and struggled to take in the entire university experience. Part of having the whole university experience for Samantha meant getting involved in clubs, socializing, and making new friends. After a strenuous first year at Mount Royal University Samantha decided to cut her course load down from six courses down to four and a half, “Maybe your first attempt to balance school , work and social life doesn’t work, but that doesn’t mean you should cut one of those things out, maybe just adjust it.”
When Samantha first began her studies at Mount Royal University five years ago, one of the first lessons that she learned was how to balance the new demands of pursuing a post-secondary education. “It was hard to find a balance as my high school was quite small and we grow up in a little bubble, and your tossed in, and finding a balance is really important, As Samantha progressed in her you need to do that, and it’s hard studies at University one of the to do that.” For Samantha the requirements of the program she was enrolled in was to
COMMU NITY complete two internships, and for Samantha this served to provide a broader picture of the opportunities that were available for her particular field of study. While only two internships were required Samantha found that it was greatly beneficial for her to take on a number of internships not only to help gain work experience, but to get a look at the variety of industries that operated within the city. From this experience Samantha discovered the positives and negatives of working in the various areas of Sports Management, and gained greater perspective on what she wanted her future career goals to be. For Samantha part of the process of gaining a higher education was to explore all the opportunities that attending university had to offer, and in the process gain a well rounded education. Two of the most influential role models in Samantha’s life has been Don and Karan Ryan, both of whom have been close friends of the family. Don is an incredible leader and she admires how Don can inspire confidence, “if you go to him for advice he doesn’t tell you, oh you should do a, b, c, d, he guides you in the direction, because he knows that you know that answer, so that you figure it out yourself”. What Samantha admires his ability to help you see that the answer to any particular problem is
always been her first and most important role models, “they’re both strong people”, and they provided Samantha with the ability to look at an unfavorable situation from a different perspective. As Samantha describes it growing up her parents taught her to look at the situation, look at “what can be learned from it, and how do you grow, but when I was little I didn’t like that approach, I was like I’m little just feel bad for me and fix it.” This approach has been something that Samantha has taken with her throughout her experiences, and it helps her Another important role model gain perspective in what these for Samantha has been Richard experiences can truly mean to Harrison, one of her professors her development. from Mount Royal University. Samantha first meet Harrison Samantha’s advice to other while taking an English course youth is “there’s always and immediately connected with challenges, whether there big his positively and his ability to or really tiny, but when you’re be so helpful. Harrison helped young every problem seems truly inspired confident, “he huge, but just because there’s a makes you believe in yourself problem or something in your as much as he believes in you”. way, or obstacle, get past it. Since taking a course with Think about what you could be Samantha has stayed in contact missing out on if you don’t get with Harrison and he has past it, there is always a way. continued to support Samantha Sometimes you get it on the first as she moves ahead with her try and sometimes you get it on career, “We’ve prepped and the hundredth but you’ll get it.” gone over interview question so many time” and Harrison Samantha goes on to say that no has worked with Samantha to matter the situation “it shouldn’t take constructive look at what stop you from going after what employers are looking for, in you want, you may have to order to help her get the best work twice as hard but there’s no reason that someone else start on her career aspirations. deserves it more than you do.” Lastly, Samantha’s parents have within yourself, and that you should never give up. Don’s wife Karan has also had a major impact on Samantha, “I find her to absolutely fascinating, just how much she knows about native culture, and history, and she such a strong person I find”. For Samantha seeing how the Ryan’s have balanced the demands of work and having four small children, while keeping a positive attitude, has had such a positive impact on Samantha, one which she will carry with her in decisions that she makes.
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by Christine McFarlane
“Dreams come true if you work hard for them. You can do anything if you put your mind to it,” says Terrance Houle. Houle, a Blackfoot/Ojibway contemporary (interdisciplinary) artist wears many hats. Besides being an internationally recognized artist, Houle is a filmmaker, musician, performer, single father, skater/banger and a registered Kainai Nation Member. “My Blackfoot name is ‘iiniiwahkiimah’ and I was born in Calgary and raised in the Prairies of Canada. I have been involved with Aboriginal communities all my life and have lived nomadically with my family practicing ceremony and pow wow. My folks have always been who I look up to because they have worked hard and have done amazing things. They are 3rd generation residential school attendees but when my father finished he joined the military and served for 27 years. He travelled all over, was a peacekeeper and marksman, and my mother was the same 3rd generation residential school attendee, and she joined my father, raising us kids and instilled our culture in us.” “My mother is a textile artist. She created all of our regalia and even now my daughter’s jingle dress. I have learned a lot from her and she inspired me to get a degree in Fibre (textile). They taught me to work hard and set goals and go after my dreams.”
Terrance Houle A graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design, Terrance Houle received his B.F.A in 2003. Upon his graduation in 2003, he was invited to participate in the Thematic Residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Banff, Alberta. The residency allowed him to work with 35 Indigenous people from around the world, and afterwards he spent as much time, money and networking with other artists so that he could get himself out there. He has been a full time practicing artist since his graduation with exhibitions all over the world, in England, Europe, Australia, China, New York City, across Canada in Toronto, Montreal and South America. Houle says he is thankful that he went to art school and got his degree because it opened his world to different art practices and forms. His art utilizes performance, photography, video/film, music and painting, and includes tools of mass dissemination such as billboards and vinyl bus signage. When asked where he gets the inspiration for his art, Houle says “I get a lot of inspiration for my art from my family, history, and my own life experiences as a First Nations person. I really look at the skills I have learned in Art school and also what I know culturally. It usually starts out with an idea or a brainstorming session with others and then I try to do whatever I can to make the concept come to life. I think it’s always different because I am experimenting so much and trying to create some-
Community
thing that is new and fresh, and the process is sometimes dictated by the form in which I am working in like music or new media.” Houle’s journey has not been without some obstacles. He says “There has been a lot of obstacles; I think dealing with racism, bigotry, and stereotypes in Canada and the education systems has been a huge obstacle, even in this day and age. The others have just been trying to keep given’r while being a single parent. Being a single parent can be pretty tough when you have a full time career and you are trying to manage life.” He believes that the best message he can give to others who want to succeed is “go and get an education in whatever field interests you, even if it is music, art or filmmaking. Never half ass it and take pride in what you do and represent. Always GIV’R!” Houle’s art has garnered him significant accolades and opportunities. He has received the 2006 Enbridge Emerging Artist Award that was presented at the Mayors Luncheon for the Arts, City Of Calgary. In 2008 Houle was a semi finalist for the prestigious Sobey Art Award and after receiving many screenings of his short video/film work at the Toronto 2004 ImagineNATIVE Film Festival, Houle was awarded winner of Best Experimental Film. To see more of Terrance Houle’s work, please visit his website at http://www.terrancehouleart.com NEW TRIBE JUNE 2013
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Community
The Importance of Having Goals By Cory Littlelight
Nothing in this life ever comes easy, especially when you have goals and you’re trying to achieve them. Whether they are short-term or long-term goals, we always need to realize that through hard work, determination, persistence and confidence, we can always accomplish the goals that we have set out to achieve. The key though is to never give up and get discouraged when you hit a road block or obstacle. There is always going to be setbacks, challenges and doors slammed in your face occasionally when you are trying to achieve your goal(s). But if you are truly dedicated to seeing your goals achieved and become a reality, then it’s always important to stay focused and be goal-driven minded. The difference between short-term goals and long-term goals is that a short-term goal is something that you’re trying to achieve within a short period of time, like for example having a goal that you’re trying to reach within a day, maybe a week or even a month. Those would be short-term goals, whereas a long-term goal would be a goal that you’ve set out to ac24
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complish within a longer period of time, like within 6 months to even year(s) down the road. For example, I sold my last car, but I’m trying to save money so that I can purchase a new one, hopefully in a year down the road. That’s longterm goal, and a good example of a short-term goal is that I would like to put in more hours this week at work. Instead of 30 hours I would like to put in a full 40. That is a short-term goal because it is a goal that I’d like to reach within a week, in a shorter period of time. And it is important to always remember the difference between the two. There are also realistic goals and unrealistic goals. My advice would be to make sure that you set realistic goals. Don’t set a goal to win the lottery because that’s an unrealistic goal and the chances of you winning the lottery are as good as next to none. A realistic goal would be for example, if you’re in Jr. high/Sr. high school, or in a college/university setting, your main goal should be to graduate and get your diploma or degree. That would be a very realistic goal, but realize that nothing ever comes easy and you always
have to remain focused on reaching and achieving your goal. It is also important to develop strategies for reaching your goals and always pursue the things you need to do to move toward your goal(s). Anytime you reach and achieve a goal it should always feel good and there should always be a feeling of accomplishment. When you reach a goal and achieve it, you boost your confidence and not only your confidence, but your self-esteem as well. And I don’t know about the rest of the readers out there, but when I achieve my goal(s), I feel like that anything is possible and that I can accomplish anything in this life, and maybe, just maybe I really can. The sky is the limit and as First Nation people we can never give up on our goals. We need to have dreams and we need to have goals and strive to reach and accomplish both. Because when we have goals, it means that our lives have meaning and purpose. When we have goals in our life it feels like that we have direction and in order for us as Aboriginals to continue to move forward in today’s world we need set goals and always achieve them.
COMMUNITY You’re better than that by Christina Ogilvie The DTES Vancouver, ‘DownTown East Side’, our home; infamously and condescendingly referred to as the ‘Native Ghetto’. This label is pinned to you, they think they have you figured out, uneducated, lazy, impoverished with no talent to show. Residential school syndrome, institutional racism, colonialism and culture loss leave our impressionable Aboriginal youth confused and lost for an identity. As a result our youth identify with the term ‘Native Ghetto’ and behave in a manner that’s stereotypically so because they feel there is nothing else they can be. As a result our Aboriginal youth, so beautiful, talented, and intelligent will then engage in drugging, drinking, violence and crime and passing up opportunity. The psychological colonialism of this term ‘Native ghetto’ continues the job of the residential school system by removing our cultural identity. As a result our culture is removed through our own violence and addiction, show them you are better than that; show them you are not just a hopeless ‘Indian’ in the ‘Native Ghetto’. Educate yourself, live sober, fight for your rights, rise together, let’s make our ancestors proud and give them what they fought for; be the Aboriginal leaders of tomorrow. Become the Aboriginal leaders in medicine, law, literature, or any area you wish, there are no limits, there is no place you cannot go. Our ancestors survived all attempts of genocide, show them we won’t stop standing, won’t stop fighting, continue our ancestors’ strength and show society you are better than that, show you aren’t just a hopeless Indian in the ‘Native Ghetto’
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Community
THE GROUP HOME
by Christine McFarlane
I was living in a group home, on the west side of the automotive capital of Ontario. Tucked away where no one knew where I was. I didn’t get that many visitors, actually none at all, unless it was a staff member from another cottage coming to get me to bring me to the activities building across the way from the cottage I lived in. I remember the little cottages of my group home. I lived in Cottage #3. It was a three-floor spread on a tract of land owned by the five Sisters of the Roman Catholic Order of the Good Shepherd. I knew the floors of the house intimately, after all I had been living there for a year when my adoptive parents dropped me off, visited off and on for a month or so and then ceased visits. The ceasing of visits was devastating for me. It not only meant that I was without parents, but I was away from my biological sister. It also meant that I was effectively put back into the care of the Children’s Aid Society, and I once again became a part of the child welfare system. I would be made a Crown Ward a few months later. I remember Cottage #3 and the bedroom I shared with another girl and how cold its environment was. A thin mattress on a metal frame, with sheets and blankets folded military style. There was nothing homey about it. It wasn’t like the bedroom I had had at my adoptive parents-the bunk beds, having the choice of the bottom bunk or the top bunk, even
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though I was the only one occupying the bedroom. Or having a small pile of Barbie’s that I could play with, or scraps of paper I could draw or write on while I wondered when I would be let out of my bedroom next. I spent a lot of time in my bedroom at Cottage # 3, not because I was made to, but because I was the youngest of all the girls that lived there. I was ten years old, and they were fourteen years old and higher. I couldn’t really relate to anyone, and I preferred to spend time alone. After all, I had been used to it when I was living with my adoptive family, and recalled how they kept me apart from everyone in the house and had me locked away in my bedroom. I remember lying on my bed in this strange new building, hugging this little pink brocaded pillow I had had since I was in kindergarten, my name etched in pen on a little white label or staring out the window, tears silently falling and wondering what was so bad about me, that my parents didn’t want me.
I asked her “ what else do you shave besides your legs? And the girl grinned and said “You shave your arms too.” In my naivety, I didn’t realize that the girl meant you shave your armpits, and because I wanted to be cool like her, I took a razor and shaved all the hair off my forearms. I remember running out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later, and telling a staff member at the door of their office “I’m a big girl now, because I shaved.” I didn’t notice the cuts on my arms from the razor, or feel the trickle of blood that appeared on the cuts. It wasn’t that bad, but I remember one of the staff leading me to a chair and having me sit before her, while she explained what shaving meant, and how I was too young to do that yet.
I had to grow up quickly in this group home. I learned things before I should have. I remember one time how I entered the shared bathroom and saw one of the girls with a razor shaving her legs, and the trickle of blood that showed on her skin, as she pulled the razor up and down, up and down. How I said to her, “What are you doing? and “Can I do that too?”
The staff at my cottage tried to keep me happy and occupied. They would give me hugs, bring me for walks around the group home and the grounds, and sometimes brought me to their home for a holiday, when everyone else was away for their visitations with their families. It was exciting when I was brought to one of the staff members house and I received my first radio alarm clock and got to sit on Santa’s knee-even though I secretly knew it was the staff member’s husband dressed up to bring me some Christmas cheer.
Her reply was “Sure, you can shave too, if you want Christine.”
I remember the quiet room ensconced in the basement of Cottage #3 and
COMMUNITY how we all spent time in there for misbehaving. We were put there individually for punishment when we acted up. Oh how I remember that quiet room. The thin little mattress that was laid out in the middle of the floor, the flimsy blanket that was given to us to use that never kept you warm enough, the locked door and the loneliness that crept over you as you sat there all alone, with no one around to interact with. Depending on your crime mouthing back to staff, losing your temper, you could be there for up to 72 hours. That was up to the staff’s discretion. The one particular time I remember the quiet room, was the day that I found out I no longer had a family and the contact with my only sister ceased. I was sitting in a little room off from the dining room, excited because I was going to be calling my sister. I remember my little fingers dialing the number 9…6…9…1…6…9…6. My heart was pounding as I recall hearing the operator coming onto the phone and the words ‘this number is no longer in service.’ I thought that I had made a mistake. I hung up the phone and dialed again. I heard the same message. My excitement changed in a matter of seconds to one of utter despair. I slammed the phone down so hard that the receiver fell off the cradle. Emotions were coursing through me, but I could not articulate them. I started to scream and swear the few choice words I had heard from the other residents in my cottage. “Oh shit!” “Fuck”. At ten years old, those words were fairly new to me. People think that at ten years old, you know a few swear words, but I really didn’t learn any until I reached the group
home and heard the words from the other residents. I thought, if they can swear, I can swear too! As I was swearing and banging things around, the staff came running from the office on the third floor. One stood at the top of the stairs while another came and grabbed me. I remember Bob’s arms wrapping around me and feeling trapped. I couldn’t run. I was kicking and screaming and crying all at once. Bob tried to tell me to calm down but I couldn’t. In the distance I heard the other staff member say, “Bring her downstairs.” To the dungeon I went. With his arms wrapped around me, Bob carried me from the brightly lit foyer of the cottage into the dark basement. I counted the doorways as we went down the hallway, hearing his footsteps as we went. 1….2….3….4… “I promise, I promise I’ll be good,” I stutter, as the tears fall and my head begins to pound. “I don’t want to be down here!” I wail. Bob acts like he doesn’t hear me, and strides purposefully down the hall. He stops at door number 4, the room that’s the farthest from the stairwell and situated where no one could hear you yell, no matter how loud you tried. The rest of that day was a blur. I remember though that after the door closed behind me in the quiet room, I just laid on the mattress that was provided for me, with my knees pulled closely to my chest, and my arms wrapped around them. I wanted a hug, someone to comfort me, tell me that I would be okay, instead I was alone and I cried until I literally
nodded off to sleep. I slept rather fitfully on that thin little mattress. I had nothing to do while lying in that room. I remember just lying there and my mind racing a mile a minute. Tears flowed pretty regularly, and I remember staff coming in and out with a tray of food, and me asking them “When can I get out of here?” and their reply “As soon as you can behave” I don’t recall how long I was in the quiet room for, I wasn’t able to keep track of time while I was there, but when I heard the door being unlocked and a staff member saying “You can come out, Christine,” I jumped from the mattress on the floor and bolted out the door as if a fire had been lit behind me. The staff member followed close behind me. Shortly after my stint in the quiet room, my life started to rapidly change. I was no longer an innocent little girl waiting to go home to her parents, like so many other children could. I was an orphan, and word of my new status spread around my cottage about my adoptive parents giving me up. Hushed whispers greeted me when I turned a corner, or entered a room. Some staff members would look at me, I knew they felt sorry for me, because they would come up to me, and give me a hug. Hugs that they would have never given before. They were the type of hugs that made you want to cling to the person giving them to you and say “Don’t leave me too”
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CREATIVITY
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S ’ T I
! E LEGENDS R E H
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BEATS
Turn up the Volume By Katty Jo Rabbit
Daft Punk Random Access Memories Finally someone does it over again, but makes it worth listening too, remember these guys back in the day, if you do, that means your old, if you don’t, that means you’re lucky. Any who, this album is definitely awesome, not only is it catchy, it is really, really, REALLY catchy. The video to Give life back to music is absolutely amazing and makes it okay to want to do disco moves, in random places. Of course all done with a modern twist, and let us all be thankful that this has been done with a modern twist because if it wasn’t it could get old fast, like Daft Punk tends to do with nonecstatic fans. One-part Thomas Bengalter and one-part Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo; these two have been making it happen for quite some time now, so it is really good to hear them still having fun. Most groups, and even solo artist’s *cough*cough, Madonna, keep squeezing out the same type of music cut with a different knife. It doesn’t fit well, it makes it older than it actually is, and then there is no staying power, at least these two have been able to do it well. Another great factor affecting this album is the diversity of the group of collaborators from Julian Casablanca’s to Nile Rodgers and Pharrell Williams, to Panda Bear and Todd Edwards; there is basically something for everyone, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for, you might find it on another album because this dynamic duo has been working hard. This makes me excited for the summer time, crochet dresses, tie-dye shorts, it is going to be a good time with this album on rotation. Check out the songs, Motherboard, Fragments of time, to get a taste of what they have to offer
Charlie Boyer and the Voyeurs Clarietta It has certainly been a while since we have seen something like this come along, yes there is the Strokes, and the like, but this band has a little something different and it could be found in the sound. Compared to the 70’s New York City bar scene this band is taking us back, for many of us, I am sure we haven’t even clued into how amazing that scene was, so it’s nice to know that in this hipster era some experiences can be relived if only for a moment. This five piece band from London has it all down, the look, the name, and the sound, something to be a little excited for if your into that sort of thing, which you should be. If you think you would like to check ‘em out, listen to Things we be, Clarietta, and Go blow a gale. Produced by Edwyn Collins of A Girl like you fame,( you remember that song from the movie Empire Records) and recorded in record time, this album has a lot of great lyrics built around the music. And they wouldn’t be from London if they didn’t have a lick of scuzziness to their sound, all bands from London seem a little dirtier, and I don’t mean in the sexual sense, they literally are trashy. But with all of that and then some, I think this band might have some staying power.
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BEATS
Music You Can Feel In Your Toes City and Colour The Hurry and the Harm Has it really been eight years since Dallas Green decided to change his focus from Alexisonfire to the folk rock project City and Colour, well I guess it has. Wow, time fly’s and here we are with the fourth album from the ex-hardcore front man. Wouldn’t it be great if every “screamo” lead guitar man could come out with an acoustic side show, I know every rock-goth girl from here to Edmonton would most likely freak out and fall in everlasting love; I know I did when Corey Taylor did it. But emo girls can only dream. Released with Dine Alone Records, this album comes in no time flat since Little Hell and so far hasn’t let down, although it seems the hype isn’t really there, that is just how Dallas Green likes it. Subtle, crazy how I just figured out, that city and colour is reference to his name, why hasn’t anyone pointed this out to me yet. Another reason why City and color is a bad that sticks to your drums and gets stuck in your head, it’s easy, and forgiving, and yet strong and lonely. Kinda like all of us in our most vulnerable everyday situations. Anyway…. With the past three albums, C&C has been able to show us how they have transitioned into from pain to reconciliation, all the while keeping a full range of listerners intrigued by the sound and pitch of Mr. Green’s voice. Now we embark on another path, led into the realms of Green’s mind with great results. Part blues-rock, part folk and always paired insightful and sensitive lyrics; the mix makes this album catchy and relevant. Check out the songs, Thirst, The hurry and the harm and Two Coins. CocoRosie Tales of a Grass Widow There is something eerily beautiful about these two sisters, one of them being their sound is like no other, and the second being they have a greatly disturbing way of portraying their musical ideals. With the song Gravediggas, it is said that this song is based on a “an imagined conversation between an abandoned child and an outcast old woman” it’s the little things that matter. With that, I think you should check out Tearz for animals, and Villain. So some back history of these two sisters who live in Paris France, one part Bianca “Coco” and one part Sierra “Rosie” Casady, it is said that these girls are part Native as their father is a Nakota Native. With four albums under their beld they have managed to create sounds that are not only beautiful, but as said before disturbing. If you’re a fan of Joanna Newsome, or Bjork you will understand the sounds. If you’re not then this might take a while to seep into your soul.
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MOVIES
See You at the Movies Starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson In Fast and Furious 6, the motivation for this installment appears to have been the desire to bring the “gang” back together in full swing, with the addition of shoehorning Dwayne Johnson back into the story line. The legacy cast includes Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Gal Gadot and Tyrese Gibson. Vin Diesel manages to keep his brooding character, alive, fresh and in charge as usual. The camaraderie of the cast clicks surprisingly well, cemented with a fun and lively chemistry among the actors. The dark and morbid humor works well without being over pretentious or forced. The action sequences seem almost timed between moments of character reflection and deeper inner story elements. Fast and Furious 6 is an action film, a popcorn fest that inspires some profound emotions while inviting the viewer to experience some first person POV reckless driving and chase scenes. It can be said that Fast and Furious 6 ends up on the uppermost tier of pure pulp entertainment. The Plot
The plot centers around very high stakes this time, forcing the gang to protect the world/universe from a “Nightshade Tech Bomb.” This dastardly device has the capacity to render a military contingent temporarily useless, putting the country at extreme peril, nearly approaching an end of the world scenario. Most of the fighting takes place via the cars, which are really characters within themselves. The Doge Challenger peeks in every so often to remind you about what a true muscle car represents, while the rest of the mechanical characters include BMWs, Nissans, high-tech military hardware and a plethora of other NOS-laden foreign and American cars. While the movie has some subtle reminders to arouse audience sentimentality, which works well, the action scenes are profuse and blisteringly stark. You’ve got cars mashing it out, fist fights, gun play, property damage and all of it involves life or death situations. There are so many plot twists and red herrings that you would think the viewer might throw up their hands in implausible disgust. Yet, the end justifies the means even if it is not wholly understood, with the realization that the ride getting there was worth the price of admission. Diehard action fans have to look no further than Fast and Furious 6 for that pure adrenalin shot.
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See You at the Movies
MOV IES
Starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis The hangover franchise begins with the first installment that made raunchy gags and R-rated farce acceptable as long as you were watching from a safe distance, but surprisingly made Hollywood history as the most popular R-rated comedy. The second movie tried a little harder to maintain the hilarity, but fell a bit short in delivering the first movie’s shock and awe shenanigans by going over the top with new gags and cinematic pratfalls. Hangover Part 3 features the old wolf pack again, starring hapless Doug played by Justin Bartha, Ed Helms as Stu, Bradly Cooper portraying Phil, Ken Jeong as Mr. Chow and Zach Galifianakis as Alan. John Goodman fills the roll of Marshall, a mega criminal kingpin. As can be expected from the overwhelming reception and box-office success of the first film, Part 3 is crammed full of tasteless incidents and scenes of hazing, morbidity (zoo animal decapitation), senior citizen abuse, drug abuse, sodomy and heart attacks. The wolf pack, all fellow groomsmen of the first movie, do mange to play off each other’s deficits in the most insulting but lovable manners, but they hearken the question by asking if all of them combined have the basic intelligence and morals of a 12 year-old. The plot Mr. Chow, played by Ken Jeong, steals a quantity of gold from Goodman’s Marshal, a fat cat bruiser who is used to getting his on way, any way. It seems Chow is still tied to the pack from their association in Las Vegas via the first movie. Marshal snags Doug and demands that the wolf pack trade Chow, the goofy cokeheaded bisexual/sociopath, in exchange, or else audios Doug. Marshall stipulates a deadline which forces the guys to find Chow as quickly as possible. They end up in Tijuana and northern Mexico, until hot-footing it back to Las Vegas which is painted with a little darker brush than previously portrayed. Some rather odd sentimental moments occur in their quest for Chow, including a meeting with Alan’s soul mate, played by Melissa McCarthy, that turns out to be a rare emotional and heartfelt scene. They also have a reunion with Stu’s first wife, a former stripper, Jade, played by Heather Graham, who now is a happy suburbanite with a small child. Surprisingly Jeong and Galifianakis get some boosted screen time and it works well in giving them the opportunity to swipe the whole movie, somewhat leaving the other characters in supporting roles. You’ll have to see the movie to find out how the rescue turns out. This installment didn’t quite have the spontaneous punch of the original, sometimes blurring the line between drama and comedy, not quite able to make up its mind of what it wanted to be. For those who love, or have learned to appreciate the comedic actors of the wolf pack, disappointment will not be one of the words used to describe this farce fest. Hangover Part 3 manages to be repulsive and endearing at the same time, a formidable feat considering the difficulty of combining the two emotions without producing a genre train wreck. NEW TRIBE JUNE 2013
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LITERA LLY
Book Reviews For the restless mind Monkey Beach - Eden Robinson Picking up this book was a wonderful decision on my part. I absolutely loved it, and could not put it down for the life of me. It was a page turner and kept me up late a night for a week until I had read it all the way through. The author Eden Robinson really gets you involved into the book and brings you closer and closer to the reality of a Sasquatch really being in existence. The book jumps into a new place and village which thrills me when reading, because we were unable to live in another time and place so books and reading is one of the ways it can take you there, which I adore. This book was set in a time and place which I had never thought of before reading. As I followed the young girl through her path and gained a further understanding of her life and the trials and tribulations which she had to endure I began to lose sight of my own life and jumps deeper into hers with every flip of the page. When she loses her brother in the book you are on the edge of your seat waiting to find out any news along with the characters in the book. When they found no news was heading their way and headed out for themselves to find him and his boss I felt closer to the main character more than ever due to the fact that I would do the same in the same situation. The book only kick started with the incredible disappearance and only drew me more and more in as I read on. The book gives you a new light into the lives of others and the situation you would never believe or even take seriously otherwise. I would never have believed them in real life, but in the book it was as though I was right beside them; helping them to find Josh and Jimmy. This book really opened my eyes to a more meaningful and crazy world in which we live. We are among creatures and life forms which none of us even knew existed until authors like her show them to us. Whether the creature be real or in our dreams she shows us the seeing is not believing but believing lets you see. 34
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LITERALLY
Book Reviews For the restless mind
Really Good Brown Girl - Marilyn Dumont I was anxious to begin reading this book. I had never heard of the author but was still intrigued when I read the beginning paragraph in the book store. I was ready to read it and once I began it was a great choice. I grazed the book at the start but the more I read the more I grew to love it. As I read each poem in the book I felt as though I grew closer to the author and learned more about her. Each poem gave me insight to the life in which she lived and the situations and issues she must have gone through throughout her life. The author Marilyn Dumont is an amazing poet and shines light on different styles and patterns in poetry. Displaying multiple ethnic poems I was also able to learn more about history and the making of poetry. This poems are some of the most humorous, loving, compassionate and true based stories that have ever been told. Although, it took me a while to begin to appreciate her style and rhythm of writing I grew to love and cherish it. It is now a book in which I will turn to after a long day or just when I am in need of a good pick-me-up. She lets you into her world and shows you the Indian style and life style which many people may be scared to know about and embrace. It may turn some people off by the titles and content which could be misconstrued. Some people may not understand where she is coming from in her words; but it is the lack of coherence and understanding in our society that she is attempting to display through her writing in the first place. She does begin to feminize her writing and show the strength and intelligence that women have that we don’t always fully use in day to day as we should. As a women I loved getting insight to her life through words. I would definitely recommend the book of poems to any and all of my friends that would like to see how one women tried to display her amazing talents through writing. NEW TRIBE JUNE 2013
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usayeditor@gmail.com
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U AROUND TOWN
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