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| Author: |
doug lusssier |
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Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 04:18 PM EDT |
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1940 times |
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Me, I was Born ere.
Tansi , astum , api, Sit, on de bench Sit!
Me I was born ere, my fawder and granfawder too, and hee’s fawder was born in dis place. St. Anne is de small place and not too many city peops like it too much. But is de place I live all my life, and dis year I have 87 year.
It’s nice place to visit by de river an you can see da dore jomp, an play; sometime da ol mush rat show he’s whiskers over by dat log der. Dis bench have wan long story, you know dat ol church over da way well when my granfawder come here der was not too much peops here just some cabans in da woods, and da place where you can pull up da canoe.
He say dat de play the fiddle and dance and drink all night sometime; but he got to marry Felice la Framboise wel dats it da boys don’t drink too much after dat, and den Pierre Ritchot he gets Josephte Simard wit da baby and de whole place settle down. Pretty soon dis place grow like ell. My grand fawder he have wan big trap line, and den he buy Jock Mac Dougalls trap line, well with the place grow like dat, and den wan little school is build and more peeps move on dis place, lots of little cabans. Except Joe Giroux’s place is make de house like in da city with dos fancy boards and all paint wit da white paint fancy red on da door and sash; de wimmens de like Joes place sacre blue, an wants de church jus like dat.
Well when I was jus be 23 year is when da pries come to St Anne, he was ride in da big ol river cart an hees got wan big ox to pull dat cart, with not much in it. Fawder Selwyn is hees name come ere, and one good feller dat one, he like a little whisky blanc and den get saved on Saturday. He like to dance also. Well hees stay at my fawders caban and after der while hees move to a ol trapper caban. But hees know hees stuff darn good, he come to da village and talk all the times wit dem wimmens, an soon da all wants a new church, well sacre bleu dis make notting but troub for me. Me and Jean Baptist Callaho is only wans dat have de whip saw for to cut dem boards for hees church.
Well me and Jean we take de ol pack and some fishing line and go tru da wood nine mile up to da winter trapper caban. We tink dere no pries come dis far for da whipsaw mans.
Well tree day after we eat all da fish we catch and sit on da rock, drink a little whisky blanc an look at da lake, an soon is wan helluva bust up come from da bush. Fawder Selwyn and Pierre Richot come run like ell from da woods wit wan big black bear chase dem. Pierre is short and fat but hees pass de Fawder like de bullet and jomp in da lake. Fawder Selwyn he los wan boot savage and hees collar and hat, da bear hees grab dat boot savage and de Fawder he jomp in da lake also. Me an Jean drunk and laff like ell but dat bear hees not tink much too funny an hees chase us to da lake. Well me I can’t swim me, so is wan big rock on da groun I bust dat ol bear in hees eye first time an second wan it miss im but hees had enough so hees go back to da bush.
Jean Baptist was want to ponch Pierre in da nose for to bring da pries here but he tell hees wife say to “help da Fawder or no more fon for him”; so dat settle dat Jean he like da fon also. We all get drunk for two days an den go back to St Anne.
Well we make lot of reason for not to cut dem boards, is no pit to cut dem in, is no stage to cut dem from, and plenty tree for de log caban church. Well noting is no good, dem wimmens de come and tell us build de dam church wit boards. Jean Baptist say hees wimmens tell im dat he will eats lots of fish with no patates until hees see da first board for dat church. Me, I got wan argue and de wimmen hees trou me out I sleep in da root bin, so too much troub not to build dat dam church.
I tell dem wimmens me an Jean hees not going to dig da pit an cut da boards so da pries an some boys from da village dig da pit, is wan good pit. Pierre Richot an Archange Goulet hees build da stage for da saw pit. An den it rain like ell but we av to cut dem boards anyways. Well I tell Jean hees da pit man and me the whip well hees say bull shit hees da whip an we get in wan big fight an no board hees get cut.
Is not long after sleep in the root bin again an Jean Baptist eat noting but fish, no meat and patates that we tink maybe jus maybe hees take turn in da pit. Well, in da pit da saw dust in your eye all da time and is wet dis pit so we put da flitch on da groun and hees kep da boot savauge dry.
Well it's not too bad de peops come an elp wit da saw an Pierre is wan good pit man cause hees haf blin anyways. Is go pretty fas dat wood, an by an by der fall is wan big pile. Fawder Selwyn jomp right in der too he cut da wood wit day saw but hees plenty sore after two or tree day and say hees pray for no more de pain in hees back. Dem wimmens pretty smart too, de say use dem ol dead tree dat got no rot and de board hees be dry, well lotsa dry tree around so most of dem boards is dry like de firewood. It’s good, don hafta wait for dem to dry start for to build dat church right away.
Archange Goulet an Joe Giroux is wan good carpenter hees have da tools and de whole village hees help too. Is build dat church near da river on wan little hill is nice place dat place.
“See like I tol you is dat ol church over der.”
It’s not too big is tirty feets by tirty five feets wit da little place in da back for de pries hees live. Da wimmens paint dat church jus like Joe Giroux’s place is all white and de red sash for de winders an da door. Is nice place an Fawder Selwyn plenty appy wit de new church hees say one mass right away an bless all dat place an all de peops dat build it, hees even bless dat ol ox dat drag dos tree from da bush.
Fawder Selwyn make one tabernache wit fancy clot an one big cross on de wall. Ol wimmen Simard hees give pretty much all de candle for da church an tree oil lamp. But der is no place to sit. De fawder say all of da peops mus bring wan chair for de church. Well dat is make it jus fine, comfortable chair from de caban and nice light an wan good pries.
On da Christmas we av wan big party after de mass and de peops an de fawder sing all de ol songs; an little peops sleep on da back of de church. Fawder Selwyn hees wan good jigger him; hees won’t tol us where hees learn dat ting, but after de party we all go back to da house an drag da kid wit sleep in der eyes wit us, is wan good time yessir. After dat time de Fawder hees have da song in de church every mass. Da whole village is prou of dat little church an Fawder Selwyn.
Bye an bye ten, twelve year maybe Fawder Selwyn he pass on, hees have troub wit hees heart. All da peops cry like ell, an yes me also hees my frien and hees wan good pries. Da school teacher hees hold da mass for da Fawder and for wan long time hees take da prayer from da village peops in dat little church. Hees bury Fawder Selwyn in da church yard an make wan big cross for dat little man wit de big heart.
Pretty soon wan new pries hees come from de Red River an hees got wan big wagon and de fine horse, an da wagon is full of hees tings, is too much for dat little church so hees get Joe Giroux to build wan little room on de back of dat church.
Hees Name is Fawder Prescott, is strange name for de catlic pries but hees der and tell de peops is ready for wan mass and some confession. Well da confession was wan big troub for me I tink I say ten rosary an tree station of de cross and so many ail Mary I go to sleep on my knees, I tink I don like dis Fawder Prescott, an hees don like de whisky blanc hees drink dat scotch.
Well me and Jean Baptist is go to da trap line all de winter and I tink dat new pries hees raise de ell wit all da peops. In da spring me and Jean go an trade dem furs an ave wan big whoop up in de Red River, an afraid to go back to dem wimmens. Well dem wimmens appy to see us, give us wan big smile, and a good time. Me an Jean is get too much afraid of dis. Someting is wrong an soon hees tell us da pries,” hees want some money for de church, an hees wan no more sing in da church, an no more party in da church,” and hees is throw out all de chair in da church “hees want da bench.” Well I went to da church an look in da back an gets all dos chair an put dem in da barn at Joe Giroux’s place.
“I ask de priest how much he pay to get da bench make an how many bench hees want?”
“Well hees say de bench is be free”
An I say, “de wood hees cos money an de time hees cos money hees get money for hees time from de church” well hees make de hmmmmmmmman den da hawwwwwwa. An well I tole him “when hees want dat bench to tole my wimmens an I get da bench build.” Hees take two months an der is no peops in da church becose der is no chair; except ol wimmens Simard hees want de lamp back.
Well Prescott hees come to da house an say “hees need eight bench for dat little church an hees pay five dollar for each of de bench but the village peops give some money for da church.” Well Joe Giroux an Jean Baptist an me we tink is not enough for de bench an tole da pries “we want ten dollar for de bench.”
Hees not appy wit dat an it take wan week again hees come back an say “ok for ten dollar.”
Well what da peops in da village don’t know is Fawder Prescott is very scare de hindians; Joe is hear dis in de Red River from a peops dat live in da village were Fawder Prescott was de pries.
Me an Joe an Jean we take de ol wood left from da church dat Joe had in his barn all de years and build eight bench da peops in da village give da pries eighty dollar for hees church an da pries pay us eighty dollar for de bench, nice bench too.
“Is wan ere dat you sit on.”
Da Fawder is appy wit da bench an der is no more excuse for not to go to da church, but is no fun in da church, an no sing in da church, an get dark plenty quick wit no oil lamp.
Joe, Pierre an Philippe Montarde, hees make some whisky blanc an wit dat eighty dollar we buy tings for a party. Me an Jean Baptist catch wan moose; an da garden is come full so we visit our cousins and oncles and aunties on da reserve since we all ave da Cree blood. We plan wan big party jus behind da church an bring all da young peops, jus turn twenty, twenty five, de like to make plenty of de noise. Ol blind Bob is da Chief, hees come and hees wimmens come and de bring lotsa food an some whisky blanc, an Richard Proudhorse an hees family come, well dam near da whole village come for wan big visit. We dance around da fire an sing an drum an sweat an sing some more, eat lotas a food an have de horse race, well we race the pries horse, good horse him, but Fawder Prescott make not wan hmmmmmmmm or hawwwwwwwww da whole time; hees hid in da church.
Well tree day later da village hees go back home an ol blind Bob hees give wan stone pipe an a wolf skin chapeau, but I tol him hees can’t keep da pries horse so hees want da pipe back.
The peops from St Anne ave wan big time an visit all der blood family and some dat not blood; an we say to ol Bob an Richard Proudhorse well next year is wan good time again for dis.
Fawder Prescott never come from dat church da whole time. Hees only comes out when hees see dat last pony go over da hill, he must look for dis lak de hawk.
Da mass on Sunday was very quiet an I tink some peops is scare an me an Jean an Joe well hees ave a hard to no laugh to da pries.
Da hindians scare him big an he say “no more hindians come to dis place.”
Well da peops tell Fawder Prescott “dat dis is dere place an we ave lotsa blood wit dem an can’t say no to come ere to oncle an aunties.”
Jus two weeks later Fawder Prescott hees say da final mass. An hees say “dat hees is very unappy dat hees leave St Ann and dat hees really like dat peops an da village. But, hees church put hees new place in Winnipeg.”
Well dats fonny, der is more hindians in Winnipeg dan St Ann. Hees wagon is full already an da horse is in de harness jus after mass hees gone down da road to hees new place.
A new pries is not come for wan months an me an Jean Baptist is paint dat church an some wimmens help. We fix one winder and get wan new wood stove. Da new pries must tink were crazy we take da bench from da church an tell hees will learn to sing. Da bench is painted an put along the bank of de river under da tree is good place to watch da river tell hees story to us.
Da new pries is wan young feller and I tink hees like dis place. Joe Giroux hees bring all da chair back to da church an hees paint all dos chair, is look nice. Da new pries is name is Fawder Thibeau, good Catlic name an hees not mind too much da whisky blanc.
De wan day me, I take de Fawder to de reserve to meet Ol Blind Bob, hees is welcome dere now an not scare de hindians. Fawder Thibeau hees come wit noting hees walk to St Ann. So far so good, hees young an can dance a jig, but not as good as dat Fawder Selwyn.
Jean Baptist hees take da Fawder fishing wan time, dam near drown da Fawder in da canoe, an hees still not scare.
De Fawder ask de peops of da village for some money an hees says is for wan big surprise, well hees buy da big stained glass winder for day church. Joe Giroux an Archange Goulet is put dat winder in de church for noting.
Well, dats da story of dat bench youse is sittin on, I tole you it is wan long story. An bye da way me , I never see you ere before, dis is long way from de city.
“Well my name is Fredrick Selwyn, that first priest you speak of was my uncle and his name was Michael.”
Yas, I know dat, hees my frien and I tell you hees gave me hees ol ox an for years hees pull my river cart. An one more ting about that ol ox hees name was Mike. “An you know why dis bench is by da river ?”
“No I don’t”
Well your oncle understand dat not all tings dat are holy is jus in da church. He understand dat many tings are holy an many time me an him sat right here on dis bank an listened to dat river an some time today hees come an sit wit me ere an try to under stand dat river's story, for you see dat story it takes forever.
Glossary
The names are typical Métis and French Canadian names.
A Boot Sauvage is a moccasin usually made in the Métis style.
A tabernache is a tabernacle, an altar in a church.
A flitch sometimes is referred to as the round part of the log that is cut off when making boards as they are not flat on both sides, they are usually used for fire wood.
Dore is fish or a type of fish, mush rat is the muskrat.
Whisky Blanc is home distilled alcohol.
chapeau, French for hat.
Tansi, Cree for hi how are you.
Astum, Cree for come here or come.
Api. Cree for sit.
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