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- >~W% t ~ , "t o, , L3 Ml, Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, June 12, 1991-9 I have talked ofcrops like flax and alsike. These are not the most usual of crops but the crop I arn introducing in mhis article is even more exotic. The crop is ginseng. It is cultivated in a few areas of south-'western Ontario today-but in earlier times it grew wild in hardwood grooves in this area. Today mhe plant is rarely found in its wild state. It was searched out by mhe natives of mhis area because it brougbt bigh prices, as a dried root when sold on mhe markets of New York. John Jacob Astor, a wealmhy family scion from New York is known to have sent a large boat of dried ginseng to China ,and the Orient, making more fortunes for a man who bad already amassed millions. The net resuit of this story is that the natives lost this revenue and resorted then, on making brick bark baskets; canoes; and axe handies. The fact is that like most products the natives * produced, mhey were paid very little. I suppose mhe fur trade is a classic ex ample. By the way, if I fmnd any ginseng today I ar nfot likely to divulge its whereabouts. My next knowledge of native lore will tell you of a can-oe journey down the waters of Crooked Creek. I doubt if anyone before or after bas canoed on Crooked Creek. This was the spring freshet. It occurred just north of Crooked Creek store. A Native farnily bad left the reservation and taken the rnoney from their treaty rights and bought a farmn just east of Crooked Creek. They were a very pleasant farily of children whorn I had- the privilege of teacbing. Grandfather Sunday had brought bis canoe with bim and one of bis grandsons and myseif "-- thought we sbould try the migbty waters of Crooked Creek. Grandfatbçr Sunday,-with bis native cunning sat up on the bank. He knew wbat to expect but we didnt. The ice had jarnmed at the bridge; damming up the water to give ample deptb for the canoe. It was not until we reacbed the ice floes that trouble began. Over went yours truly, grandson, and the canoe. Tbis was no disaster. Just a good wetting as we scrambled over the ice and reacbed the bank. It was Grandpa SUinday mhat had mhe laugb but a record of paddling a canoe down Crooked Creek was establîshed. In the sumner montbs I doubt if you could find enough water in Crooked Creek-to flont a bar of soap. Well, my experiences with Native people have pleasant memories. Tbere is, of course, something not so pleasant about mhe losing of treaty rigbts. The Natives own the land. They were mhe "First People". Would it surprise you if I were to tell you mhat the Gunshot Treaty signed in Port Hope in the late ighteenth century is supposed to have ceded all of mhe land from Belleville to Toronto to mhe British Crown; this land to extend nortb from mhe lake as far as a gun could be beard; some gun! some shot! lI this county away went Hope, Clarke, and Darlington townships. Cartwright, Manvers and Cavan were to bc Indian lands onily to be signed away later. What mnust still puzzle mhe Native People is how the lands first becamne Crown; then to follow many cases of property to mhe Canada Land company;'Clergy Reserves; or a fiefdom for some British Military officers who received a large tract for services rendered in sorne foreign war. I use mhe word foreign because if it was flot aboriginal land it was truly foreign land. I know people will be quick to tel] you mhey paid for mheir land unless of course they were U.E.L.s. Well the natives settled on mhe reservations. One Native chap jokingly told me recently that on Treaty Day he received a case of 1Iick (canned meat) and a pair of itsed Mountie Boots. The treaty money itself on mhat reservation was five dollars per annun per person., I amn watching, me second phase of the James Bay Hydro project. There are many treaties in this Nation still before the Courts. Recently a small band bave asked for unlimited bunting and fisbing rights in one corner of Algonquin Park - albeit tbey have said mhey would regulate thernselves witb discretion on when and where to hunt. Sorneone irnrediately carne up with the reply, "If tbey want mhose rights mhen let them use bows and arrows." I believe my reply migbt be if you want to travel along bighway 45 between Aldervîlle and Roseneath you sbould pull your car to mhe side of mhe road and travel by canoe or ox tearn. This might turn out to be a hot, dry surarner, in Canada. While we are settling Constitutional problerns between Canada and Quebec; the Native people migbt just reposess sorne of mheir land. The last band of Natives on the land around bere were mhe Missîssaugas. Today mhere are srnall settlernents at Alderville, Curve Lake and Scugog Island. It is true that Native women married to white men can now seek "»Status'. There are still many more women to do this . To increase their settiements, they require more land. I amn sure Chief Nora Bothwell of Alderville could explain this much better thmn1. My recollections may flot always be accurate but 1 am sure Chief Nora bas mhe facts. I am closing this slightly ernotional story witb a small selection frorn mhe book "Flint and Feamher' by Indian poetess Pauline Johnson, who incidentally once gave a recital in mhe Orono Town HaIl This selection is a few lunes from "The Cattle Thief'. "For they knew that an Indian womnan roused, was a wornan to let alone. And mhen she, raved in a frenzy that tbey scarcely understood, Raved of tbe wrongs sbe had suffered since ber earliest babybood. Stand back, stand back, you white skins, touch that dead mai to your sbarne; You have stolen my fathers spirit, but bis body I only dlaim. You have killed birn, but you sball not dare to touch bim now hes dead, You have cursed, and called him a Cattie Tbief, thougbi you robbed him first of breads, Wbat bave you left to us of land, wbat bave you left of gamne, Wbat have you brougbt but evil and curses since you carne? Higbligbts of History is going on Council Brie fs Counc. Hare pointed out [o counicil that volunteers who drive for Wheels For Meals are having their cars ticketed in the Memorial Hospital area while attending at the hospitLal to pick up meal s. She said Conirunity Care bas been paying the $15.00 fines The Counc. then referred to a report that is being prepared over problems of parking in the bospital area. On motion of Councs. Hooper and Deegan the report is to be submnitted forthwith and which is to.consider the plight of those volunteering to assist the Meal On Wheels program. The Director of Public Works, Walter Evans, informed council on Monday that the Metro outside workers were in a position to strike as of this Wednesday if their contract was not settled. He saidthis would mean the closing of the Brock West, landfill site which is used by RFI forthe Towns garbage. He stated that RFI would continue, to pickup the Towns garbage as usual and would dispose of it at an altemate site. I Town correspondence it was noted that June l9th has been designated Hire A Student Day. The information resulted from a letter from Frances Lazzaro of the Canada Employrnent Centre for Students at 36A King Street East, Bowmanville, Ontario. Phone 623- 9221. A letter f.rom E. Queenie Fletcher, now a wheel-chair resident of Strathaven Nursing Homne, Bowmanville, requested that some consideration be given to wheel-chair accessibility and that consideration also be given to a "Bowrnanville Wheelchair Appreciation Week'. TMe writer stated she was not cornplaining as she mnust learn to live witb ber wheelchair. She pointed out various obstacles facing those who have to make use of a wheelchair. A letter frorn the Clarke Museum Board inform s council that Samn Cureatz bas.joined the Board of Directors at Clarke Museumn and Archives. Cureatz is to attend bis first meeting in June. In a letter from the Ministry of the Environrnent the Town bas been informed that leachate is considered to be running out of the former Darlington Landfill Site ini the Jackman Road area, Bowrnanville. As the result of testing of the leachate and the proximi ty to the area of the former landfill site the Ministry is requiring maàt the Town retain mhe services of a qualified cons ultant to determine the extent of this problemn and to make recommendations as to how mhis leachate will be controlled. The matter bas been referred to the planning departnlent. extended summer hbolidays at this time. 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