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he counsels natives i Ferne King provides support, advice By Vl_ckl White J .. n.Ji/?tJ • xpos1tor Staff 'r-'1 1/ • . Every Wednesday, a small, dark-haired woman carrying a tack of newspapers passes through two steel doors and ree security gates at the Brant- ford jail to sit in a small brick 'oom with some men she may ever have met before. The woman is Ferne King, a counsellor with the Pine Tree Native Centre, and the paper is Ute Tekawennake News, the Six ations community newspaper. Ms. King, 39, runs a weekly program for native inmates in the Brantford jail. She offers advice, support, and local gossip for the men who articipate. Led from cells She's had trom one to 13 men participate at one time. Since the inmates only stay in the jail until they're sentenced and sent to another institution, he never knows how many men · 11 be there, or who they'll be. In a recent session, six men between the ages of 18 and 30 filed one by one into the ramped brick room, as they :were led trom their cells by the guards. Only one had joined the group before . When asked what he thought of the program, the response was a gruff "it's all right." But the questions which fol- lowed showed just how valuable the program can be. "How much do you know about the rules and regulations around here?" asked one man, a native from Hamilton charged with break and enter. He wanted to have Sweetgrass in the jail, but wasn't sure whether he would be allowed. "(The guards) understand the significance of Sweetgrass to us now," said Ms. King. "We can arrange that." Sweet- grass is used in traditional na- tive ceremonies and prayer. He also asked if Ms. King could bring in books about na- tive spirituality, or other aspects of native culture. There was discussion of how to establish a "brotherhood," a native spiritual group that would be eligible for funding trom the Ontario Ministry of Correctional SeIVices. Then the conversation turned to events in Oka, Que. where Mo- hawks are in an armed standoff with Quebec provincial police and the Canadian army. "If they take that barricade down we may as well all just give up. We've all had it," said a Six Nations man charged with as- sault. This is what makes the pro- gram so important. The men can talk about native spirituality, problems they en- counter in a non-native institu- tion - anything they feel more comfortable discussing with other native people. Two visits a week They are allowed two visits a week, but most say this is ex- tremely difficult. "Sometimes I wish (my girl- friend) didn't come at all. You don't got nothing to say. She asks what I did today, and all I can say is, 'the same thing as yesterday, the same thing as always. What do you think?"' said the Hamilton man. Since the Brantford jail is only seen as a temporary holding spot, there aren't many programs organized for the inmates. There are a few education classes, some counselling pro- grams and there will be a com- puter education program in the fall, but that's about it.