oral history/interview

Abstract provided by the Gabriel Dumont Institute:

Don was interviewed on August 19, 1976 in Regina, Saskatchewan. Donald Sheridan worked in the Department of Natural Resources in northern Saskatchewan. He was associated with the school for prospectors and with other government programs. He was a socialist and a close friend of Malcolm Norris with whom he worked. Don also discusses his view of Malcolm Norris as teacher, philosopher, worker for Aboriginal people, socialist, family man and friend.

Interview description provided by the Gabriel Dumont Institute:

"Liola was interviewed in February of 1978 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Liola Salter [née Proctor] was a freelancer and political activist at the time she met Jim Brady in 1966 in La Ronge, Saskatchewan. She had a discussion with Brady about the future of Aboriginal politics in northern Saskatchewan as well as interviewed him for documentaries she was preparing on a similar subject.

Interview Description provided by the Gabriel Dumont Institute:

"Verna was interviewed on July 12, 1977 at Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Verna Richards lived for many years in northern Saskatchewan where she ran the La Ronge Cafe in the 1950s and early 1960s. She knew many of the local Indian and Métis people including Jim Brady and Malcolm Norris.

Keywords: Metis, adoption, Muskowekwan, Muscowequan, education, residential school, economic activity.

Louis Dorion recorded this interview to his daughter. Louis describes the opportunities for recreation, for example, the dances at Cumberland House. His mother Mariah Dorion was the daughter of John Dorion, called Jack. Louis recounts his life outdoor with Jack, who taught him hunting, fishing, and trapping. Jack relied on the bush economy and enlisted for the First World War, where he was wounded. In 1955, they cut pulp for the last time together in Sturgeon landing.

Edward Denomie was interviewed in Lestock. His family homesteaded nearby the town. They lived in a log house, farming, gardening, and raising animals. However, the soil was sandy so this posed challenges in agriculture. His father sold mink furs for a living. Because of their economic condition, his brother-in-law enlisted in the army. Subsequently, they had to sell their farm. When he was ten years old, his mother died after a serious illness. His sister Mary was a year and a half in the hospital. In the summer, his family worked in farms, threshing.

Abstract provided by the Gabriel Dumont Institute:

"Fred was interviewed on January 22, 1980 in La Loche, Saskatchewan. Fred was born in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta but he moved all over Canada for work. He worked for sixty years some of which was on a steamboat. Fred talks about his family background, where his parents were born and where they died, names of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and siblings. Fred went to school for seventeen years in Fort Chipewyan before he started working.

In Beck’s interview, she discusses politics within northern Saskatchewan roughly beginning at 1950. Beck touches on political parties swaying votes by providing alcohol to voters at the polls, the reaction to the CCF (from negative to positive after the construction of the first school north of Prince Albert), political candidates/campaigners during elections, and the reactions Indigenous peoples had to these political changes.

Keywords: Local Governance; Provincial Governance; Elections

Robert Goodvoice is from Round Plain Reserve near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. In this interview (part nine), Goodvoice describes the movement of the Dakota to Canada and their experience acquiring land that was assigned by government. The Dakota who sought refuge from the American Government during the Numbered Treaty Era, were excluded from the Treaty making process because they were considered "American Indians." The traditional territory of the Dakota predated colonization, and the North American 49th Parallel (Canadian-American border) overlapped this territory.

Abstract from the Gabriel Dumont Institute:

"Bill was born in Lac La Biche, Alberta, 1934. His father was three-quarters Sioux, from the U.S. His father and mother broke up when Bill was young. He was raised by First Nations people west of Calgary. When Bill was 14 years old he moved to Edson, Alberta, and worked in bush camps. Bill also did some construction work in his life. Bill discusses his negative attitude toward the RCMP."