MUSKRAT DAM & SACHIGO, ONTARIO
First Nation Communities
Muskrat Dam is a First Nation community located east of Manitoba, north of Thunder Bay and south of James Bay. I was invited to travel to this community to present leadership and anti-bullying presentations. I flew from Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto to Sioux Lookout to Muskrat Dam. The first plane was smaller than I was used to; however, the plane we flew from Sioux Lookout to Muskrat Dam was tiny. It held nine people, plus the two pilots.
I presented at Sam Beardy Memorial School in Muskrat Dam and Martin Mackay Memorial School in Sachigo. I don’t think these students were used to my presentation style. They were attentive; however, I felt that chaos was about to erupt at any time.
We travelled on an ice road to get to Sachigo. It was a smooth drive on the lake; however, the marsh road was a kidney buster. Thirty minutes into our trip, we got stuck. Luckily, a couple from Muskrat Dam were following thirty minutes behind us and were able to pull us out.
At Martin MacKay Memorial, when I went into the audience to retrieve a student to play the bully in a role-play, a young boy was pushed toward me by his teacher. As he walked behind me toward the stage, he grabbed my two middle fingers. I thought he wanted to hold my hands. He pulled my fingers back in an attempt to break them. I chose the real bully.
I also went into the classrooms to entertain the students with singing and campfire songs. This was a big hit!
THE WOLF
All the guys played hockey at the arena, so I hung back to finish the dishes. I was to meet them at the radio station with my guitar for a jam session. I began to walk to the radio station. It was very dark. As I started walking down the road, I started to think about the many animals that could be lurking on the edges of the forest that lined the dark roadway. As this thought entered my head, I heard the sound of a wolf howling in the distance. I was told no coyotes, so I knew it was a wolf. As I walked closer to the lit part of the road, I saw the silhouette of a large animal sitting on the road in front of me. WOLF! I thought I was a goner. As I approached the unknown animal, I realized it was a large, friendly (thank goodness) German Sheppard. It escorted me to the radio station and home again. It was like my guardian angel.
THE DOG
A group of vets from Barrie were in Muskrat Dam to spay or “fix” the dogs. Dogs were wandering everywhere. The dog population tended to get out of control in these communities. My friend Paul and I decided to introduce ourselves to the vets. When we entered their “sanctuary,” we witnessed a dog being neutered and heard a dog singing a sad tune as it came out of its anesthesia. We asked how things were going. They informed us that one of the dogs had died. It had been hit by a car a few days before the operation. There were complications, and he passed away. I looked over toward the end of the room to see the dead dog just lying by the wall. My dog had just died, so I thought this would trigger some negative response. I seemed to be okay, so I guessed I grieved appropriately after the death of my dog Kahlua.
THE FUNERAL
We decided to give the dog a funeral. We wanted closure for the little girl who owned the dog. Two of the guys built a fire so they could dig a hole to bury the dog. We all stood around the hole with the dog looking up at us, spoke a few kind words and buried the dog. This was a first for me; however, I thought it was a kind gesture so the little girl could say goodbye to her little friend.
THE BEAVER
We took part in a memorial feast to honour a community member who had recently passed away. People came from surrounding communities with homemade meals. Moose, goose, fish guts with blueberry, pasta, and beaver were there. I am a risk-taker, so I tried all the exotic meats. Everything was going great up until I tried the beaver. As soon as it crossed my lips, I knew there was no point of return. I couldn’t spit it out. I had to swallow it. It was nasty! I chewed and chewed and finally managed to squeeze it into my stomach. I am glad I tried it, but I would never try again. The next day, the community had lunch for us. They didn’t serve beaver, but I received a beautiful, hand-made beaver hat. I wonder if it was from the same beaver? Karma!
DOUG GILMOUR
Before I left for Muskrat Dam, I wanted to bring up a gift for the youth. They love hockey, so I asked Doug Gilmour if he could give me a signed photo. Doug not only gave me a signed photo but got the photo framed.
I met a young man, Jade, who had recently been assigned the role of gym teacher. He also coached hockey. One of the boys he coached was Javen. He recently lost his father tragically. He was an incredible hockey player. These two were the perfect recipients of the photo. It would encourage and give them hope for the future.
