Elders Housing Interviews

Bessie Adams, Year of Birth: 1933

What about the reserve? Where did you live?

Right down the hill where Joe Napish lived. A long time ago they built him a house in Aubrey. After they finished fighting in the war. He was let go, but they still got a house.

When did people start to arrive on the reserve?

I can really remember a long time ago. They always talked about people on Eagle Lake. My grandfather had a store. The Hudson Bay post. I guess the white people used to stop there and pick up fur and tools, shells, gunpowder. They made their own shells.

Who were the families then living here on Eagle Lake?

As far as I can remember, my grandfather, Jack Indian. His Indian name was Sore Chest. Frank Indian and us Adams and I can remember the Kavanaugh’s arriving. They arrived here a long time ago. The old man Kavanaugh brought a young woman down. They had a little boy. Oh, Tom Napish was another one. The Reserve at that time I heard that it was split into two reserves. Half was the Wabigoon Lake #27 and Eagle Lake #27.

Where did you live when you were a little girl?

Down the hill where the spring is, where my grandfather lived and us too and the Skys and Indians (last name). Right where the healthy house is today. (Catching herself talking English). Right there is where they built a house. That’s where Albert Kavanaugh lived. There was a great big house there. Sky’s old house; there was another place, Napish, then Pitchenese. Pitchenese was given a nice big house. They gave it to him after the First World War.

Did they build their own homes?

They always gave big new houses. There was another big house. I don’t know where, somewhere to the west. I guess that was the one that got taken by Albert Kavanaugh, down by the beach. He and his wife lived there for a long time.

What did the houses look like? Were the houses built with rooms like they are now?

They were one big room, no bedrooms. Take for instance, ours had a great big kitchen.

How many families in one house and relatives?

Look at us when we lived over there, we had woodcutters staying with us. Sometime there were four of them that came to live with us. And maybe that’s why everybody got sick – living together.

When you were living on the reserve, how did you go to get your groceries?

Over here, they used dog sleds. There were no roads. The road we have now was a horse trail. The portage now going to Aubrey, it was a horse trail. My grandfather Alex Singleton, Frank Indian and Jenny Indian. They gathered together and rode together. Nobody had a car then that I can remember.

When a moose was killed, did they share with other families?

Yes, that’s what they did. They shared the moose they also shared the skinning. Sometimes in the evening, there would be two of them. They would go out in the evening and come back at night and have their kill.

They drove the animals out for the hunters to get them. The woman did all the skinning and cutting up, so everyone got an equal share. That was the same thing with the fish when they set the net. That’s what they did a long time ago – they shared everything.

Mary Adams, Year of Birth: 1940

Where did you live here at Eagle Lake?

We lived on the other side of the reserve called Aubrey. They used to trap there – there is another reserve line. That’s where we grew up.  That’s where all the siblings grew up. That’s where my dad died on the reserve line. We were brought up at Spring Bay before they built these houses.

Do you remember living in Aubrey?

On the north side – I remember grandpa’s house, but it started to rot and fell down.

When did people start to arrive on the reserve?

When they gave them the new houses – the Indian Agent gave new houses. The natives started to arrive.

How many families then lived here on Eagle Lake?

When I was small there was a house where Sandy’s house was. Peter Indian Sr. where Sandy used to live, and my grandfather used to live. I don’t know who got that house – they got the house from the army. That’s the only one I remember when I was small.

Where did Fred Indian live?

I don’t know where they lived – I only seen Peter Indian Sr..

Did they build their own homes?

Yes, they did. I was talking about my grandfather’s house – that’s where my dad lived in a army house.

What did the houses look like – were the houses built with rooms like they are now?

They were one big room and families lived together.

How many families in one house and relatives?

I guess sometimes it happened.

Do you remember any old standing house?

No.

Do you remember what the elders did? How they got to town to get supplies?

Long ago there was only horse trails, horse wagon trails and they used horses to get supplies.

Do you remember how they got to Eagle River?

When we were children we used to walk to Eagle River and come home with a taxi.

What did the people do when they used to kill any game, especially moose?

Long time ago people loved and cared for each other, they shared their game, divided some for each other.

Do you remember if families kept their own game for themselves?

I don’t remember that ever, When my parents used to trap, people came to get some game in cars. Beaver and everything else was gone.

Elizabeth (Liz) Danielson, Year of Birth: 1945

Where did you live here at Eagle Lake when you were growing up?

On this side of the sand hill – Beach Road. That’s where my grandmother had a shack.

When did people start to arrive on the reserve?

They started building houses – that’s when the people started moving back. They lived in Eagle River – most of them; when the houses were completed they moved to the reserve.

How many families then lived here on Eagle Lake?

There were 5 homes.

Did they build their own homes?

They helped each other build their houses; they helped each other with everything.

What did the houses look like? Were the houses built with rooms like they are now?

They had log cabins; later on they put lumber inside. They made their own lumber – they had a lumber mill.

What size was your house and how many rooms?

One big room.

How many people lived in that house?

Just our parents and my brothers and sisters.

When they went for groceries, where did they get them from?

Dryden and walked to Eagle River. They used horses. In the winter they used dog teams.

A long time ago what did they do when hunting game?

They hunted together and they helped each other. Women did all the butchering and skinning.

Did you remember if families kept their own game for themselves?

Never heard if they ever kept it for themselves.

Margaret Gardner George, Year of Birth: 1938

Where did you live here at Eagle Lake?

When I was a little girl we lived in Eagle River but we came out to live here in Eagle Lake in 1956.  My dad built a house at the Pow-Wow grounds – I remember it had a pointed roof.  We came here at Treaty Day. We came back to live here in 1956 – our house was by the lake, where Joe Kelly lives now (R.R.#402 Lakeview Drive). The Napish and Kavanaughs were living there.

How many families then lived here on Eagle Lake?

There were 6 or 7 in one house; sometimes other families lived in one house but it was only sometimes.

Did they build their own homes?

They were made of lumber; some log homes.

What did the houses look like – were the houses built with rooms like they are now?

There were two by the lake. Before we moved here, there were big houses and one room only. That time there was a big house with two floors.

How many families in one house and relatives?

Sometimes a family along with other families with children.

Do you remember any old standing house?

I don’t recall if there’s any more houses still standing today.

Do you remember what the elders did? How they got to town to get supplies?

Because we lived in Eagle River, we walked to the store and carried our groceries. In the winter time we used our sleighs. In Eagle Lake some people walked to get groceries; they got credit at the Store – later on they got a ride.

What did the people do when they used to kill any game?

If someone had a kill when hunting, they shared the meat – they helped each other.

Do you remember if families kept their own game for themselves?

They did not keep the meat to themselves – they gave it all away.

Robert Kelly, Year of Birth: 1943

Where did you live here at Eagle Lake?

There were a few times we lived at Eagle Lake – we lived where the Pow-wow grounds are.  I remember when we lived there – we lived far apart from the others in a log house.  Lots of people lived at Eagle River at the time.

Do you remember living in Aubrey?

Peter Indian Sr. and Joe Napish lived at Aubrey – north side of the reserve.

Did they build their own homes?

They made their own houses – log cabins.

What did the houses look like? Were the houses built with rooms like they are now?

These houses were one large main room – they did not have many rooms in the houses – no bedrooms like we have today.

How many families in one house and relatives?

They had many people living in the same house. This is how our people lived; they all lived together in one house.

Do you remember any old standing house?

There are no houses standing that used to be. I don’t know where they used to stand.

What did they do – where did they go to get their food and supplies?

As far back as I can remember, there was always a road. There were no vehicles on the Reserve at the time I’m talking about – they used to walk. When they went across country to Dryden, they used to have horse teams.  They also used the waterways – they had canoes and boats.

Do you remember how they got to Eagle River?

When they used to arrive in Eagle River and did their shopping, somebody usually brought them home.

What did the people do when they used to kill any game?

They did share the meat – that was the way they were. They helped one another to cut up the meat and bring it from the bush.

Mazie Landon, Year of Birth: 1941

Here in Eagle Lake do you remember where you lived?

Yes at the pow-wow grounds.

There are a lot of people now in the Eagle Lake community – When did they start arriving?

When they were given these new houses, they started arriving. We lived by ourselves on the beach.  Mary and Pete Indian lived where Joe Kelly lives today and then the Skys. There were three log cabins going towards Dryden. My auntie Clara, Albert Kavanaugh, Eddie Pitchenese and I don’t know who lived in the other cabin.

People from Eagle River – where did they live?

Eagle River.

When I talked about old houses, what did they look like?

Just one room house; they never had no rooms, but they were never big houses.

How many families lived in one house?

There was quite a few of us. Peter Indian and his three children, two of them I guess, Elizabeth and young Pete and there was Albert Kavanaugh and family, Pat Kavanaugh, a few of them too.

Are there any old houses left that you know of?

No.

Long ago, where did they go and get their groceries from?

They went to Eagle River.

What about Dryden?

(She did not know) As far as I can remember we went to Eagle River to buy groceries.

How did you get to Eagle River to buy groceries? How did you get to where you were going?

We had to walk.

Do you remember when they were using horses?

I don’t remember that – you heard about them.

You learned about travelling in the canoes and dog teams?

Yes.

What did the people do when they got their kill of meat, moose and deer? What did they do with their meat?

They shared their meat, like the Skys and Peter Indian Sr. and fish too – they all shared, yes.

Today do you remember if you saw people not sharing their moose kill?

As far as I can remember, they all shared.

Frank Landon, Year of Birth: 1936

Do you remember where you lived here at Eagle Lake? Which was your house?

Yes, over by the Sky’s hill, below was where we lived.

At the time you are speaking about – how many families lived here before they all came back?

The main people were Pitchenese and Fred Indian – Pitchenese lived at The Bay, Singleton.

Did you ever hear the name of Eagle River?

It was called Red Pine Portage. McIntosh was a big road, meaning railroad.

Back in those days, what kind of houses did they have? What did the houses look like? Did they have one floor?

There were log houses – no wigwams.  Some of the houses had two floors – there were 2 down the hill that were 2 stories high.  John Dixon had a big house – one room only. There were 6 houses that I remember.

Like today you see houses clumped together in one area – what did it look like then?

One big area. Ingall Falls was the main village where people lived – some came from Wabigoon; some lived at Walleye Bay. Some lived at Indian Point right across from Government Dock.

How many people lived in one house?

Sometimes they had nowhere to go so they all lived in the same house. Sometimes two families in one house.

Are there any old houses left that you know of?

No they all fell down.

Back in those days there were no cars – how did you get around?

They had horses and some used canoes and the dogs in the winter time.  Some walked to go to Eagle River to get groceries; some went to Dryden.

A long time ago when they hunted, what did they do with the meat?

They shared the wild meat – moose, even ducks. They smoked some; prepared it and cooked it – but everyone got some.  They all got together to get a moose or a deer.

Did anyone keep the meat for themselves?

No.

Charles Perreault, Year of Birth: 1946

At this time do you live here at Eagle Lake?

(Nodded his head – yes.)

Do you remember the different places that you have lived in this area?

Well I think about my step-dad. Grassy Narrows is where my dad was from. He belonged to the Grassy Narrows Band. I ended up getting a job here and this is where I live. I myself have never been to Grassy Narrows. As far as I know, I always lived here in this area.

You have also lived in Eagle River.  Where was your house?

We lived in many different locations. Our first house burned down and then we moved right into Eagle River.

What do you know about Eagle Lake? When did the people of Eagle Lake begin arriving here at Eagle Lake?

(He nodded) I really don’t know when they began moving here because I haven’t been here that long.

So you don’t know how many people lived here?

No, I don’t.

Were there some people here?

Yes, there were some.

Back in those days, what did the houses look like – did they have wooden houses?

I used to come and visit the people at Eagle Lake. They had log cabins. Those were the kind of houses that they had. The houses had only one floor.

As a boy you said you lived in Eagle River. Where were the house located?

They lived across the river. There was a lot of people living over there. They wandered around a lot.

What kind of lifestyle did the people have? How many people lived in one house?

For us, there was quite a few of us.  There was ten of us in one house as well as relatives.

What did our people do a long time ago when they needed supplies, like food? Where did they go?

We never went to Dryden. We went to Eagle River.

Do you remember how they go to Eagle River?

They walked.

The people here at Eagle Lake, did they also go to Eagle River?

Yes, that’s where they went.

What did the Anishinaabe people do in those days when someone made a kill of a moose or a deer?

They went around and shared the kill and they helped each other, not like today. They only keep the meat for themselves.

You say that way back in those days they did share the meat. Did they use all the parts including the hide?

(Nodded yes)

Donnie Pitchenese, Year of Birth: 1941

Do you know why there was a Clan system?

The creator loved all Anishinaabe people; sometimes helped people, spirits. People lived here for a long time. Most of the people lived at Red Pine Portage. (Eagle Lake wasn’t the real name.)

Do you know what people did when they went hunting?

People went together hunting for moose, deer and ducks – fishing too. They always shared with everyone. Everyone got together and they encouraged each other to come along to where the kill was made. Whoever came along was welcome to take come of the meat home. When they got home they did many things with it.

Did they sell fish?

There was not too much of that. People picked rice and sold it for harvest. Women did not work – their work was to look after the children.

Where was your house when you moved back to the reserve?

We lived down the hill and also by the lake.

How did the people here in Eagle Lake live and how did they build their houses?

People made log houses – we lived at the beach. Other people had log houses. There was already a lot of people – people left and came back.

How many houses were there when you were a little boy?

There were some homes. I remember two big houses.

Do you remember what the houses looked like? How did the people of Eagle Lake live 40-50 years ago?

People moved back to Eagle Lake 50-60 years ago. A lot of people lived in tents; people made log houses. They moved to different places at certain times – four seasons.  They would come back in the fall. They lived the winter at the trapline and came back in the spring. They walked or went by canoe. The houses down the hill were one floor – an open area, no rooms.  They were wide open spaces. One large room – no bedrooms.

Do you know if these houses are still standing?

I don’t think there’s any around anymore.

Mae Wabonge, Year of Birth: 1931

Where did you live here at Eagle Lake?

I was born at Windigo Point in a log cabin.

How many families then lived here on Eagle Lake? Did they build their own homes?

Pitcheneses’ were living here.  There were three to five houses – log cabins.  Some were doubles with stairs. There were also some houses given by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. There were nine houses in 1957: Sandy Wabonge, Skys, Albert, Harry and Pat Kavanaugh, Maggie Gardner, Pitchenese, Adams and Napish. (Government Housing)

Do you remember any old standing house?

Two of the nine houses that were built by the government are still standing today (when the interview took place in 2001)

Do you remember what the elders did? How they go to town to get supplies?

We went by pony, there were no cars. We walked too. They would go to Dryden by dog sled. They would hire Harold Wall from Aubrey.

What did the people do when they used to kill any game?

When people hunted or fished, they shared their food; they always shared. I was happy to see that. Today we don’t see that.

Cecelia Westerlund, Year of Birth: 1918

Catherine Kelly, Year of Birth: 1932

(This interview was done with both people at the same time)

Where did you live as a child?

Cecelia: I grew up at Grassy Narrows. We (Gus and I) lived by the Eagle River. We built a house there.

Catherine: I always lived in Eagle River. We also lived on the Eagle Lake reserve where the Pow-wow grounds are now. The Landon’s and Gardner’s lived there too. I remember that well – Wiichak (Stanley Gardner) used to fight us!  We lived in Eagle River and had a log cabin where Emily Tom lives now. Also, we had a homestead where my brother Jim lives now.

When did people start to arrive on the reserve?

Cecelia: When is the time you’re referring to? The people lived at the reserve, but in the summer they moved around.  Also, they went on their traplines.  People moved around like gypsies – to where the money was: trapping, blueberry picking etc.

Did they build their own homes?

Catherine: They built the houses themselves.

What did the houses look like? Were the houses built with rooms like they are now?

Cecelia: Some had a two story building. They had log houses. It was a one room house.

How many families in one house and relatives?

Cecelia: Most houses housed more than one family.

Do you remember any old standing houses?

Catherine: I don’t know if any of these houses are still standing.

Do you remember what the elders did? How they got to town to get supplies?

Cecelia: There was a Hudson Bay store where Eagle Lake Lodge is now. We used to have a little store at Eagle River, the storekeeper was Joe Gardner; it was across from the Eagle River School.  Eagle River used to be called Red Pine Portage.  We walked to the store or we used a canoe sometimes.

Catherine: They went to Eagle River for groceries.  Mainly our parents did the shopping. I was too small to go shopping.

What did the people do when they used to kill any game?

Cecelia and Catherine: They shared the meat with others.

Catherine: They never kept the meat to themselves. In the summer the meat might spoil. In the winter they still shared. They helped one another to get the meat and to cut it up.