Volume 3 Number 13

Volume 3 Number 13

July 29, 1994

TOP Stories

Independent Living at Manitou Park
Senior Lifestyles; Sonny Joe Remembers Old Times
Editorial

Independent Living at Manitou Park
By: Connie Meloche

"As a TEAM, what we are implementing for Independent Living here at Manitou Park, is to see that the basic needs of the residents are met", says Par Facilitator, Patricia Lahache. Patricia has been an employee there since the project's inception.

Accordingly, the Independent Living concept for Manitou Park Residents included teaching them life skills such as cooking, shopping for food, gardening and keeping house. "We don't force the residents to do untying, instead we try to encourage them to become responsible for little things like making their beds or sweeping the floors", staff members said. Other changes at Manitou include the implementation of visiting hours, and enforcing the rule whereby Alcohol and Illegal Drugs are not permitted on the Manitou Park site. "A lot of people don't seem to understand that the residents at Manitou in most cases are on medication for a disability. When mixed with alcohol or other drugs, it can hurt them", explained Linda Delaronde-Jacobs. She also said there are plans for introducing future projects for he residents such as Sex Education, AA Meeting and Fitness Classes.

The TEAM, to which Patricia refers, includes herself, John Stacey Jr., Park Security Guard, Dorothy Dunkley, Manitou Cook and Linda Delaronde Jacobs, Program Consultant. Linda is there to help the staff in the transition process towards converting Manitou Park to an Independent Living Center.

In order to carry out their jobs, these team members must possess such qualities as dedication and understanding of the special population of Kahnawa'kero:non, who meet the criteria for becoming Park Residents. The staff are aware and sensitive to the fact that because Park Residents are mentally and or physically challenged, these individuals for different reasons cannot live with their families. Consequently, an important aspect for giving them "well being" includes the staff's responsibility for helping the Park Residents with their daily routines.

The independent Living concept for giving Manitou Park Residents a better quality of life, is only one example of how the team at Kahnawake Shakotiia'takehnhas Community Services can assist Kanien'keha:ka in "Strengthening Pride, Respect and Responsibilities of Self, Family and Community" as stated in this organization's mission.

For any further information on Maintop Park you can contact Kahnawake Social Services at 632-6880.

In a following article we will see how Kahnawake Social Services has helped to care for the elderly, until then nia:wen.

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Senior Lifestyles
Sonny Joe Remembers Old Times
By: E.J. Diabo

After I came back from Spanish - a residential school in Sudbury, Ontario - it was 1942 and I had two phonographs. One was the kind that winds up and one used electricity.

People used to invite me to a lot of parties because I had all the music.

At that time there were for dancehalls in Kahnawake. There was Joe Delisle's near the tunnel, where he had a nice dance hall and people went to have a soda. He was famous for the way he made his hamburgers and tomatoes.

Right across the street was Howard's. Howard's wasn't a dancehall, but it was a place where they had beautiful french fries - he was known for that and his hotdogs. You could have the steamed or you could have them fried.

There was another dancehall owned by John Cross near "Kane's Corner". They had a juke-box and you could sit there with your boyfriend or your girlfriend and have a soda.

There was also the "Riverside Dancehall" which was down by the Moose Club. That place was quite famous, in the summertime it was all screened in facing the water. Most of the weddings were held there and they featured squared dance music during the week.

Even my brother William Cross - behind the seaway, behind the station had a little place they called "Manhattan Beach".

When I worked over in Lasalle by Newman there was an orchard there and a strawberry place. We used to do piece work there. When we would get paid - maybe $7 dollars a week, we'd shoot down to Lachine to have some of our famous fish and chips and of course, to buy records.

There was a shop there and I recall the first record that I bought. It was "Boogie Woogie" and the artist was a great black piano player by the name of Pete Johnson - that was my first record.

At the time some of the famous songs were: "Dipsy Doodle", by Tommy Dorsey, "In the mood" and "Little Brown Jug", by Glen Miller, and the "Temptation", by Artie Shaw.

You also had big orchestras like Chester Barnett, Gene Krupa, Fats Waller, and Louie Prima. For female singers, from England you had Vera Lynn, Jo Stafford, Billy Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald and the Andrew Sisters.

Before I left here in '45, there were dance halls plus we used to have Tombolas, where we would have almost six weeks of good times and many activities for young people to go to.

I went to New York in 1945 and twenty years later in 1965 when I quit smoking and drinking, I started collecting records. As of right now I own about 11 thousand albums. I'm talking about 78's, 45's, 33's, 16's and 8 tracks. It's been a long time in the making and I'm so glad because it's one of the best things I've ever done in my life - saving all this music - because every Sunday afternoon I'm on K103 FM in Kahnawake where I host "Memory Lane" and "The Country Hall of Fame". I play artists like Jimmy Rogers, Gene Autrey, Tex Ritter, Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams Sr.

Female stars include Kitty Wells, Patsy Cline, and The Carter Family.

Before our dance halls, many people held their weddings in Lachine. The Mercier Bridge wasn't up yet so they had to make a long trip around to get there.

But before that in the 30's, 40's and 50's most of the music in Kahnawake was for square dancing. They loved square dance music. In fact, in just about any house in town that you would go in would have maybe a fiddle, a guitar or a mouth organ. People would get together either in the evening or on the weekends to play and have fun.

There was one guy - Louis Hall's brother John hall - he was a saxophone player and he had an orchestra. He would charge about $10 dollars to do a wedding.

I just want to mention before we wrap up that for people who enjoy reminiscing the old times should tune in the fine programming on K103 FM radio starting with "The Riverside Danceland" with Conway Jocks Fridays at 7 PM just before Bingo. Also "Golden Eras", hosted by Johnny Beauvais Sundays from noon till 1 PM. And of course, lets not forget "Take Five" with Frank Natawe Sunday evenings at 8 PM. My shows "Memory Lane" and "The Country Hall of Fame" can be heard Sunday afternoons at 1 PM and 4 PM.

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Editorial

Quebec: A Tale of Two Solitude's
By: Drew Haden Taylor, Windspeaker

When I was going to college in Toronto, about 12 years ago, I met this girl. She was about my age and spoke with the most darling French Canadian accent. Having grown up on a Native reserve, this was my first time in the city and I was anxious to make friends. Especially Pretty ones.

So as the days passed we spent time hanging around together, developing a friendship, teasing each other the way only teenagers can. At one point, after some disagreement I've long since forgotten, she laughingly punched my arm, saying "all you English are alike." I distinctly remember looking around my immediate area trying to figure out who she was talking about. Puzzled, I looked at her saying "I'm not English. I'm not English. I'm Native."

She hemmed and hawed, somewhat embarrassed, trying to save her position.

"Well, I meant you English-speaking people are alike."

Unfortunately she was right in one aspect, English was my first language, not Ojibway like it should be , but that was not the relevant point here, So, trying to look as philosophical as possible, I countered with 'So does that mean I can say all you white people are alike, English and French? That's the same?"

She shook her head, saying "That's different."

That was a long time ago. Or so it seems. Looking back on this snippet of life, I can't help but think how prophetic this was, considering the situation that now exists in Quebec. Evidently it is still "different."

I recently returned from spending three weeks in wonderful Montreal. A remarkably civilized city where you can get a fine bottle of wine at the local store and it has, I believe, the highest per capita quantity of quality restaurants in Canada. It also has, unfortunately, a strong and growing dislike of its Aboriginal People.

And it if this I don't understand because it defies logic. One would think they would be natural allies, both parties being formally oppressed by the federal government throughout the ages, the oppressed have become the oppressors. Now Native People in the province find themselves threatened at practically every corner, from the Cree who might find themselves doing the backstroke in mercury-contaminated water due to the James Bay Project, to the Mohawks' understandable wariness of Oka cheese and golf.

I Couldn't help but notice during my stay in Montreal that in several of the newspapers, it was free reign on Mohawk-bashing by one or more of the local columnists. It would seem on the surface the Mohawks are the single biggest threat to the people of Quebec since Mordecai Richler's "Oh Canada, Oh Quebec."

The funny thing is I Know these Mohawk People. They are no threat, or at least they are no threat, or at least they don't want to be a threat. Most of them would love the chance to live in domestic harmony with their neighbors, attend Euchre tournaments together, ply bingo, all that sort of stuff. It's no fun living your life like a veal lover in a vegetarian store.

But like a veal typical Native person in this country, I shouldn't be surprised at blatant racism. As it was once said, "racism in as Canadian as hockey." Well, in some cases, both require big sticks.

Through it has been my experience that the racism in Quebec is quite different from the kind that predominates our west. In the western provinces, the racism consists of Native People supposedly not living up to the lifestyle enjoyed and embraced by the dominant and embraced by the dominant culture. Case in point, "Indians are lazy, always on welfare, bums, drunks, etc." The dislike stems from the perception of Native People being weaker and more dysfunctional.

In Quebec however, the racism is based on a completely different level. The Native People are perceived as being equals, and more importantly, therefore more dangerously, that equality is perceived as being a threat to sovereignty of the Quebec people. The Native People want, or in some cases claim, the some thing the French want, self-government. And evidently you cannot have tow race cars on the some track, they will bump into each other to often.

It has been said that in good relationships, the similarities overcome the differences, and it is those differences that make the relationship exciting. Maybe, but it wasn't long before me and my French Canadian friend stopped seeing each other. And a relationship can't get much more exciting than the incidents at Oka.

So I guess after all's said and done ( and there's a lot that's been said and done), there are still no answers. Not even questions.

Welcome to Canada.

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