Theresa Martell
Air Date: December 20, 2022
Summary
In this episode, podcaster Christine Fiddler speaks with Theresa Martell, an elder from Waterhen Lake First Nation. Theresa recounts her memories of her grandfather hauling freight and meeting others coming to the area.
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I was just thinking about today with what Albert said, I had asked (English-about) when our grandfathers used to take off in their wagons. (English-they used to haul freight). My grandfather had come from far away, from Lac La Biche. They stayed there and met up with people. Mary Rose Opikokew, I used to go with her to her mother’s place and where they would have events. I used to go camp with her at her mom’s house and go to these events. That was where something used to take place, she used to take me to her mother’s house to go camp with them. (English-straight north) from here. And when I would get home the old lady would start talking how she had really liked it and she was the one who used to talk about our grandfathers over here. I wonder where from they would come riding out. I don’t know exactly where it was.
They traveled through (English-straight north) from Keely [Lake]. They would arrive from out of the bush.
They used dogs the old lady said to pull the wagons my grandfathers: five men, all five of them. She would say their traditional names in Cree... one of them was called, this one was called. All of them, all these men, were related she used to name them. When they used to go trapping in Keely. And what they killed how many of them would go hunting she was the one who told me when it got taken away, the Canoe Lakers trap line. Their traditional lands. And they that’s when they borrowed... the Canoe Lakers and their trap line, (English-our trapline) they borrowed our [Waterhen people’s] trapline and moved into it.
We have a trap line, she used to say, (English- straight to Keeley [Lake, location between Waterhen and Canoe Lake]). Wepaskasiw Sahkahikan [she names what Keely Lake was traditionally called.] I was a teenager, oh my! And my grandfathers were tall. I was just happy when all these young men showed up. I was a teenage girl. They were tall the grandfathers.
And they were handsome. That was what I wanted to tell her to ask her. “How did those guys do it?” They were trying to take it away from the people of Waterhen (English-their trapline).And what was I gonna say. My grandpa came from far away and in the spring time he used to come riding in at his relatives from Lac La Biche. We used to visit around there and our great grandmother used to get angry at her young teenage daughter. That was where she gave her daughter away to the Dene [for marriage]. She got angry because she was starting to seek the attention of men. Today, probably everyone would have a husband if it was like that [quick marriages]. I’d have a bunch of husbands (laughs). Just like my grandfather’s child’s name, it was from his relatives she got that name [through
marriage to Dene]. My grandfather’s children, that’s what his relative’s last name was. And far away here the summer time, my
grandfather used to work north of Flotten [Lake], the road that goes ....that was were my dad worked.
The town people many times we lived with them (English-the family). You guys, we used to live but not long. My dad used to move us. We don’t own ourselves anymore. We don’t own this land. (English-the bombing range). We can’t even enter any land just like maybe we would get blown up or shot, I’ll say. [from the bombing range, she is saying it as a joke].The Dene people ones from, the Dene people [from Cold Lake] had sold the land and they bought this land and got a lot of money, he had said. That was when they started setting off bombs he was really trying to tell us that they were probably millionaires the Dene to be able to buy this land he had said, probably he was just saying.
He [her grandfather] had heard that the Dene had bought and suddenly my grandfather had lots of relatives there [from Cold Lake]. That’s how we’re related to people from over there. And one of our uncles, he was really old. (English – Old Joseph) that’s what they called him anyway, our uncle. He couldn’t see he was old and they were still able to travel they used to travel on the back roads/trails (English-north of Flotten Lake) all the way to Waterhen.
And I used to really want to see how they looked. My uncle, I used to peek at him from the corner of where I was standing, how they did things. I really used to look at him really good. I used to think there really isn’t much to look at, I guess. How they look these millionaires [people from Cold Lake]. They bought this millionaire to come visit. [Her grandfather, who was from Cold Lake, was one of them].
(English-Thank you for listening.) That is all. -
Anoch-today, ka-kwecamahk- I asked him/her
nomosomnanak-Grandfathers
wahiyaw-far away
nomosom-my grandfather
ekota ana-it was there
o-mamawa wekiyit-her mother’s place/house
atimwak e-yapecatacik-they used dogs (to travel)
nohcikwesoo ana-that old lady
atimwak e-ayi-pacitawak-they used dogs
e-kiyo-nehiyaw wekataht-traditional names in Cree
o-skineek-iskwewiyan-a teenager
wahkomakanowahk-relatives,
kahkihksowahikoht-he/she got angry at him/her,
visit around there,
wiya-itakoskeet-he worked
Chipweyanowak-the Dene peoplekeeseekatewak mana-that’s what they called him
e-kwepahtaman-I had seen
SERIES
Sîkîp Sâkahikanihk Keyteyayak Âcimowina
HOST & PRODUCER
Christine Fiddler
Campbell Stevenson
Episode Guest
Theresa Martell (nee Larocque) was born May 1940 at a place called Purple Sands in the traditional territory of Waterhen Lake First Nation. Her parents are John and Theresa Larocque. She was taught by her grandmother how to be a midwife. She delivered many babies. When she was young, the community nurse tried to convince her to take nurses’ training. Her father did not want her to leave home to continue her education, so she decided to remain in Waterhen and raise her family. She has eight children.
More Episodes
Podcast host Christine Fiddler interviews her final Cree Waterhen elder, Mary Anne Martel.