Pine Bluff History
This submission is a collection of stories from Stewart’s grandmother.
She shared memories of her life in Pine Bluff, their homeland, from sports to trapping. She also told the story of when her school burned down and soon after she was sent to boarding school.
“She told me about her adolescence in the residence, one evening when she and her friends were going to leave the pop machine after supper, they saw these ghostly figures moving in the darkness of the long empty corridor. She told me that they were the ghosts of the many children who died there.
Stewart’s story ends with him mentioning that he and his family continue to travel to Pine Bluff, despite the fact that only one building remains.
“It may look like a campsite to others, but to me and my grandmother it will forever be our homeland.”
The ripple of time
The history of Deschambeault-Morin relates to the past and the present of its culture through the various bodies of water.
This includes the Big Stone River, a place he says is no longer healthy but rather “dark and dirty”.
“It wasn’t always like this; at one point the water was so beautiful and clear, so much so that it was said you could stand on the shore and clearly see the fish swimming in the water. .
“As I now stand on the shore and watch the state of our water, rivers and lakes in the Cumberland House Delta, many species of fish have died from disease or bad health. You can no longer catch delta monsters.
He also spoke about the negative effects of lower water levels on the land.
“Our land no longer receives the nutrients it needs to thrive from the river water; our land, like our river, is dying.
Deschambeault-Morin’s story aimed to raise awareness about the land, water, culture and Aboriginal way of life.
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