Lloyd Saulteaux - Cree Elder Interview

my name is Lloyd Shortell I was born October 8 1945 when I was young I was adopted to my grandfather John house so I lived with them for about five six years where I was taught at a very young age about the sweats and I learned learned we're not just toddler what what it meant cuz he my grandfather John house had explained things to me even then at that time he had gave me a song spiritual song from my grandfather John house and I I spoke Stoney know it's young I stayed with them tell us what six or seven years old and then they had to move to trapline so I came back and stayed with my biological parents and my siblings there were Cree and I was a stony but I used to call my my late uncle motors house in Mary house I called a mother mother and dad that's how I grew up toddler but I retained in that time my like I said my grandfather John house wheeshed a smoke pipe did sweats you know our songs in us in the sweat and then my grandmother used to tell me to do dance when doors are swept behind dance just like some dance he told me all about the spirituality of it the strength of get and then when my grandfather like I said he had to go to a trapline I lived with my biological parents and it just carried on from there my grandfather Simon house I lived with my grandfather the salmon house when I was young and he taught me a lot he used to do his son dances and I and I used to help boat on his son dances whatever I could do haul leaves on horseback and explain to me about the Sun Dance how sacred it was for us people we should respect it at all times I learned a very young age of respecting it and believing in what Sundance is all about I learned from grandfather and I was getting older I was 13 years old when I first started working innocent dance I I looked after the pipes I was a pipe man that was my job and I had good teachers from we call him cheap ways but their mission Abbey and they talked her their language and I started to pick up their language because my grandfather Sam solo that's my mother's father he was a mission ami he talked solo so I picked up a little of that in my grandfather Sam sotto taught taught me a lot about respecting elders respecting other people and also respecting the pipe that was one of my teachers I had a lot of other teachers like I said to me snobby we call them cheap ways they taught me a lot during me working in a Sun Dance so I had a lot of teachers that taught me a lot all the way all along and I every year I work to see Sun dances I was given there these people these elders had little jobs in the Sun Dance their little jobs that's their jobs to to complete a Sun Dance so they started to show me give me their work and I'd carry it on and you know I learned to do their work and they sat beside me and taught me and taught me why this is why these are the jobs are important and what do you mean to the Sun Dance sure they taught me that and my grandfather Simon house those are Sundance said he was meeting a Sundance at the time and we were sitting inside the big teepee behind they were building the lodge and that time he told me this is where are you gonna be sitting trying to remember all the work that's done in a Sundance you do it right you don't take shortcuts because it says Morse this is the more sacred thing we're given as native people we have to respect it he said in years in time people are gonna be playing with this Sundance I see that to me and what our start that's what I follow this is what I teach the young busca basic that work with me or work for me I tell him all the right way I wanted this to be carried on in in in life the old way of our Sundance why I say old ways I was making a Sundance in Alexander in two old people King where I sat to old people come but their offerings and prayed and those two poor people that I don't know I don't know them and they said this is the old way don't ever change it this is how it used to be but now things have changed and don't you change it these two old people told me so I guess so we were doing the right thing the way we do our son dances and that also encouraged young the young escape a shock if you don't if you for forgot always ask don't jump in and make it wrong do it right ask if I Scott to remind each others I tell them we forget at times but all what I've taught you guys here I was taught by old people I carry it on from old people old ship ways oh nice crease I learned from a lot of elders and they all mean the same thing they all help together because that you please in us here in the Stoney's I'll say Alexis and the situation Alexander in here all are some dances or the scene they worked at him at the scene we did them them the same way nothing has changed because I worked through all those Sun dances in my life and I became I mean it I made some dance first first my father had passed on and then I had to take over my dad's job because she was helping Uncle Sam meet his son dance but he passed on before that so I finished through 8 Sun dances I run towards 8 Sun dances for my late uncle with his little help reminding me we did it the right way we finished it the right way the mean time I was teaching this escape ever suck some of the world new teaching them telling them my jobs I was given from the elders I pass it on through some of the scar patient that's their job so I pass this on I told about it for I even told him how to pray cuz I would that's what I was told that's what I was taught is how to pray when you're doing this certain job Hooper Prater and how to be so careful you don't drop anything that's that's how I teach these young people nowadays that do some dance that work in a Sun Dance and there they learned a lot learn a lot from me I learned a lot like I said from elders in the past not only the men the woman my grandmother's all the elders all had a hand in teaching me like I spent one whole winter with my grandfather in the trapline there he taught me about the spirituality the power of our Sun Dance our sweats our feasts our funerals the funerals I was taught by my grandfather elack house he used to tell me come stand beside me when we're opening the casket come stand beside me listen to me he said tell me I should stand beside by listen to him prayer my dad did the same thing my late uncle Sam did the same thing you know I know why they told me to coming stand beside them pray I learned why this is what I use when I help with the funerals I didn't make anything up I just followed your people's footsteps that are very difficult difficult footsteps but I tried and this is what I've done you know not only here for reserve I went out did funerals and other places because the people I do funerals for the people that lost their loved ones are always happy of the way I did the pair's not do we we put the person away or persons they were happy so I must be doing something right because I followed you know people's their footsteps and which you know it's difficult and soldier feasts I will start by Alec house he should do funerals and feasts I was taught how to pray eat with the pipe there's different ways you use a pipe in a feast or in a funeral there's some dance or in a sweat this different ways he used I was taught all by that even the songs are different songs or four or sweats the songs for that songs were some dance I was taught by my grandfather he said tell me these five songs try to remember him in a future you gonna use them these five songs how they follow each other's you try to remember them that's how you see now after the fifth one you could you

Channel: Paul First Nation History

Views: 1,417

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: Paul First Nation, Paul First Nation History, Cree, Nehiyaw, Treaty 6, Alberta Canada, Indigenous, Parkland County, Native American, Aboriginal, First Nations

Id: pfvOnkyN_sE

Length: 15min 56sec (956 seconds)

Published: Wed May 16 2018