Half Breed by Maria Campbell

Half Breed by Maria Campbell is a nice easy 156 page book.
It got you interested from the get go with Louis Riel and how everything he did was misconstrued.
Finally the Metis are fighting back and taking pride in who they are.

When I was in College one Humanities Teacher asked the class:
Where do you find yourself?
Most of the kids pointed to their heads and I pointed to my Heart.
I think I was the only one in the class who did this.

Then he informed us that white people usually find themselves in their heads and Am Indians in their hearts and the Chinese in their stomachs.
I guess all my excursions on the river turned me into a free spirit lol
because I could truly relate and love these people.
Her great Grand Mother had second sight met this naturalist man from England, who pretended to be Grey Owl, a Red Indian.

The Indians knew Grey Owl was not an Indian but he was accepted by them because they knew he wanted to be. They found him amusing lol.
These are very special people in the way they behave and believe in things.

Reading this book and the experiences this woman Maria had, reminds me of things that happened in Quebec, although the story takes place in BC , Alberta and Saskatchewan.

I found page 72 very special, where Maria spoke with her Cree Great Grand Mother Cheechum,who lived to be 104 years of age,
so beautiful and right on the nose.
I couldn't have said it better myself.

Cheechum kept the grand daughter believing that things would change for the better.
I loved that Grand Mother.

It's a great read if any one is interested in a good, true, personal story.

It's funny cause my dogs name was Cheechen or Cheechpeach as I called him and he was my best friend. He is the one I swam the river with and who protected me from dogs who would attack bicycle riders and accompanied me on my 10 km rides.
He loved his freedom, as all animals and people do.
I never knew the Cree had names similar to this.
I also learned about a Canadian food called Bannock made by Indians and new settlers when flour was not easily come by.
Usually if they used flour it was to thicken pemmican soup, rubbaboo, or to make galettes.
Galettes otherwise known as bannock.
Tiger's Bannock (tried and true)

Ingredients:

1 cup white flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1/3 cup or more cold water

Directions: Mix dry ingredients thoroughly then rub in butter until well incorporated. Add enough water to make a thick dough. Form into 1-inch thick cakes and place in the bottom of a greased cast iron frying pan. Cook on low heat until done on both sides, or prop the pan in the coals of the campfire. For a variety add dry fruits, raisins, blueberries, etc. Taste especially good with molasses and butter when done. For pancakes, simply add a couple of eggs, omit the butter and substitute water for milk. For native style use half white flour and half corn flour. To avoid the mess when clean up is a problem, measure out individual portions into a Ziploc and knead until done.



The Book was published by University of Nebraska Press
Lincoln and London


Have a good one :)