Good, the doors are locked, the curtains drawn and the the ice has arrived from room service so the beverages will stay cold. We can begin. We are here at the cozy Capissisit Lodge in Ojay. I have to admit I was a tad nervous coming back after… what is it?… two, three years? Has it been that long? I spent the day here several weeks ago and asked my “boss” if we could lunch at The Lodge. “Do you think we’re ready?” was his reply. So we ended up eating at the cultural village instead. I don’t mind telling you, it was mighty tasty. Rabbit brains and all.
Things are pretty quiet here right now. Everybody’s out for Goose Break. Bobby, who’s got his blind just across the river, has killed, at last count, 13 honkers. Unofficially, Tommy Shecapio killed the first goose.
The story of the legendary gang of ruffians, the Black Panthers, remains shrouded in mystery. The story is that they were a group of tough guys from Ojay in the late sixties and early seventies who terrorized God-fearing folk. According to some people here, they could be identified by the X’s carved into their hands, tight pants and leather jackets bearing their insignia. Oh, even their “chicks” had X’s carved on their hands. I asked if they fought the good fight with the now defunct, at least in Chibougamau, motorcycle gang Sex Fox, but no one was sure. One also wonders if they drove Harley Davidsons or Indians.
A Goose Festival will be held here in Ojay on May 24, 25 and the 26th. Events scheduled are: walking out ceremony, feasts and others…
Overheard in O.J.: Desmaraisville received the honourof selling the most beer in all of Quebec. The town is a short 15-minute drive from Waswanipi and had two bars the last time I passed through.
From our ear in North Bay comes this small tale: Two Indians find a monkey while out hunting and bring it back to an Elder. They ask the Elder what it is. “It has hands like a boy. It has a face’like a boy. But it has hair like a cow.” He thought for a moment. “It’s a cowboy!” I guess you had to be there to appreciate the story’s comedic value.
David Blueboy of Waskaganish killed the first goose in Nemaska. Linda told me that the gentle women of Nemaska weren’ too happy with that. Still, they are thinking of recruiting him next spring. “They want someone who’s a good shot,” she said.
“Positive portrayals of Indigenous sex and sexuality only.” So says a call for submissions from Cape Croker Rez in Ontario. Writers and artists are invited to submit poetry, fiction, essays, songs, oratory, line drawings, cartoon and drama of… well… Native sex. The deadline is August 15,1996. Send your “filth” to Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Editor, Kegedonce Press, Cap Croker Reserve, R.R. 5, Wiarton, Ontario, NOH 2T0.
