Byron Christensen

Kawatina: The Lost Graves Byron Christensen

Leonard - a scruffy but articulate reformed alcoholic ? and a friend are on a fishing trip in the northern Alberta bush when they learn from four Natives camped nearby that a new road is being built into a timber berth, but Leonard's curiosity turns to concern when he discovers the road will be penetrating a sacred burial ground.

His new friends are the only ones who are aware of the burial ground and are reluctant to reveal its whereabouts, fearing if the general public knew of its existence every truck in the country would have a shovel in the back. Acting as their spokesman, Leonard attempts to stress the importance of Indigenous spirituality to Slick, the road crew foreman, and KhakiPants, the project supervisor. His explanations fall on deaf ears.

Over the summer rain impedes production of the road. Day by day, tension increases between Leonard and Slick. After Slick learns Leonard is a Metis from Six Nations his behavior degenerates to the point where Leonard ends up having to bury his large fist into his face to illustrate to emphasize how important the burial ground is. Recognizing that Leonard has strong ties to the Indigenous community, KhakiPants bribes Leonard's fishing buddy into running small errands for the road crew, suggesting there could be a job waiting for him in the main office upon completion of the project.

During a midnight meeting over beers, Slick and KhakiPants make the decision to cut a detour through a burial site. Graves are dug up in order to expose a large quantity of clay needed to fill a section of muskeg in the road's path. This only increases Leonard's determination to save the sacred ground surrounding the Kawatina hill from further destruction. Excerpts from the story ? Leonard expresses his thoughts on government assistance."The government said they would get everything fixed up if they won the election. They said they would build new schools for the kids and new homes for the residents and they would fix up the roads and put in proper bridges and all the rest of it, 'but not before we do the necessary research required to assist us in getting to the crux of the problem so we can implement the most suitable programs to get the job done as effectively and expeditiously as possible.' If that isn't another crock o' bureaucratic bullshit I don't know what it is. So like I was sayin' ? given the appropriate set of circumstances I can see things starting to bust open any time now."? Allan, young and rebellious, reflects on what has happened to his people.

The reports said technology would make life easier. But it didn't. It made it more complicated. Individuals forfeited their identities in order to be part of it. It sculpted their personalities and weakened their individualism. The people who ran things made it too easy for them to trade off their individuality for it.

Back in the day white men arrived with rifles and steel traps. They traded them for Indian furs. The Native people came to rely on the white men's technology. That was how it worked. That was how it was set up. They had the Native people sign treaties they didn't understand. Then they took their land. They talked about how they would be more comfortable. They talked about how they would be independent.

They talked about a lot of things.

But that's all it was.

Talk.