Fall 2006-2007 - Grande Prairie Regional College

“This is what I strivefor - to teach the peoplewho they are.”– Darlene Cardinalmy good job in High Prairie. But Ifound out who I really am.“When I started going toCollege it was hard. I had noincome except unemploymentinsurance - $450 a month to supportmyself and my three children.There was no funding supportavailable for Aboriginal studentsthen. There were many, manytears, and a lot of anger while Iwent to school full time andworked two jobs - as a pump jockeyand in a lounge. But my familywas behind me 100%, filling myfreezer with moosemeat and fishand ducks, and babysitting myboys while I worked or studied.“My father was very adamantthat we don’t go on welfare. Aslong as you have arms and legs,you get out and work for whatyou need. Even today among mybrothers and sisters, if one of us isdown and out we all chip in whateverway we can. We don’t go onwelfare. So I needed to get a goodjob - and I knew that I neededmore education.“Education was another thingmy father was adamant about. Myfather was always strong in education.He didn’t read and write, buthe was still a successful businessman.I was the oldest of the girls. Iused to read everything for him -once when he had to go to courtover a property issue, I went withhim and read the court documentsfor him.“On his death bed that samewinter I moved here from HighPrairie, my father told me ‘Go outand learn from the white man andcome back and teach your people.’I have always remembered hiswords.”Darlene Cardinal enrolled in theSecretarial Sciences program atGPRC - and was the only visibleAboriginal student on campus.“For a while it was hard, but then Imade some friends within my class,and gradually got to know moreand more people. I was never reallyoutside my element, because Iwas very happy to be learning. Mythought was always ‘I am doingthis for my future, for my sons’futures.”There was always prejudice tobe faced - but the Cardinal familyhad been taught to meet prejudiceby laughing. “We were always toldthat those are small brains whotreat you like that. Don’t deal withthat. You have better things todo.”Before long, someone askedDarlene to run for Student Council,others encouraged her - and shewas elected the representative forher department. “At that timeevery meeting we had with theBoard of Governors, we talkedabout the need for student residencehere. I was adamant aboutit; here I was, a single mother withthree children, paying most of myincome for rent. They used mequite a bit as an example of whystudent residence was needed.”For the first ten years after shegraduated, Darlene worked andcontinued to learn - first at Procter& Gamble, then with Nova, while14her sons finished high school andwent on to advanced education intrades, social work, and cookingrespectively. “Then I figured, okay,I have learned from the whiteman. Now I am going to work withmy people.”Darlene got a job at theFriendship Centre in Red Deer, waselected to the National Associationof Friendship Centres and wasgiven the national portfolio asElder for Youth. “I had the opportunityof meeting Elders fromacross the country. I would interviewthem, learn about the Elders’teachings, and whatever I learned Iwould put down in writing.”Through all this Darlene foundparallels in teachings from all thedirections, from the BC potlatchesto the northern Cree sweat lodges.She notes that the medicinewheels had different birds or animalsdepending on the region, butthe attributes are the same. “Forexample, the Whale of the westcoast, the Buffalo of the plains,and the Turtle of the east all representthe same qualities: strong,steady, knowledgeable.”At the same time, the FriendshipCentre in Red Deer was looking fora teacher of the Cree language,and no one was available. DarleneCardinal had spoken both Creeand French as a child before goingto residential school, and still knewa few words, but her skills wererusty.“What I did was I went to theElders in Hobbema, and sat withthem and said, ‘speak to me in