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Artbeat Page 12 The St’át’imc Runner April 2010 “Memories of being out on the land with my kids and family is reflected in my art over the last few years.” James Black, Ts’k’wáylacwmc, has a growing career as a contemporary First Nation Visual Artist. It wasn’t always that way. I have been an artist a lot longer than I have been an alcoholic and drug addict, but the artistic side of my abilities really began to shine through after I had made the life saving decision to quit addictions. I called a couple of people you might have heard of: Darryl Bob and Sam Adolph. People I spoke to said, ‘if you’re serious about wanting to clean up your act in a traditional manner, you should phone these people.’ So that’s what I did. I told them straight out, ‘I’ve got a serious drug and alcohol problem, and no twelvestep program is going to work for me.’ I knew I needed a more direct and aggressive approach. I wanted the detoxification over and dealt with as soon as possible. I was introduced to traditional medicines that were clearly explained to me. Being taken up to the top of mountains for days with only a couple of liters of water was a real eye-opener, and quite terrifying at times. You’re sitting there in the middle of nowhere and dealing with your addictions and conscience all at once. But I asked for it. That was eight years ago. . And it worked - the traditional herbal medicine side of it, the sweat lodge and the ceremonies and determination. But I have to tell you - I quickly found out there is no room for lying to yourself especially on that mountain. The problems I was dealing with, aside from the drugs and alcohol, were all the things that come with it. Domestic violence with my partner was a serious problem. The fact that my children witnessed it makes me sick in my stomach even now — disrupting my kids’ growing and learning. No drugs or money could ever make up for lost time with them. And the sickest thing is that , as an addict, you know all this is true. Depression is one of the ugly side effects of the drugs and the alcohol; I came to - alone in my house - with a loaded shotgun under my chin. That was a very dark time, and I've never gone back there again. I had enough common sense to pull myself out of that hole, but it wasn't easy. I believe the hardest thing was getting the guts to make that call. I had the support of being able to see my kids. The time that I have with them now is great, I cherish every moment with them. I’m very much detoxified, I don’t even smoke anymore. I take my kids out hunting and fishing, I teach them as much as I can about the land and the better side of what I’ve learned from my own mistakes. How does the art fit in your healing process? As far back as I can remember I’ve always been drawing, but I never shared it with anyone. I didn’t throw the sketches away; I would put them on the shelf or under the couch. But when I cleaned up my headspace and detoxified myself, in the last three or four years, it’s become a big part of my healing. The memories of being out on the land with my kids and family is reflected in my art over the last few years. In contrast, the most recent works I’ve done are reflections on the darker side of my memories. Art is a constant search for balance of light, color, proportion, and depth, and I believe these latest drawings give balance to all the radiant positive pieces I have created. They’re done in a way that draws you in. From a distance it looks attractive and the colours are very appealing, but when you get up close to it you realize it’s a real awful scene. I guess, looking at those images, it makes me think I could have done something to help that person, or some of those people. I wasn’t only an addict and alcoholic, I was selling the stuff. I never sold to teens. But when I saw how what I was doing was affecting their family when I sold to their parents, that’s an awful thing to live with. So now some of those images are coming out. I've got some friends that are still doing that and they call me up sometimes, maybe they're down in the dumps, and they say, 'how the hell did you do it?' So I say, well, 'it's got to start with yourself.' I would say to other people who are struggling, you've got to make that call. It won't get done without that. Admitting that you want help is a damn hard thing to do. I have never doubted that it was the right thing to do. There’s got to be something in your life that’s worth straightening up for. I don’t care who you are, everyone has something good to offer. I’ve lost at least fifteen friends in the last ten years - overdose, murder, suicide. All related to drugs and alcohol. Smart people, talented people. Not just from Lillooet. It seems like every year I lose a friend to that. These things happen and you don’t even talk about it, like its normal. Most of them had family that thought highly of them. Now I’m in Thompson Rivers University. I took three years of upgrading, working and doing that at the same time, with the Secwepemc adult education in Kamloops. When I graduated, I took out some of those old drawings from around the house. I created a portfolio and sent it to the fine arts department, and This is one of my first pictures. There’s the sweat lodge, and I guess that face could be me. And that’s me with the drum, and those are the mountains where I fasted. And the eagles watching over. got accepted with priority status. I’m working on my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. I would like to follow up with business management courses; I want to take this as far as I can. The art has been great for my family, when I sell a piece for a few thousand dollars the money goes straight back to the kids. And it all started with that phonecall. I woke up and realized I had two choices. I was going to end up doing life in jail, or dying of an overdose; or I was going to make that call. Everything is better now I would like to thank everyone who supported me on this journey you know who you are. We are the sum total of our experiences.
Ka-hál'ha I pétsklha 2010 The St’át’imc Runner Síxa Síxa Page 13 Sacred Journey, a well-traveled path Alita's Sacred Journey is a new work of fiction by Harold Derbitsky ("Harry D."). The story is one of modern day struggle. Alita, a Coast Salish woman (she could be St'át'imc, says the author), is 55 years old and is faced with the constant dilemma on Reserves. Will money solve their problems? Is that the main route they should pursue? Harold explains that the book is about her journey, a spiritual and ceremonial journey that leads to deeper education in psychology as well, as she finds the "solution" to the problems her people face. What makes this book special to St'át'imc is that one of the main native guides in the author's life is the late Alphonse Peters. Harold, a 63 year old non-native, has worked in human development and business development, and much of that work has been with native people since a life changing experience in the early 1990's. "I had an unusual little experience. I was traveling with my family through the interior of BC, and I was seeing all these clearcuts. At one point I just stood there on the side of the road staring at it. A native woman came along, and she came up to me, and we started talking. I had this feeling and realized I wanted to work with native people." Harry, Standing Elk, spoke from his home in Tsawwassen about the book and about Uncle Punchy (Alphonse) early in the morning before attending a sweat for youth with Kenny Awassis. "For a year I worked with Samáhquam and Skatín, 1998, that's when I met Alphonse. So, when you meet someone, you have your ideas and your ego, then sometimes you meet people that guide you to a gentler, softer, wiser place within yourself, because that person gives you the sense that you're really coming from that place." That was Alphonse. "He was always so gentle, and kind and wise, and he was always so supportive of me and everything I was doing. And it was obvious when we talked that we were talking about the same Creator, but he was coming at it from a different way, and that was great for me." In one very touchy, prejudiced situation, Punchy said, "If there's more than one God, I have never seen it." "In this book, Alita had the privilege of going into areas where there is little sense of what to do, there's just the status quo answers, and in most cases that is out to lunch. If you really care about people, you are going to keep looking for that way to help. You might have to stop to make money along the way, or to learn about the way of the world, in the way it develops from the business and psychological approach. However, are we interested in making money or helping people? That's a very fundamental question when you're working with Band Councils and Administration." "I went to the Sundance for the first time last summer. It was noticeable to me how many fine native people I met who are involved in ceremony and in business and show a deep sense of balance. Some people used to think they had to give up one or the other, but they don't, and that's Alita - she's got a balance in both worlds, and she's successful. She's not wealthy, she's successful. A lot of these kinds of people I know are professors at universities, or they have great businesses and maintain their traditions." "Alita has a nagging thought that she wants to find a deeper way to help alleviate the sufferings of her people. Continues on Page 19 Skeleton Man - and a strong girl! Xit'olacw Tsi'pun Welcomes You Come Meet Our Friendly Staff! A great new read in the Lillooet Library is Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac. It is for parents and children age 10 and up. It may be too scary for younger children. Bruchac works from his Abenaki heritage. He uses knowledge from many Aboriginal cultures and creates stories that grow from traditional tales. He says, “...how different the strong women in our traditional American Indian stories are from the...damsels...who hope for a prince to rescue them.” Skeleton Man is the story of a strong girl, faced with the disappearance of her parents and an old man claiming to be her uncle who takes her to his home. Her "uncle" actually reminds her of an old Native American legend about a "Skeleton Man" that her father once told her about. Left with only her wits and her dreams to guide her, Molly must save herself and discover what has happened to her parents. Told in 16 Chapters, this “spine-tingler” keeps you eager to discover what will happen next. Do you read to your child? Even though he is not a baby anymore? Even though she knows how to read herself? When you read to your children, you are giving them a special time with you. You are teaching them story telling skills and new words they can't read themselves. 11098 Black Bear Road, Xit'olacw Village, Mount Currie B.C Phone 604-894-1110 and Fax 604-894-1141 We Offer: Fresh Deli Daily Meat * Produce Groceries * Dairy General Merchandise ALL YOUR SHOPPING NEEDS! Hours Of Operation Starting April 2nd: Sunday-Thursday 7am-9pm Friday & Saturday 7am-10pm
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