Gabriel: I was nine years old at this time, I was not thinking about these things….I was a child. I had heard the elders talk about the Treaty, as an agreement…the people at the time thought the agreement would be some sort of assistance. It was understood at the time that this agreement would help out the younger generations.
The river is running now…the government said as long as the sun shines and the rivers flow, there would always be assistance. A lot of old people were very happy when they heard what the government brought in.
Question: This was at the time of the Treaty?
Gabriel: Yes it was very hard, not many people understood English at the time. Just Reverend Garrett and William Cromarty.
Question: This is at Big Trout Lake right?
Gabriel: Yes
Question: What kind of assistance / what form did the assistance take? Can you give me some examples?
Gabriel: I can’t say, it was a general thing, it was everything. I was very happy at the time with the 4 dollars.
Question: So it was a very general thing?
Gabriel: They only used one word.
Question: So it encompassed everything?
Gabriel: Yes, like the hospital, the family allowance, and schools and everything.
