We see them passing by in the morning, at dawn. They go through the garbage of the deli near the bus station – If you’re in the mood for great smoked meat right now, this is where you’ll find the best! There are 4 of them: three men, one woman – Roger, Omer, Gaétan and Denise. They are Abenaki, one of the eight nations of the Algonquian family who used to live on a land covering the Boreal forest from West to East, from James Bay to the tip of the Gaspé peninsula. Since the arrival of White people, Abenaki have gathered on the South bank of the Saint Lawrence, between Québec and Montreal, near Trois-Rivières, in the plains of Bois-Francs. The Abekani nation, gathered under their original name of Wabanaki, meaning “land of the rising sun”, now includes 1,965 members. A few of the older people still speak the Abenaki language, but most people only speak French.

Roger, Omer, Gaétan and Denise are dumb.

Of course, when beer is flowing, as any warmed up Quebecker , they will cheerfully curse [1] in the language of Flaubert and blind drunk, they still happen to sing traditional tunes while doing a few dance steps…

But most of the time, Roger, Omer, Gaétan and Denise have completely forgotten everything.

At the age of 4, they forgot their mother tongue. It was in preschool under the severe ruler of a strict teacher. At age 6, they forgot about their parents, their village, their community in a boarding school held by priests. The school was too far from Trois-Rivières for them to go back during school vacation. The years passed by. They’ve been mistreated. Ended up running away. Got lost. Forgot about French.

Years later, when Roger, Omer, Gaétan and Denise found their way back to Bois-Francs, their parents were dead and their siblings scattered. The community looked like a bad, unhealthy and isolated camp. Mangy dogs were wandering between the lopsided huts. Cousin Tom, who just turned thirty and already looked like an old man, was smoking crack in front of a TV set. His body was constantly twitching, the image of the TV filled with interferences. Where did everybody go? Roger, Omer, Gaétan and Denise wondered. At the Centre, Tom explained. At the Amusement park / Rest house / Art gallery / Souvenir shop / Canoe waterfalls / Audiovisual ancestral rites… where there was work for them – traditional costumes made in China and totems [2] supplied by the government.

Roger, Omer, Gaétan and Denise didn’t want to join their clan.

They hit the road back, for a long journey.

Today, we can see them passing by in the morning, at dawn, near the bus stations. Roger, Omer, Gaétan and Denise are looking for food in the delicatessen garbage. They’re searching, searching, searching. They’ve even forgotten where they were born.

Félicie Dubois

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[1] In Quebec, some curse words have been inspired by the vocabulary of Catholic liturgy : Tabarnak! (from tabernacle) Câlisse! (from chalice) Crisse! (from Christ) Ostie! (from host) Calvaire! Etc.

[2] Totem is an Algonquian word. The French language includes many of them: manitou (“great spirit”), mocassin, pécan (“nut”), toboggan. Plus a few Inuit words such as anorak and parka.