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| rusty gas pump in a fading town |
Jan 6 – Poignant
images and nostalgic personal stories about this declining white town can be
found on Mike Stobbs’ website, The Fading Town of Pasqua Saskatchewan.
But I finally found some evidence of a longer
history when I saw the Chief Paskwa Education Center, with its architectural
reference to a tepee. I wonder why they
avoid the word “school” in its name.
Possibly bad associations with white schooling. Or, am I projecting American history onto
Canadians?
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| Chief Paskwa Education Center |
Even though
this historical background is nothing I can “see” on my bike ride today, if I
know about the area’s past I can see today’s snapshot view with a better
perspective.
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| Chief Ben Pasqua |
“Ben”
Pasqua, a Plains Cree, was born in 1828, a son of Mahkaysis. In 1874 he was chief of a tribal group making
their living with bison hunting in the vicinity of today's Leech Lake. They had also created gardens and raised a
small herd of cattle. In September 1874
Pasqua tried to negotiate with the Canadian government for compensation to the
tribes for the taking of their land. Despite
the refusal of Canada, he finally signed the treaty and moved to a reserve five
miles west of Fort Qu'Appelle and kept his people out of the Northwest
Rebellion of 1885.
gas pump
image: flickriver.com
The Fading
Town of Pasqua Saskatchewan: http://www.pbase.com/impalass/pasqua_saskatchewan&page=1
school
image: http://www.bbk-eng.ca/
Chief Ben
Pasqua image: http://sain.scaa.sk.ca/items/index.php/face-pullers-ch-4-images-chief-ben-pasqua;rad
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