A whole industry is being built around Indigenous people and it’s the people who receive little, if any, benefit from it. By the time the financial bucket is offloaded on the people, it’s merely a drop.

It reminds me of someone who decides to open up a hotdog stand. The owner sells the wiener for $2 and pays a million dollars for the bun. Another million dollars is spent to hire someone to taste the hotdog and millions more are spent for the condiments. By the time the businessperson is done, a $2 hotdog is worth millions. Sometimes I feel like I should at least get a small bite from that hotdog. After all, I am 100 per cent Cree. Both my grandparents on both sides of my family are direct descendants of the founders of North America. Where is my cut from all that money? I don’t have much in life, but everything I do have I worked for.

There are people who think treaty Indians get everything for free. If that was the case, I would have my free house built on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River.

I would be styling with my free electricity, plumbing and my fridge would be filled with all the free groceries. And, it would be all tax free.

I don’t even bother addressing these things anymore, regardless of what some people may think. It gets frustrating knowing how I washed dishes, waited on people, cleaned toilets and did whatever it took to pay my way through post-secondary education.

When I was in my late teens, I worked in the Alberta oilfields and made tons of money. Like any teenage man, the first thing I bought was a vehicle.

It was a Pontiac station wagon. It was passion that drove me to fulfill my ambition to become a storyteller, like my grandparents. I had a plan for that station wagon. I would live in it while I studied. Yes, there were First Nations students who had their expenses subsidized because their reserves could afford it. That wasn’t the case on my reserve.

Besides, what I was pursuing was not considered a possible career. The focus was on trades. Eventually, I was able to graduate in broadcast journalism and work as a news reporter. But I wanted to do more than that. My goal was to be a storyteller and tell stories people can relate to.

Even though I sometimes use my own personal experiences, not all the stories are mine. Often, I meet someone who has overcome something that would take others down but who has came back to live a totally different life — frequently a life dedicated to helping others. There are many people who have inspired me throughout my life. I once thought about writing a book called The Come Back Gang. The book would be filled with real stories of real people who defeated addictions, came out of abusive circumstances and left behind the swinging doors of an institution.

I lived in Riversdale for about 15 years. This was during the time when Riversdale was avoided by most of the city. Today, the neighbourhood is known as trendy and friendly. The thing that might surprise many is Riversdale was always filled with friendly people. It is also the home of many people who endured and survived a past lifestyle to come back and help others.I am thankful for the time I lived in Riversdale. I met many awesome people — men and women whom I now consider true warriors. And it’s not only Indigenous people, because addictions is not a race issue. I survived hard drug addictions and it was because there were people there who were once in my place and they walked me through.

When I found my true identity as a Cree, I finally started to heal. I sometimes thought I was some kind of a social experiment run by the Department of Indian Affairs, or whatever they call it today. It wasn’t until I found my way back to my elders that my life really began. Addictions had blinded me to what was important. Life for me is very simple today. I am mostly working on writing projects and getting involved in what I find important.

I have seen what the governments can do if people get together. I realize there are many in the Indian industry who are there to help. Individual attention is left forgotten but working together will make government listen. Mother Earth is now my main interest, mostly water issues. Working together, having a solid plan and a focused goal can produce results. Those different levels of government can get it done if people get together. But be aware, they might have a $2 hotdog for sale.

– Ken Noskye