april 26.2007

To continue this history I will have to paste from my book of memories. this will show what seems to be a lot of repeated stories. because it would take too long for me to copy everything by writing it . theres a lot of misteaks I have to correct. at times it could look like the same story but there is new things added to the story that come to mind later. so if one had the patience or interest just read on .

April 19th 1991

Today Nicholas Jeddore Died,I wonder how many relize the signifiance of this sadpassing. Nickleythe last of the real Aborigional Micmacs of Conne River. Niclkey spoke the Micmac language. Adirect link to the chain of unbroken Micmac language. From the begining of the Micmac Nation from thousands od years the language echoes back from time immemorial. To me it was something irreversible.As nikley his last breaths there appeared a chasm in time that could never be bridged. It was so final that I feelt engulfed by a great disolation and emptiness. I had dreaded it all along . when it happened it was shattering. which could only be felt by someonewho could fathom the dept and undetstand the meaning of this final passing.you can do what you like spend hundreds of millions of dollarsthis connection is broken forever. It tore at me as something I did not want to let go of. I was panic stricken as the relization of what the few of us Micmac people had lost.Nickley, The strong and solid link of the Micmac people weilded by culture. custom and language to our ancesters has left just a scattering of weak likns which will sopon sink into oblivion.
My memories of Nickley are many.as young boy of sixteen years og age.I trudged hundreds of miles on foot behind Nickley over Barred ground bogs and marshes. up and down rivers in canoe or raft. lying in a canvas tent wigwam or under the stars.gazing into the open fire watching the stars. listening to the night owl as it hooted all through the night. I can still hear Nickleys voice echoing in the hills across the steady as the sun is setting nickley sang Micmac hymns while chopping on a piece of wood. Makint moulds for the Otter we had shot earlier today.I can still hear his hearty laugh as he split our Otter right down the middle showing off to me how he could sculp an Otter.[sculp take the fat and bits of meat off the skin] saying I can race John Benoit any any day sculping an Otter, Then spending half the night whistling under his breath carefully trying to sew our Otter thgether.
In spite of the Nickley lost his temper he was good to me. and very patient with someone so awkward compared to himself. for he knew I too was fighting for survival. compared to things today. this was real. but this was the normal Indian life.My personal memories of Nickle are gond memories even when we had hard times. I will always remember the times we spent together in the country or home at conne.as I close my eys I picture us drifting down a steady on a raft in late spring evenings while muskrat hunting . or Lying on the barrens in fall waiting for geese to fly over.hear his happy laugh after a goose started to fall out of the air after he fired at it.It fell in a small bog hole with a broken wing. Nickley told me to fire at it . I did and flattened it out on ther water. Nickley reached out and pulled it ashore. We headed down the barren ground slope towards camp we had our supper with leftovers. TO CONTINUE

back to living in the thirties

The Micky John referred to in the last intry. was the same Micky interviewed by Farleu Mowat and Harold Harwwod in the late forties.They said after Micky told them tales that no white man had ener heard before.Steve married Mary willcott of Morrisville they had a large family.Pius.
Myrtle.Bill. Alex.Ron.Gordon.Howard. Mike. Cathrine. Louis. Mary his wife already had a son Donald. Now residing in Swangers Cive.Don's surnam was Mc'Cain. fathered by a man Named Bill Mc'Cain of sydney n.s When Steve Lived with Micky he had a little shop he used to sell a few things.I remember going to see him one time around 1925 or 26 he opened a can of beans for our lunch a real treat. Boy I thought it was the most foul tasting food I ever ate.he also had small place just up above Uncle Joe Jeddores I'm not sure but I think it was Uncle Noel Louise's old house. I went in one time he was draining out his bear keg to put up another batch. He drained off about half a glass passing it to me saying have a drink of beer.my ego shot gight up at the mention of beer. I drank it thought no more about it until that evening when Steve came to our house as he often did. When he saw me he said.What ? not drunk yet? I went in under the steps and started to strike the wall with my fists as I thought all drunks was supposed to do. Steve heard me My God he said he just got drunk. did he ever laugh at that.

April 191991 Mwttie joe died last night

N'MULTES. mattie. Meaning in micmac. [Be seeing you] This ebening I went to see Mattie Joe. Mattie died last night.As I knelt in prayer looking at the still form of mattie.My thoughts went backin time. It was the year of 1934 or 35.myself and the late Leo Mc'donald were crossing the the bay on the ice one foggy night in mid winter on our way to St.Albans. We were driving an old Horse sitting on a sled tryiny to make as fast as possible because back home a man lay dying. We had thrown a few sticks on the sled. On this we tied a box for very important passanger to sit on. We were on our way to bring the priest to Uncle Steve [Joe Matties Grandfather ] to recieve the last rites, Which the Micmac people of the time considered the most important part and reason for life, As the Priest sat on the slide there would be no word spoken until we got to the sick persons bed. This out of respect for the blessed sarcement a strict rule of the Church. For this reason the priest could not tell us there was a knot piercing the calf of his leg until he had finished annointing Uncle Steve. When we arrived Uncle steve was very low a word we used when someone is near death.I recall the priest saying to Uncle Steve.[ Steve this is your Priest] but there was no response. He repeated it a few times but still no response.The Priest said Andrew. Bring him back in his own language.Uncle Andrew gently lifted his dying fathers head and said Da Da Patlias.[in Micmac meaning Father The priest]as he uttered these words the room was very silent . He repeated these words three or four times then there was a weak reply in Micmac.Uncle Steve had come back to receive his God in the blessed sacrament. Before we got off the reserve we heard the church bell inthe church tower tolling it's sad message of death as was the custom of the Micmac people those years when someone died. we heard when we got back that night that shortly after after the prist left Uncle Steve put down hid Bundle [pack] and walke silently into the droke. [heavy forest] I remember so many other good people since then who put down their bundles and entered that same drokeUncle Andrew Joe My father Peter Jeddore Nickley Nickley all deeply relegious people who kept their faith until the end. As I gazed on Matties still form I recall all the times I saw Mattie in the church in silent worship to his maker.I was filled with joy for Mattie for in my heart I knew when he put down his bundle he too he too walked into that same droke where all oue ancesters were sitting around with a big feed of beaver meat cooking on the fire to welcome him.Good by Mattie when the time comes for us to go which wont be too long I hope we too with the grace of almighty God . will be fortunate enough to find your tracks to enter that same droke of bless.Then you can pay me back for making you that pot of partridge berry soup in through hill bottom and making on tang which unknown to you I had spiked with Vodka.

life and times early and mid thirties

There was a time uncle tom Mc'Donald and his son Leo was in the country food was scarce. Leo told me they only had three 30-30 bullets one day when Leo was hinting he saw six caribou. Leo got up close and waoted fot the caribou to walk abreast so he could get three with one bullet he waited till dark but he said at best he could only get two. knowing his father would be satisfied with no less then three he did not get not even one. Leo said they just about starved that fall such was the man Uncle tom he would rather starve then waste a bullet for only two caribou.It was some years later Leo's sister Martha woh married John Marshall od Eskasoni. that as far as their Father was concerned Leo damn well get the worht of a bullet before he fired any of them.This is the reason Leo wouldn't fire at two deer.One spring day they were all out cleaning up the garden picking up rocks so as not to strike any with their sythes when cutting hay time came. An eagle was floating out the gut on a pan of ice. Uncle Tom told Leo to get him the gun and a bullet. When the eagle got off directly from where we all where uncle tom fired at it his bullet struck the water a few inches short of his mark. Uncle Tom laughed and said I just took the top of the sight had I took all the sight I would have dropped the bullet right on top of him.Martha said had that been leo missed all hell would have broken loose.
In 1928 the early part of my life Brtish man o wars as we used to call them thay would anchor off burnt wood's right off in the middle. they used to have doctors aboard we would get all free medical services. treat sored set bonespull teeth what ever was needed to be treated. they would come in every year. some times members of the crew would go up salmon fishing. in those years there were thousands of salmon. one time they were going up fishing they met Uncle Andrew Benoit coming out. They asked him did he get any salmon uncle Andrew said yes I got fortry. They didn't take it too good. said you must have used a net because nobody would catch that many with a fly.Even we ourselves wondered why he caught that manybecause Indian people never take anymore then they needed Conne also had one of the best football teams in the bay. The ships crew used to yake on our fellows every evening but they used to out kick our fellows every time they were we thought the best in the world. but they really liked our fellows because they said our fellows were the best they ever got up against,some of conne fellows could kick like oxen. there was a time one time Uncle Paul Benoit and Albert Mc'Donald met in the middle of the football field . they both kicked the ball the same time the4re was a bang they had split the ball right down the middle. talk about a kick.
I will repeat the famoilies of conne I did it earlier on but with not enough detail.. coming from east to west in the first house lived Micky John. Micky married Millie Reynolds from st albans. As I get further along you will understand who's to blame for the disapperance of our language. As I remember they had four children son Leonard Daoghter Philomena. Son's Ernest and Walter.Mickey and steve were brothers their mother we used to call Kitty was Irish. Steve lived with Micky in those days. They trappe together for years till the fell out over something. This lasted for many years they avoided each other. even on the country. this went on for ten long years. one furring season in the fall Micky and Leonard stopped in a droke to boil the kettele as they were sitting down for lunch Steve passed by on the same path as he always did.Leonard a young boy had no paret in the quarrellooked up and saw Stevewith all innocence shouted to him. Uncle Steve come in and have a cup of tea.without even turning his head Steve answered. no bay thank you. Micky seems without thinking shouted out also Yes boy come in and have a cup of tea.Steve soun around in his tracks went back. Their lunch lasted well into the evening as the years of seperation melted away.From then on They stayed together to the end.

life and times 1933

some two years after my first furring trip. I now considered mysefl a veteran hunter and trapper.it was mid september we had went to our old faithful supplier Bill Collier. contrary to what the white merchant was branded for. this good old soul though pop owed him hundreds of dollars he would still fit us out foor the fall. not much but we could make do with it a little flour tea pork and sugar baking powder. [though there was times we used ashes for baking powder. this is kind of tricky using ashes,] perhaps a stick or two of tobacco. this made up our supplies. some of this used to be for the family home. My second year all excited anxiously waiting for the time to head in the country. at last the time came we were all packed ready to leave the next morning, I went on the road hardly could contain my excitement telling all my friends I was heading in for the fall.as if nothing could go wrong. we were sitting by the road by Uncle Mattie Jeddores one of our usual spots just passing the evening. Ruben stride was close by he was telling someone about sombody cutting their foot I paid no attention to what he was saying till I heard the name Uncle Peter. I was thinking why was pops name mentioned then it struck me could it be possibe it was pop who cut his foot, I took off running for home when I entered the door sure enough Poip was sitting with his foot all bandaged up. I almost dropped to the floor. I knew then our trip would be off' Pop must have read my mind because he said I'm afraid we will have to put of our trip for awhile but give me three days I should be o.k. these three days seemed like a month. Any in three days we left the foot was not yet healed apparently pop being a veteran of world war.2. knew something about wounds hie skinboot was too soft so he found an old pair of rubber boots couple sizes bigger then he took cut off the top split it down the front close to the toe cot holes used sort of boot lace to tie it comfortable. so we left about five miles to row in a dory to st veronicas it was well in the afternoon by the time we reached there.we managed to haul our dory up in spite of the cut foot pop was still able to carry a heavy load.using a walking stick.I did the best I could in carrying a load uncle charley was not much better then I was. Our first move took us to spell rock. this was a beautiful place all small white birch always a cool draft moving through it. a little further on me put up our camp uncle charley and I did this while pop went back for the remainder of our supplies. he got back near dark. we had our supper built an open fire close by the camp shortly after we went to sleep I worked hard so I slept soundly. the next morning we did the same pop returning for the second trip. from now on it would be a little easier for pop because we would be using the canoe, I got to stick in here how we keft meat fresh for a while with no fridge.we would find a place where spruce grew find a place where sort of redish moss was pull off a layer of mossabout five inches thickpull it from the end and both sidesleaving one end intactthis would be about two foot square fold the layer back over did a hole a foot or so deep cover the bottom with birch bark spread the meat beaver or duck whatever pull the moss layer back over it will fit in place you would have to mark the place to find it when you need it but no longer then a week.
I would like to correct some thing Dud Jackson wroe in the book [on the country] he wrote we used spruce bark to tan our caribou. this is not right we used fir bark for tan but one would have to know what to look for to do it right, This trip took us much longer then any previous trip due to pops cut foot. but we went through the same routing on every trip,
back to the first furing I went to see Uncle stevejoe as mentioned before I was honoured they had respect for me as young as I was I had lived up to my heritage spent a whole month in the country.as was required to be considered a true Micmac.Nobady asked me what we did how many furs we got though I was bursting to tell. being adults and more sensible then me they would wait and talk with pop.one thind about the micmac people they shared their good luck with other nicmac peoplenews as well as meat. But nobody could ever get anything from Uncle Tom mc'donald and his son leo.if they had a lkoad of fur and you asked them they would answer . not as much as a muskrat. even though they were not stingy people. they would give you anything but somehow they would never let anyone know what furs they had.this puzzled a lot of people because every one was curious and there was nothing alse to talk about.

life in conne river 1932

Touching on our second trip furring in november and early december.on this trip if pop was lucky enough to shoot a deer caribou meat would be added to our feast at christmay with the mutton this would make it all the more enjoyable. all the snares and traps would be struck up no matter what kind of weather we had`.pop would carry a shovel with the tip broken off so as not to damage the furs. he knew exactly where the snare was. he would did them all out and strike them up. nothing would be left to destroy any animal. we had to protect out territory.
I like to mention something that happened one time in the early ninteen hundreds. Grandfather chief Noel was going furring [trappind] one september he was roeing his dory on the other shore oppisit what we call chambers just out side milltown it was a nice morning calm. some one took a shot at him with a rifleI believe he said it was mattie king.who lived along the shore at this place about a mile west of milltown. the bullet hit the water just a few feet from him.He stopped roeing to scan the shore for the tell tale sign of smoke but saw none . it was lucky for mattie he did not make the mistake of fireing another shot because grandfather noel would not have missed.Grandfather said mattie must have been watching year after year finally his hatred must have gotten the better of him he brought out his rifle knowing full well only the Micmacs used that route so he knew who he was shooting at.
The next season pop did not take me with him perhaps he figured I was more bother then I was worth. anyway he said next year you wll be a little older. so I spent that fall around home Gilbert and I used to set rabbit snares to try to keep us from getting hungry getting a bit of fire wood taking care of the horse and sheep. we had some hens also but they were starving most of the time. I remember mom used to feed them boiled out tea leaves. but very seldom would we get an egg from them except summer time when they lived mostly on insects.That fall was pretty good for pop again I remember after he got home with his furs a fur buyer came to our house he wanted pop's furs pop sold him some but not all he had to keep some for Bill Collier because only for mr collier he would not have had food to carry in. I remember him payiong pop some money. then he opened his suite case and started trying to get his money back it worked when he left he had all the money he had paid to pop plus a few cents extra. smart guy,dumb indian,

life in conne river 19932

I write now about the sawmill owned by the Jeddore brothers,Uncle Nicholas grandfather chief Noel Uncle Jojn Denny Uncle Joe and Uncle Steve Jeddore. The sawmill was water powered.the mill was situated just below the old wodden bridge across south west brook. Conne river.on one occasion My father Peter Jeddore was crossing on the wet logs below the mill when he slipped and fell sort of side ways striking his right elbow about about three inches above the ankle snapping the bone. due to the viberation noise of the machinery no one couild hear him. so he just had to bide his time in pain.after some time had passed Ned Paullet was crossing the bridge and happed to look his way. Pop raised his hand Uncle Ned relized there was something wrong and hit the control lever shutting off the water supply closing down the mill.. Every one went to find oput the reason for the shut down saw what happened they then took father home.This was a very productive mill there were thousands of logs. with only one sawmill in the bay.theirs. At the time uncle Nicholas was the manager. but as you will find in a lot of families theres always some one high and mighty. Uncle Nicholas was that man.He was not content with what they were doing there . so he persuaded his brothere to tear down the mill and move it up to big pond.as inconvenient as it was.they would be close to heavy timber easier to get saw logs.his plan was to saw the lumber there and haul it out in winter with oxen. he figured it would be easier to haul lumber then logs. There was some disagreement along the line regarding money or sharesseems Uncle Nicholas was scheeming for his own benefit. they went ahead and built the mill up at big pond. but their plans was cut short. when there came a great flood that took the mill and everything in it down to the bottom of a pond just below where they built it.Do ended the Jeddore's fortunes as regards to the saw mill.
As I have already written on the south side of true hill lived Uncle steve Joe his son Andrew and Mick Andrews son.Their area began at at the northren end of long pond .now Jeddore's lakeright over to north west ganderon uo to true hill jnown to some people as mount Cormac continue up to fox ridge. No white man as ever set foot on this land till the skidoo came. then they took over some pretending they were there hundreds of years. We never saw each other in the country there was too much to do.The only company we had of each other was perhaps some calm quite evening as the sun was setting we would hear a gunshot far out in the distance. at the sound of the shot pop would look up with a skight grin and say " Uncle Andrew shot something"if the shot was on the other side towards burn pond tolts he would sau Uncle Noel shot something. that would be his only comment it was that was needed.We kept quite a distance from each other. there was areason for this. because this way we would not disturb any animals that liver between our boundries.
Shelterwise our needs were very little. We had no need of steel or concrete structurs like today which forever remain as an eternal monument to mans destruction of the wilderness. we lived in wigwams which when we relocatedto another droke would fall down eventually and go back to the land and animals to whom it belonged.