Hi All,
Well, in just a few short weeks, I will be ending my stay in Canmore, Alberta to head to Saskatchewan for about 5-8 weeks, just to relax basically. Plus, there are some things I must do. Like head to Manitoba to speak to some relatives about trying to get my treaty status. See, I was adopted, so I did not grow up with these relations, and do not know a lot about my past. But in the last year, I have worked a lot on trying to obtain family history...my father, Clifford Parenteau(his parents are Johnny Genaille and Margaret Parenteau, his grandparents...Abel Genaille and Mary Ann Nepinek, Alphonse Parenteau and Veronique Chartrand) and my mother, Florence Chartrand(her parents Johnny Catcheway and Ida Houle-Chartrand and her grandparents... Guspar Catcheway and Eliza Bouchie and Edwin Houle and Ellen Gabriel). So at least, I finally know that. And most of those people are treaty.
When my birth mother was born in 1954, my grandmother Ida Houle married a Chartrand. He was not the birth father of my mother Florence and her twin Rose Chartrand. But he took them as his own, even though he knew that their biological father was Johnny Catcheway. So when the time came for documenting the birth certificates, he was named as the father...the Chartrand fellow. Which is where it screwed everything up. My grandmother Ida was a treaty Indian from the Waterhen Band. But she lost her treaty because she married a non treaty Indian, _____Chartrand. So my mother and her twin, were not given their treaty. Which means, any of their kids are not eligible for treaty.
But with Bill C-31 in 1985, my grandmother Ida would have been reinstated. But she was deceased in 1973. And my mother died in 1987, would have been reinstated. And my maternal grandfather Johnny Catcheway who died in 1963 was Treaty. But we have no proof, physical documentation to prove I am from his bloodline. Although, the entire family knew, that my mother and aunt were indeed HIS daughters. So I have to go to Manitoba to get them to sign legal documents, that my mother was indeed HIS daughter. And that means trying to track it down. This has been a harrowing, long 14 year journey to try and get my treaty status. So we will see what happens with this. If not, I may have to get DNA testing to prove I am from the Catcheway descendancy.
But other than that, I can't wait to go back to Regina and see lots of my friends, plus a Regina LIVE IN is coming up...weekend of Feb 4th(which is also the date that, 22 years ago songbird Karen Carpenter passed away at the young age of 32)...I HAD to add that one!!

Hugs to all,
Cameron