HISTORY of the QU' APPELLE INDIAN SCHOOL

LEBRET, SASKATCHEWAN. THE

HISTORY

OF THE au· APPELLE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL

Lebret, Saskatchewan.

£/n fulfiLment of the 'LECfUe1.t b!J the f.J:::u:-pa'Ltment of Education on the oaaa1-ion of the §olden JubiLee of the q.J'Louince of da1-katahewan.

7955 *

~e fteat miMion~ piOJUl,(Ze!Ul, men I§ a-nd .WOme-n, .w£o 6pen! Uiei!t ~' in.

I Uie eWi¥on a-nd Uie Ji"Li6:tia-n~a­ §~ tion of Uie gf-nd.ia-n 'Dlation, a6 a i ~e,n of ~ctum a-nd flatitude. i I ACKNO W LEDG MENT

To the Schlastica te of the Sacred Heart, Lebret, for the loan of their Archives and the work of the frontispiece.

To Reverend Father Guy de Bretagne , Scholasticate , Lebret, to Rev .

Father R2ymond Dion, Mr. Eric C :~ rlson, gr .. ll & 12 teacher , Sister Greyeyes and Sist er Boucha rd for their help and encouragement.

To Reverend Father Jean Paul Aubry , Scholasticate,Lebret ,Sask. for the photos.

To Mr. L.Joubert for a r t icles on Father Robidoux,Fr.Dumont, Father Gelinas , and the Brothers.

To Ernest Scott , grade 1 2 student , for the <.rticle on Sports .

To Garald Starr and Ge rry Anaquod for their work on the Gestetner .

To Mr. Florent Verrault , f ormerly a t ea cher a t Lebret India n School - now a promi nent profe ssor in the grea t Society of J e sus - for note s t aken on the school work. CONT ENT S

1 The Beautiful Va lley of Q;u ' Appelle ...... 7 Its Situation Its Beauty

11 Lebret ...... •...... • 8 The Choice of the Indian School Origin of the Name Lebret 111 The Foundation of the QuVAppelle Re sidential School •••• 9 Background The Church Gives Plans The Government Gives Funds Bishop Tache Intervene s

lV The First School •..•...••...... ••...•..••••.•••.•• 10

V Father Hugonard, First Principa l .•...... •.....•.••.••• 11 Recruitment of Pupils Attitude of Parent s Conversion Success of the School A gymnnsium is built T !.~. e Congreg2tion of r~~c.i'Y Ex-:puDils Vl Fire Destroys the Be s utiful Buildings •••••..••••...•••. 12 An Unexpected Incident Temporary Quarters Father Hugonard RGturns From Sister BaulneYs Le tter From Father Golenvs Lotter Vll Restoration of the School .••••...•...... •.•... , ••. 13 RG-ostablishment Doubtful New Hopes for a new School

Vlll O,Pening.o •••••••o•••o••••oeo~»•••••o•••oo oo ••••••••••••• 14 lX The Indinns of the QuV Appe lle Va lley •••.•.•..••••••••• 15 Alliances Occupations Trec. ty

X The Q u'A~p e lle Indian Treaty • • • ~ • • • • • • • 0 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • . 16 Ba ckground The QuiAppelle Trea ty Prominent Chiefs Signitaries Xl Laborers of the Past ....•.••...•••••.•.•••..•••.•••• 17 The Sisters Government O.fficinls Iv1r. Gr nho. m, Mr . ~Lurrison, l·rr .C hristiansen,

3 Xll N1r . 0 strander •..•..•.••.••• o •• o o • ••••••••••••••• o • • 18 Old Timers, l\Jir. Zenon Lafleur, ba ker wtr . Harrison, t ea cher and a ccountant ~IT . Condon, Iflr. Salamon, shoemakers Mr. Sworder, !~;tt Blanch, a ccountant •.•.••.••..••.• , . . 19 Mr. Edward Doll, t eacher and Supervisor Xlll The System of Education Proves Efficient .••.•.•••••••••• 20 I t s Aim and Objectives Personality Unfolds XlV Father Hugonard the Great Missionary •...••....•....••• 21 His Career Illness and Death ········••o•······················· 22 Poem, 11 Sleep Gallnnt Warrior '; Brother Reginald O.M.I.23

. XV Father Hugonard v s Successors ••.•..••••.••....• o •••••••• 24 XVl Memorable Incidents ••...••••.•...... ••••••.••••••• 24 Convention A Gr eat Page o. nt r~onwnent Ere cted ....•.•..••.•••••••••••• .•••••••••••. 2.5 Distinguish Visitors JCVll The Second Fire .•.•.....•••..•.••.•••••...•••••••.••• L-6 Destruction of the School Temporo.ry Quarters At the Scholasticate The Girls 'il. ccommodation The Convent Offers Hospita lity

Re .s t or a t i o rl • . • • • c. • • • • • • • • .. • • • • • • " • • • • • • • • • • • ., • • • • • • 2 7 Opening of the School XVlll The New Indian School, 1936 • • . • • • • • • • . • ...... • . . . • . .. • • 28 A Modern Institution Father Leonard Le a ve s ...... ••.....•• ...... •.....•• 29 A New Principal Improvement • . . . • . • • • • • • • • • . • . • . • • • • •. • • • • . • • • • • • • • 3 0 The Annua l Picnic Fsw more High School Students Governor-Genernl Visits the New School 1938 The Governor Congratulate s Sr. Ma riani ••..•••••••••• 31 Sister Greyeyes, a Cree Native

XlX Father L:Jviolette & Former Missionary .•••••..••..•••••• 32 The Beloved Father of the Sioux Band lv1CJ. ster . Editor of the Indian Missionary Author ofH'fhe Sioux Indians of Cnnadn 1J Father Laviole tte Le a ves in 1948 XX Father Guy de Bretagne . . . . . • ...... • 33 A Great Missionnry Educa tor

4 XlX 1943 Father Piche vs Nomina tion a s Principa l •.•••••••••• 34 Missionary at Last His Personality ].1usic ...... 35 Senior GirlsV Choir The Nusical Fe stiva l Drama The Lebret India n Band The Gr ey Nuns Centenary •••••••••••••••••••••••••• 36 Governor Gener a lis Visit 1944 The Obla t e Cente nary :XX The Cadet Corps •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 37 :X:X:J. The Missionary Association of 1-Tary Imma culate •••••••.•• 37 The M.A.M.I. Organizntion Activitie s XXll The Prime Mi ni s t er of C8no da Visits the School •••••• ·••• 38 The Reception He l eave s for t he Schol nsticate

Y..Xlll Father Lebleu O.M.I ...... ~ •••••••• 39 Mi ssi onar y and Bursar XXlV He lp from the SeminBr y •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 39 Friends in Nee ds ar o Friends Indeed X'A'V The Indi an Ho spi t a l The Medica l Health Unit •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 4Q

Y~Vl Rev.Fnther Di on Mi ssi onar y a nd Bursar •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 40 Liturgica l Al t ar s The school farm Re crea tiona l Fucilitios XXVll Rev. Fe:'l t her Omer Ro bi do ux •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 41 Their Aim & Obje ct ive s

SPORTS

Hockey •• .••..•••.•.•.••.• ~ ..••.••.••..•••••••.••.•••••• 42 Ba s eball Bo. s ket Ba ll Tr a ck end Field The Tom Lo ngboat Me da l. Other Sports Gra duation ••••••••••.••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••••• 43 Tee-Pee Ti di ngs ••••••••••••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••• 44 Our Missionarie s and the Oblat e s Brothers Father Gc lina s ••••••••••••••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••••• 45 · Fc; ther Lionel Dumont Br other Ker oriant on Brother Eugene Morim Brother Le o Pa ul Girnrd I • I .. .;_ The Beautiful Valley of Qu'Appelle

Its Situation The Qu 9Appelle River which wa s once a great river coveri ng all the valley , gr adually dried up and formed an area of natural beauty wi th i ts unspoi l ed characteristic landscape . The hills , which rise almost abruptly f r om the side of t he lake, a re steep , and they are steeper a s we go towards its mouth near Lazare , r~~= ani toba . 'The valley itse lf is about 300 f eet deep .The north hills which r e ce ive the sunshine everyday a re scorched and bare , except in the hollows . The sout h hills ar e covered with grass and trees . Its Beauty VJhe n the spring .sun melts the snow on the hi lls and in the slopes , many rivulet s form t h~e ir way through , running noisely down the va lley , t o the lakes . As the season advan­ ces,then a touch of summer green i s furnished by the trees alcng the shore of the lakes . La ny a windi ng road l eads to shady green meadows to the foot of the hills a long t ho five adjoining l a ke s . The scene a long these highways is magnificent . A fra­ grance a nd brightne ss from the glowing wild-berry tree s in blossom is seen along the side of the hills . Sunlight and shadow between the trees , in the earl y morning a nd nt evening , produce effe ctive contrasts of light a nd shade in the deep bltie and purple waters of the lake s . The beautiful pa r k s a nd l akes r esorts opene d a ll smruner, the rustic summer houses , artistica lly built with imitation-logs, give t he de­ light of magnificent scenic beauty , and provides ideal havens for rost and recreation. In the fall the color of the l eaves deepen s a nd ther e comes a season of b eauty singula r a nd sad .Thc bushes are clothed with brown touched with tints of gol d , r e d and gr een , giving them a bril­ lia nt tone . You can rela x in the enjoyment of tha t inspir ationa l and pea ceful environment . 7 LEBRET

The Choice for the Indian School The reason why the Oblate Fathers chose the place for the Indian school near tho lakes in the Q1VAppelle Valley is that the place call­ ed Mission (now Lebret) was from the start the very centre of all the missions in the south of .Saskatchewan. The Mission had been establish­ ed in 1866 to assist the population which was attracted by the Hudson Bay Co. at Fort Qu 1Appelle. It ~a s from the Qu~Appella Mission that the missionaries visited scattered groups of Metis and Indians, which later on became missions and parishes: Willow Bunch, Wood Mountain, Cypress Hill,and Moose J&w in the south; in the north, from Lestock to Quill Lake; to the east, Crooked lalce (Marieval) Fort Ellice (St Lazare)and Fort Polly (St Philip) down to Ca rlyle and the .Assiniboine.

After the visit of Bishop Provencher, Fr.Ritchot, and & few others, the Oblate Missionaries had been the first- priest to come and take a permanent residence in the Valley • .At that time the Indians of the southern part of Saskatchewan wore nomads, travelling, here and there, until the peace Treaty No. 4 was signed in 1874, where they were given reserves and properly the Mission was chosen as the site of the Indian School. Origin of the Name Lebret Fathe r Lebret a rrived in 1884 to toke charge of the Mission~ After the build­ ing of the railway through South Qu ~ Appelle, Father· Lebret asked Otta­ wa to have a Post Office, hero in the Mission Housc,for the place ,sin­ ce the village was growing rapidly. Ottawa granted it and named it Lebret as Father Lebret was the first Postmaster. Thus tho origin of the name of the village. 8 Backgroun ~ l. Ono of the agreements a rrived at ~y the t roatios wa s that the India ns of West ern Canada wor e to re­ cc i v:J free edu cation. The gove!'nment in 1880 -v-v o s, theref ore , l ooJ cing f or a system of Indian e duca tion , i n order to meet its obliga tions .

2 . Th 3 Church a lso ws nt ed schools for tho Indian child­ dren in order to ma ke them good citizens. It hod the ne cesss ry men to direct t hese schools , but it di d not hove the money to build and main­ t a in then ,a n d so, could not undertake a l ene the t a sk of Indian e duca ­ tion . 3. 111any of tho Indians a lso wchtsd s ehools s o t ha t th:eir children could l ea rn t o earn their l i ving in a now way . hlo r e ovor , 0 numbor had become Christi an , and felt thot religi on could best be tau­ ght i n schools directed by their missionorios. Tho Church Gives a Ple.n Around 188 0, Bishop Grandin of Saskatchcwen and tho f amous Fa ther La comb e conce i ve d a pl an of Indian e ducation , by which I n dian s chools wo uld b o built and kept up by thee; Government , but dire cted by tho missionarie s . Th oy pre­ sented t his pl an to Bi shop Ta che of St.Bonifa co , who approved i t vit h a ll his might end promised to c::,sk the govorrt...lT.tent to a ccept it.

In 1883, during a trip to o ~ st e rn Canada , Bishop Ta che went to see the mon i n p owe r , who a ccept ed to pr esent a bill in Par l i a ­ ment . The Government Gives Funds I n 1883 , the pa r l i ament of Canada vot ed --· --~ on thi s p l a n nn d accepted it . Funds wo­ re voted f or the crootion of three Indi an Schools , one a t Qu VAJ) _p c llc , on o at Dunb ow n car Ca l gary , and one a t BRttleford i n Saskat che wa n~ The Gov ornnen t of Csno.dn thc; :1 order e d Governor Devv dnoy of tho Northwest Te r ritorie s to build the schools . Governor Dowdney r 3fused t~ st8rt the wo r k in tho QufAppe l l e Va lley ba cc usc one candi ­ dat e wn s defeated in an e l e ction , and Dewdney bl8nod it on tho Fa thers.

Bishop Tc q_h_g_Inte:r:_venes Bishop Tn cho vvould not ha ve this , and there - foro wen t to see Gov ernor Ds wd noy in Roginc , who dryly r eplied ths t the school wo uld be bettor locntod in Regina or I ndi cn Hea d . Bishop Tache then bought for ~ 50 . from a Met i s , t wo deer which he s ent tc the Gov ernor a s a present . Do wdney took tho de er, but answer ed that tho school would not b e in ·:~ u VA_ppe llo , s s there was no l [}lld ther e tha t could be b ought . rrhc Bishop went to Qu VApp e l l o ' bought l and nocr tho Nli s ­ s i on , a nd gave it t o the government for tho school . Still DoTv dnoy r efu­ sed . Bishop 'To che fin :_--< lly Cl p_p oe. l od to Sir John TvlacDonnld , Prine Eini stGr of Canada, who or der e d D0wdnoy to build tho school in tho Qu'Appe l l e Valley , on tho l and b ought by tho Bishop. Dowdnoy wa s forced t o obe y and began building i n the spring of 188 4. · 9 The First School

_September 1884 Tho school was startcc during tho SUDI!ler, .s nd wo.s now completed. The ndjoining buildings wore under construction . Reverend Father Hugoner d wa s its first principal; he was assisted by G l o.y n~::n , a farmer, and four s isters On October 21, 1884 ,throe Croy Nuns s rrived from Mo ntreal to take over tho cur o a nd e ducation of the chil d ~on, who were soon to como . They we r o Sr ,Lclumi or o , superior, Sr. Borgeron,~ho stayed for t wenty throe yesrs, e nd Sr. St. Arnaud, who stayed for tw8n­ ty one years. At t ho same tine a FrDnsciscnn tertiary elso n ccompani ec~ them. Thus tho latter account for tho fourth Sister. Those heroi nes , came by train up to Indi an Hec c . At that time tho only way of trav c lli ~g was with oxen and so, Father Hugo­ nard went t o moo t them, at I nd i Gn Head , with a yoke of oxen an d a two­ whee l ed cart. After the nost inporto.nt _preparations wore made the children arr iv e~ and the Sistors sto.rtod to t ake car e of them. They taught theQ how to cook and clean up a house , to wash clothes as well a s to wash themselve s. Clessr oom teaching begcn a nd part of it was con­ munity singing. Tho Sisters s oon found out tha t Indian children h2d bceu­ tiful voices, and loved to sing. Since a l a n g u ~gc con be nore easily l earned by singing , th0y, therefore, used this resource. 10 Father ~ugonard, First Principal

Founder of tho school Father Hugonard was born in Fra~e in the year 1848. When of age he attended the lit­ tle Seminary of Cote St. Andre. He nacle much progress becouse he was naturally talented and bosides he was a groat worker. Around the age of 20 he entered the gr eat Seminary of Grenoble . He was noted for his piety and love for the poor and the sick, for it is recorded that he nursed the wounded at the military hospital in southern France during the Franco-Prussian Wa r. According t o his saying in life, it was the following passage of the Holy Gospel which had made a deop impression on his mind, 11 And e voryone, 11 says Christ,~:thElt had l eft house and broth­ r on or children or sister or brother or f a ther or mother or wife or lands in my nane Vs s ake, shall receive one hundred fold and shall pos­ sess heaven besidc; s. 11 In 1874 we see him at the noviciate of the Obla te Fathers at Notre Dame de LVOsier. In 1876 Joseph Hugonard h8. d the hap­ piness of being ordained, and after having pElid a short visit to his parents to bid them good-bye we sec him on tho ocean going to Canada , with the saintly Bishop of St.Albert,Alborta ,Bishop Grandin. At St. Boniface Bishop Tache named t he young Hugonar d for the Qu'Appelle Mis- sion. Father Hugonard had been in the valle y for ten years, when in January 1884 , Bishop Tache asked Sir John A. MacDGnald to a p­ point him principa l of the now school. Being s o woll r e commende d by Bishop Tache, ~, a ther Hu gonard was a ccept ed , and took over his now po­ sition. Recruitment of Pupils Early in 1885, Father Hugonard a ccompanied by agent La sh, set out on tho reserves to recruit pupils. They succee9ed in gotting 22 boys, who arrived-at the schoo l in the spring. In 18d6 the enrolment wa s 45, all boys. In 188 6, Bishop Tache a sked the Government to en­ l ar ge the schoo l, but this was r efused by Sir Hector Langevin,Minister of Public Wo rks, with the preto~t tha t the Riel Rebellion had already cost ;i;5,000,000. At that time Edgnr Dowdney be cane Minister of the Interior and in this capacity visited the school. He obtained at once ~ 4,000. to enlar ge the school, wh ich in this way could hold 75 b oys. A few girls wore a lso housed in the nttic. In 188 7 a new annex was built for tho girls. A fur­ ther enlargement wns mado in 1890. In 1893 a l ar ge two-story building wa s erected, the first floor of which served a s a hospita l. A tota l of 225 pupi ls could now be a cconodat ed. Attitude of the Parents Tho parents were a t first suspicious of all tha t tho school stood for. They did not wish their childr en to be brought up as white people, nor to a ccept their re­ ligion, l e st they be soparate cJ fron them in tho world to come . The whi t o manvs me decine , t hey said, wns bnd f or the Indi ans. They obje cte d to the use of s ee-saws and swings, fearing that their children would break their necks. They were displeased at seeing them move in files, and charged 0 that they we r e be ing made into soldiers. 11 Blowing into tube s , by which they meant musical instr umemts , was also regarded with suspicion. 11 ·.

• t This made the recruitment of pupils difficult, and attendance l a t er had to be made compu lsory. This a ttitude gra dually disappeared with tho progress of the childr en , who were well brought up, able to r ead and write, and who were learning t o earn their living in the manual tra ining courses. Converts became more numerous among ~he parents, and thi s also was he lping t o make the school mor e a cceptable . Conversions The childr en whose parents did not ob ject were in- structe d in tho Catholic Faith, and many were bap­ tized each year. Conversion were a lso ma de among the paga n children who often ha d to encounter their parentsV disple a su~ es in be coming Christian. Ma ny ca ses or o ro_por ted of Christia n children who by the ir example obta in the conversion of their entire f amily.

Succe ss o~ the School The QuYA_pp e lle Indian School wa s then the mos t successful of its k ind in Canada . It became the mod el of a ll similar schools f ounded l a t er. At the Regina Exhibition of 1895 tho school ca rrie d off the first _prizes over a ll other Indian schools : pa rticularly in music, writing, ma_p s, English a nd a rt. The exhibition work, _p r e vious to tha t, had t o b e s ent t o Ottawa or to Chicago . In 1893, for instance, t wo of tho girls went t o the Columb i a n Exhibition in Chicago and came ba ck quite proud of tho _p rizes a nd _praises l a vished upon them beneath the HStsrs a nd Stri p e s~~ This is not the only honor the _pupils received, for in summer, a numb er of the Governors of Ca na da ha ve deigned to visit the school. In sumner stream of t ourists go through the buildings and a dmire the beautiful l oca lity. A Gymna sium is built Wi t h such succe ss, in a short time , thG numb er of demencs t o put their childr en into the school we nt up end it wa s de cided tha t 2.. gynmasiurn wa s ne e cessery e spe cis lly f or winter r e crestion. Theref or e , in 1894 the Government generously grented c. nd fitt e d up the b est gymna sium- a udi­ t orium in We stern Canedn . The Qongrega tion. _of Mo ry It hs d its beginning six years a f t er the opening of tho first school, in 1890. It is r e cor ded thc t a r e ception of the members of the con-gr egG gregation of tho Children of Mary t ook plc ce in 1893. Reverend Fr. Prisquo Magnnn, _p arish pri c st,,pre sided . The gr c nd-perents of the children still t a l k with emotiona l f eelings of tho beautiful and impre ssive coremoni e s thoy had in honor of tho Bl e ssed Virgin Mary.

Ex-pupil~ The Depertmont t ook stops t o suppress tho sun da nce s in t he district. Due t o the evil effe cts of those pa ­ gan dances, affe cting the mo r a l and physica l we lfar e of the Indiens on the r e serves , it wa s vory h2r d for the ex-pupils to perse ver e in the ir progressive idaas a nd me thods l earne d a t the school. Be sides the treatie s ha d boon signed n ot so many yeors bef ore a nd the etmos-· pher e wes still filled with the idea that the wh i tes hod b oon unjust to them and tha t their now wa ys of living wor u not nl wa ys good. hlc ny children, we ll intentione d , r a s entod t ha t do eply when thoy r e turne d home full of enthusi a sm t o live a de cent an d happy lifo a s they hc d done f or ma ny years in tho s chool. 12 fho ~)r o_ Destr oy s .. the Bocut iful Buil d.i ngs

An Unexpe cted I ncident As wo ha ve said , from 1895 to 1 904 the s chool h2d medo s t eady pr ogr e ss , and the Indi ans liked tho school mo r e c. n d mo r e . Ma ny new p upils we r e a dmit­ t ed overy year •• Tho childr en wor e bright and happy . The principa l hims el f had a be tter time . Everythi ng wo r ked smo othly unt il t ho f our­ th of J a nuer y 1 904 . The children ho d j ust r e turned fr om the New Ye er Ys Hol i da y , whe n t ho t errible cry of fire was hoar d. A confl agr a tion, tho or i gin of which is c nyst er y , destroyed ever yt hing but t he shop s an d bar n s an d other GUt - buildings . At t he end of dinner , 12 : 30 , fire broke out in a r oom ad j oi ning tho b oys r e creat i on r oom . The r oom had been swept i n t he mo r­ ning , but the swoopi ng had beon l eft on the floor, a nd it is believed tha t a ma tch thrown ca r e l e ssly among t hen coul d ha ve ca use d the fire . As the a l arm wa s gi ven , the childr en sa id gr a ce , a nd we nt out of t he room i n perfe ct order . Mr . Swo r dor , tho a ccounta nt , t ogether wi t h the b i g­ ger boys f e tched the ~ xtin g uish e rs a nd threw them into the room , a nd e verythi ng seemed to be over . Father Go l en , Fct her Hu gonard Ys assis­ t a nt , wo nt to the a ttic to open a t r ap on the r oof t o l e t the smoke out . As he wa i t e d on the r oof , he s c.w -- t hat t he who l e buil ding wns on fir e . Smo ke wa s coming out of t he chi mneys , window s , and even from be t ween the s hingl e s . He s l i d down from one r oof to onother , ent er e d by a window in nnothor pert of t he house , a nd i mme dia t e l y we nt to tho chape l t o save t he Bl essed Sc. crDmo nt . He r eached the gr ound by s l i ­ ding down a pipe . Mea nwhile , the ,st a f f with t he he lp of the Fa thers of the Mission, we r e throwing out 811 tha t they could r each , blnnke ts f ood , clot he s , e tc . 11 Soon a f ter wo we r e he lpl ess (; wr i t e s Father Golan , 11 of the t ot a l dostruct i on of t he buildings . Al l we coul d do was t o sa ve s ome mo r e fur niturcs ospeci8. lly fr om t he girlsY s i de , wh i ch wa s the l a st t o be des tr oyed ~ By nigh t f nll s ll t he buildings we r e c om­ ple t el y destroyed , s nvo tho shops en d bar n s .

Temp or ary ~u a r to r s Th o children in their t error ha d f l ed in a ll directions , a nd s l ei ghs had t o be s ent out t o bring them bo ck . Supper W8.S served in one of the shops , f ollowing whi ch , with t ho bla nke t s sa ved from the b l a ze , the gi rls were put up in t he church , and the b oys in the vill8.go schoo l. The Sis t er s wer e r e ceived in t ho Convent . Two dey s l etor when it had been de ci ded t o keep the childr en , s chool life wa s r o- or ganizod 2s be st a s could be done . The Girls t ock posse ssi on of t he t ribune of t he church , which wa s enlnr god f or thi s purpose , while t he boy s occupied t he Mission house , village s choo l nn d shops , t ill a tempor ar y building was built f or t hem . The Sisters lived in the shop wh er e t hey had a sewing r oom El n d a chape l .

Fa ther Hugonar d lieturns Vve quote from Fo t her Ga l en v s l e tter . HFr . Hugonard had l oft f or Ottowa , goi ng through t he Uni ted St c t es whe r e busi ne ss ca lled him. Thi s had mode it i mpos sib l e f or us to wire hi m ab out t he di sont er ,

13 While on the tra in the novi7Sp : ~.po r brought the news to him. What wore his impressions then, he a l one were he still living could possibly tell us. It certainly wa s a t e rrible blow . But f or us who a ll know his great faith, there is no doubt tha t ho r e covere d himself froo the first shock and generously submitted t o the Divine Will of God . From that moment on, a ll his thoughts we re turned to his dea r child­ r en and to the means of ensuring the continuation of the school. He telegraphed orders and proceeded ir:~1ed i a t e ly t o Ottawa to negotiate the re-building of the school .

From Sister B o uln ~ 's Letter " On t he evening of the fire, the Sis- t ers were received by the Reverend Sisters of the Missions , the boys went to the school, the girls to the parish church. Returning from Ottawa , Father Hugonard t ook him­ self to the scene of the still snaking ruins and there he knelt a long time in prayer. Then, to the children, who f or want of room,we­ r e having dinner in separate groups, he sa id, Hivly children, this tre ­ mendous fire is still of lesser consoquonce than a venial sin. What money had established , noney shall restore , and you sha ll have ano­ ther school. 11 But when he visited tho Sisters who had been alone du­ ring this terrible cs t astropr , he could not refra in fr om t ears,nor could the Sisters either."

From Father Gelenvs l etter n Wha t was t o be cone of the institu- tion end what was to be done with the pupils? The Department proposed to s end thes to different other schools but the principa l having arrived at Winnipeg two days after the fire, opposed the proje ct, and it was decided to keep them in shops,at tho Mission whore Father Magnan conde scended t o turn over part of the r oc tory t o this purpose , and in tho church where c se cond floor was built to s erve a s dormitory f or the girls and Sisters. During day time the Blessed sacr.o.ment wa s kept in the sacristy , and the na ve was used a s classroons and recreation ha ll. On Sundays it was cleaned an d put in order for Mass ar·:I Vespers. 11

Restoration of the School

Re-establishment Doubtful Wo s tho governrilent to proceed to the erection of a new school ? It was very problematic, f or opposition cane fran s omc . Govornment Officials and others,who openly favored boarding schools on the r e serves, as they cost less: S?5.00 only,being gr anted f or every child. Father Hugonard l a id down plans for a new building at an estimated cost of ~p 52000. and returned to Ottawa during the same spring to obtain necessary funds, but the Ministers refused t o dis­ cuss the project, e nd even to be interviewed f or such purpose. After two months of fruitless effor ts ,the principal had to come back with­ out having received even a promise or the least hope. New Hopes for a New School : Before spring of l905,Mr.Sifton,Minister of Indian Affairs proposed to Mr .Graham , Inspector,to psy a ll expenses occasioned in the past few years and to begin the re-construction wi th ~ 35 000~ a nd t o have funds voted for the balance. 14 Opening Father Hugonard's plans were followed as far as dimensions were concerned, but the execution was improved. Thus did the Government, without further instence from the Principal, build at the cost of ~ 125,000. the best of Canadavs Indian Schools . The children and the staff, with heartfelt thanks, took possession of the new school in the fall 190 5. The new building was blessed in October by Archbishop Langevin of St. Boniface, amidst c lerge gathering of India ns and White people. Bishop l.Dngevin expressed words of gro.titude on this so­ lemn occasion, t c the Gov ernment Officia ls for the co-operation re­ garding the reconstruction of the school. Taking an insight in the future he s c. id, 11 Gonera tions of pupils will come here, will go from here, and will become better citizens of our beloved country, and by so dcing gain their eternal rewnrd,.a He also praised Fether Hugonard for having kept the children, end to the Sisters, he t old them how he admired them for having passed .throvgh those difficulties a nd hardships with inspirimg faith in the future.

The Indiens of t_h_e Q,u v1~ .J__e Valley

Racial Gr9ups The Indians who lived in the pralrles in 1870 be- l onged to two great families of tribes, called the Algonquian stock ond the Siouan stock. . 1. The Algonquian f amily wcs r epresented in Sask. by the Cree and the Saulteux. Their l anguages were closely related s nd their ways of living were similar. 2. The Siouan group wes represented by the Assini­ boine and the Sioux.They spoke different dia lects of the same lan­ guage and a ll origina lly had come from the United States. 15 A.. ____llianc es- The Cree and the Assiniboine , a lthough bel onging to dif­ ferent r a ces, hed a l ways been friends and allies in war , and they often intermarried . They we re a t war with the Blackfeet , an Algonquian nation living farther west . TheCree, Saulteux and Assiniboi­ ne we re usually 8t war with the Sioux , who lived in the South. The Saulte ux in particular were the sworn enemies of the Sioux. Oc cupations Hunting . The buffa lo was t he main article of f ood , and 8l so supplied the materi a l for tents , clothing a nd ca noes . When t he fur camp r.ies established forts in the west , a no­ ther occupation ap_pe!a red , t he fur trade . VVith the guns , knive s and other articles , which were thus obtained, life wa s much easi er . 'I'he Indians also made much profit by s e lling horses to the traders .

Trea ty All t he Indi r ns in the Val l e~ belong to Treaty No.4, which was signed by their chiefs a t Fort Qu'Appe l le i n 1874 , and by which they surrender ed their l a nds in return for Treaty rights .

The QuYAppelle Indian Trea ty

Ba ckground In 186 9 the Dominion of Canada had bought from the Hudson Bay Co . the right of ownership to the western prairies . But t hese l a nds a l so be longed to the India ns , &nd Canedo perfect l y recognized their right to it . Around 1875 , the Indians sold t o the Dominion of Cana da their right to tho l a nds of tho west , in r e turn for certain benefits . Those benefits included : 1 1. Gra nts of r eserves , wher e no white men could settle , on the ba sis of 1 section for each f Bmily of five . 2 . Annuitios , paid for a ll time by the Dominion , of ~ 25 . 00 a year to chiefs , $15 . 00 to headmen , and $5. 00 t o all others . 3. Farm imp l oments , seeds ; f a r m instructors . 4. Exemp tion from t c xes . 5. Free educa tion. 6. Free hospit2l ca r e . 7. Hunting and trapping rights . The QuVAppe lle TreotL One of the most Indian 'I'rea ty was signed at Fort Q u~ Appell e in 1874 , between the Dominion of Canada and the Cree , Sa ulte ux a nd Stonie India ns . This Treoty is known in Canadinn History es Tre aty No . 4 . It wns signe d Septemb er 15th, 1874 near QuVAppe lle River , on t he southeast ern tip of Echo Lake , on the Hudson Ba y Co . Reserve . Prominent Chiefs Coto , Loud Voice , Gambls r , KG moose s , Cheekuk , and mcny other s . Lt . Governor Morris wa s speaking f or the Dominion. Signitarie s 1 For tho Indi e n s tho Indian Chiefs. 2 For Cnnadn , Lt . Gov . Morris ,Hon . D. Lia rd ,Minister of the Interior ,Hon . Christio ,forme r HB . Co . f actor . 3 As witne sses : A few of the Commis sioners 'soldi e rs . A f ew people of the QuVAppelle Va lloy , amo ng whom Piorre De snomi e and a Poitrc s . 16 Laborers of the Past The Sisters The parents a r e more and more convinced of the great work which has been done in beha lf of their children by the missionaries , both Fathers and Sisters. Ma ny could ha ve sent their children to s chools , closer to their homes , on the r e serves , but they insisted on having their children t a ught at our school, a nd t aken ca r e of by the Sisters. As a matter of f a ct , t he Sisters we r e full of care and solicitude for the se Indion childr en . The motherl y ca r e an d attenti ve ­ ness with which they watched over e ll of them met with no bounds . We ha ve often rea d and have heard , thet ma ny mi ssiona ries prefere d not to change mission fie lds beca use the love they ha d for those children was so very sincer e . Some Sister s stayed for twenty , thir t y years and some even more . To name only a f ew : Sr . Ma riani , Sr . Lamontagne , Sr Baul ne , Sr . St.Alfra d ond Sisters Robinet a nd Gr eyeye s who are still wi th us . These Heroines of the past , we - the gener a tion of the pre s ent - admir e! We t ake pride in trying to i mita te their cour age and va lor . They ha ve pa ssed through the years of ha rdships - fir e de struc­ tion etc . - with unfa iling f a ith and hope in the futur e . Their profound s a tisfaction tha t the children who had been under their care would be better prepared a nd bett e r e quippe d to f a ce the dutie s and responsibi­ litie s of lifo , with christinn principles, and therefore , be worthier citizens of our dea r country, stimulated them in time s of tria ls a nd difficultie s . These a r e tho figur es of the pa st a nd their noble con­ tributions to the happiness of tho India n na tion still subsist in the active , progressive gener ati on of t oday. Ca n b ett er ideals be s e t as mod e ls of devotedness and self d e n~ a l to the present day workers who foll ow on their s teps ? Government Officia ls For the numerous undlB rtnkings the Gov ernment Officia ls wo rked , ha nd in ha nd , with tho Fa ­ thers for tho benefit and we lfar e of the Indi a ns . Among government men in cha r ge of the Indicn Affctirs in tho Va lley , I1./Ir . Grs ham desr e ve s s spe cial mention. Mr . William Gra ham In 1885 ,a t the nge of 18 , he ontered the Servi- ce . Everyone r emembere d Mr . Gr a hnm a s a friend and a be ne f a ctor. In f sct , he love d to live and t o work with the India ns . La t er , he wa s appointed Inspe ctor of the Indian Agoncirr s. In the succeed­ ing years, he undertook tho proje ct of organizing the File Hills Colony a s sugge ste d and planned by Fa the r Hu gonard . He successfully brought it to n f a vornble stnndnrd . He l eft tho Civil Service in 1932 . Mr . :

Mr La flGur wo r ked 51 yec:. rs b c:: king bread f or the sch oo l~ In the mea ntime he was a l so pr ovi ng hi mse l f t o be , under tho eyes of children of mc.ny genor ntions, o mode l of gr eat chr i s tian virtue s. He wa s the f a ithful s ervcnt of the IVI2 s t er. His undeni o. ble pa tience , his gr eat a dmira tion f or j ustice , his s en se of humo ur, his socicble , fri en dl y , quie t a nd depe rl do ble mc: nners mode of him tho trustwo rthy gentleman tho s chool ha s witnessed wi t h pride , f or over ho lf a century . Th ough he has l atel y passed away , hi s memory s t ill inspires t hose who ha ve known him. Mr. Hc rrison,teache r a nd a ccounta n t Mr . Ha rrison t a ught for a f ew yeors 2nd t he r est of his life wa s pa ssed a s a ccounta nt f or Fa ther Hugona r d an d Father Leona r d . He a rrived in 1901. Although he ha s pas sed away in his nineties , only a f we yeers ogo , he had r e tired from wo r k in h i s sevent i e s. His persona lity and his outstcnding gifts hod mcde him ver y populcr with t he childr en a s we ll as wi th the pa r en t s. He l ove d both. Be sidGs a c counting , he was in char ge of t he band f or ma ny years. When Father Hu gona r d would l eave f or his nume r uus business t rip s a nd mis s i onc ry wo r k , conscientiously r epl a ced hi m in t he daily r out ine of a dministra tion. Mr. Con don, t he s hoemo.ker One of t he enrl:- s hoemnker of t he school wns Mr. CondoL. He arrived in 190 5 a n d worke d s t eadily until 1937 . He wc s @XC eptionnlly gi ft c d in hi s tre.de , a nd mn ny n b oy l esrned from hi m t he e l eme ntor y rules of a shoemaker. He is still livi ng today in Lebret . Mr. Sn l amon, the shoemaker Mr. Sal amo n j oined Mr . Con do n in his wo r k as a shoem&ker , i n 1908. They b oth wo r ked t ogether in harmony and mutual un derstnnding un til the s chool closed t he shoe shop i n 193 7. 18 ......

THE LNiDl!AIN M]S:SION A:RY RECORD

PLAYED WITH REGINA PATS - These Lebret hockeyists played in the Sask. finals against the Pats. They are: front row: C. Bellegarde, A. Obey, C. Linklater, Dick Poitras and Coach Eddie Doll; back row: J. Bellegarde, H. Strongeagle, P. Yuzicapi, Azarie Bird, N. Lafond, N. Goodwill, Wm·. Hal­ crow, E. Courchesne, C. Gocdwill and Gil Bellegarde. Mr Sa lanon is still living in Lebret, enjoying very peaceful d~ys with his daughter , Mrs. Larocque. He registered 89 years of age in ~ebruary 1955. There is no words of appreciation to depict adequately the life of these faithful steady workers, the number of years t hey put in strongly speaks for itself. Mr Sworder, acountant Mr, Sworder seconded Fr. Hugonard in the early time, both having a mutual understand­ ing of their respective functions for the social welfare of the Indians. As accountant, his initiative was a great help to Father Hugonard. His ability to conduct a sma ll band was well known. During the first fire, he was seen devoting himself unceasingly, together with Father Gelen, to preserve the buildings and to save some articles. Mr. Blanch ,accountant IVIr. Blanch succeeded Mr. Harrison as accoun­ tant. He is remembered by the parents of the present pupils as nthe long legged fellow'~ He was a very faithful, con­ sciencious employee of this institu.tion, although he did not work half as long as the other pioneers just mentioned, he contributed exception­ ly well. That was the last er.1ployee as accountant. Fr. 'Maurice de Bretagne took over in 1936 when he came as principal. Since then, the Oblate Fathers alway s have been in charge. l1Ir. Edouard Doll, tea9her and Senior Boys 1 Supervisor Lir. Ed. Doll was gifted with a very good health. We often heard him say that, 11 sports keep us in good shape~ In fact, he was a leader in sports, and by encouraging the competitive spirit, he stroveto stimulate the boys~ambition to grea ter progre ss as we ll as to develop their physical strength. The nu­ merous trophies he brought back to the school with his boys prove the high standard they aimed at. hlr. Ed . Doll worked at the s chool from 1929 to 1938 the first time. He has been eye-witness of the total dest~uction of that second school. Together with the Brothers, he saved a lot of clothing , furniture, books etc. After the fir e he passed thEee years a t the Scho­ lasticate with the beys, until the s chool was rebuilt. He then stayed two more years in the new school. When the vvar broke out in 1939 he enlisted. On his r e turn, in 1945, he again came ba ck to wo r k a t the school. Mr. Doll is a mod e l of a gentleman, as Father Piche told tho children on his farewell departure in 1950. · · After the wa r, Mr. Doll tool< charge of Drama. Every year most attractive and original plays were put on and every year his actors carried off the trophy. These are s ome of the pioneers whose na.nes immediately come to mind as we l ook back over the wo r thy record of the past 70 years. Ide have mentioned only those who have spent a great part of their live s, al­ though man ~ others having wo rked for a f ew years only, gave t he In­ dian children examp l es of l oyal citizens. To memt ion only a few: r~ = r. Ivim.O ?Connel, IVIr. England, J:dr . Joncs, T~ : r. Town, Mr.MacLennan, Mr. Fitz­ patrick, Mr.Petit , r.,,rr. Paquin, Mrs, Paquin, Mr Pha neuf,:l!J.IT . Tv .Larocque, Mr. Lynch, Mr.Lacroix. 19 The System of Education Proves Efficent

Its Aims and Objectives The first missionaries knew that even the highest form of culture and refinement known to mankind was ultimately associated with tools and labor, so, they had planned a system of .education quite fitting for the mentality of the epoch. Therefore, the manual training which was intended to en­ able the children to earn a living successfully in their future life had a large part on the program. The Indian Affairs Branch in Ottawa approved highly and co-operated closely with the school staff regar­ ding this phase of work. From the early days of tho school, the girls learned house keeping, sewing, nending, knitting and fancy work. Their class work was graded from the first to the seventh or eighth standard. Sub­ jects were those of the elementary schools: reading, writing, Gra~~ar, Composition, Geography and Art. Apart fro~ class work the boys were taught trades and farming. Vle often hear old timers say they learned the trade of bla ck­ smith when they were in school under capable instructors such a s Mr. Ma cDonald, Carriere, Brown, Carbonneau. Others talk about the tinsmith shop and shoe shop where they learned part of the trade. Personality unfoJ-ds We are now to a point where the Indian children feel more self reliant and their parents have enough confidence in the white people to lea ve some of their girls or boys go and work for them. A young Sioux girl from Buffalo Reserve took the lecd. Ma ry Louise Sta nding Buffalo was so dignifie d in her manners,discreet and polite that Father Hugonard sent her in Winnipeg as a house maid to 1v1r .Arne de Forget, then Indian Comnissioner, and l n ter when he was trans­ fared to tho Honorable position of Lieutenant Governor of Sask ., she . followed thm-:J. . She worked there for ten years. She accompanied Miss Forget in voya ges to Ottawa and Montreal. More than 40 ex-pupils enlisted in the ranks of the Canadian Army and took _part in the first World War. To nane only a few: Harry Ball chief of the Piapot reserve, Nokusis who came back with a wooden leg, Abel Wa tetch, Peter Gopher, Creely etc. Sone mo r e young girls went out to work: Elizabeth Gorden (Mrs. Lawrence ThoLlpson) and Liza Cappo (Mrs. Dan Pelletier) went t o work in Winsor,Ontario at Mr. Robinet9s place, (Sr.Robine t ¥s f a ther) in 1928. They stayed a whole year. The next year two others went Cora DUL1 cnt (Nfrs. Vincent Bellegarde) from File Hills Agency, and Made leine Poi tro.s (Mrs. Bruno Gosselin) near Estevan. Charlo Bele.nger, the f amou s Canadian champion boxer,is an ex-pupil. Ho was asked once, by n Sister, on one of his visits a few yoe r2 ago, how he had started his boxing career, and Belanger in his usual hu­ mourous way answered,n Yfue n I was here in school, we use to go and help at the farm for tho chores, and while waiting I used to box on the cows . This is how I started to like it.

20 Father Hugonard the Great Missionary

His Career Vfu en Father Hugonard arrived in the Qu'Appelle Va lley most of the Indians were pagans •. The good missionary visited them every day. He toiled in their midst for five years oef~ r o obtaining tho first convsrsion, that of the medeeine man Tehi.as­ cusis. Then, f ollowed the conversion of Assams at Pasqua_, and later of chief Pasqua himself, nnd the f amous chief Piapot. • But a genera l movement towards christianization did not occur till after the fou~. dation of the school . In 1885,he had acquired tho confidenee of the Indians and the Met is to a point that his pre s ence among the~, along with that of the other missionarie s sufficed to maintain order during the Riel Robellion. After tho pioneers, namely Fr. • Descorbie, Fr,, St Ger­ ma in, Fr. Favreau, and others, 'i'lG may say that, steps for strong eon­ soli da tion of the earlier efforts through education and stable orga­ nization of influence are due to Father Hugonard, who built many of t he Indian missions and churches . At his death two-third of the Indians of the t erritory wor e Cathol ic . This fact stands out as a testimony to the success of a we ll planned missionary effort based on progressive me­ thods on all leve ls, soci a l, educational, economic and religiou~,

21 His ability in adBinistra tion, while in charge of the school we s such tha t his fri ends would oft en suy th ~ t ha d he chosen to pursue a wo rldly vocation, he would ha ve become a successful man. His gene ­ rosity, his courtesy, his kindness made doep e. nd l asting fri endship of a ll those who knew hiB. His energy and _physica l endurance wore r emfirka ble. A journey of 70 miles on foot wa s not unusunl for him. He was a t a ll ma n who wn lke d f e-St and seened to be everywhere at once. His groa t chcracteristic, a ccording to his friends, wc. s his strong f a ith. Araong other touching -te stiHo.mies a re the se gi­ ven by Archbishop Ma thew. "For ovor 40 yeors, good Fcther Hugonard devote d himse lf to missionary wo r lc in our d2ar Canadi an We st~ His life wns e ll his riches. He love d the Indians, he ho d f or then a t en­ der, wc rm a nd deep piety, with an ardent de sire to s erve theD, even wo r e it necessa ry, to die for then.n In fact, Father Hugonnrd rema ined a t the school f or 38 yecrs, until his doa th, a lifo full of nerits a nd sa intly deeds. His missions ry ca reer in the Q,u VAp_pe lle V ~;. lley l a sted e.. ll of 48 y GD ~ Ho r egcrded his school prima rily c s a tool for the christian civili- -) zation of the Indians. He loved the Indians and wc s fully happy anong the l i ttle children whom he l oved a s n f a ther, a mother , as ~od alone ca n inspi ro such an unselfish love . Illne ss and De ath Fa ther Hugonard r e covered fr on his first ill- ness cfter a three r.1onths rest in a. so.nc.t toriun in We. shington. Up on his r eturn , he slow,3d somewhat in his work , :1 nd put in hours of gardening every day . In 1915, he o.gain spent s ome time r e sting in Sana toriu~ Antonio, Texas . At this time ho was honour ed 11 by tho Ho ly Fa ther the Pope with the medal 9 Pro Ecclesic. e t Pontifico . ;;

His l a st illness overtook him in January 9 1917 . He found time ,nevortheles s , to instruct end baptize a Sioux Indi2n,his l a st convort . In February, from his sick b e d, he asked tha t Archbis­ hop Mathew be called t o his s ide . The Archbishop a rrived frcn Quebe c at r11 i dnight on February the lO~h. He gc. ve his friend his l ast · c or1fuu­ nion a n d a ssisted hin in his l a st monents . Fa ther Hugonard pa ssed a wa y on :F ebruar y 11, 1917 a t noon, n t t he hour e nd on the dey of the apparition to Bernadette of the Virgin Mo ther of God, the obje ct of his spe cia l de votion.

His loss was keenly felt nt tho school, in a ll the va lley, a nd f a r be yond it. He was a he ro of the first order, n mo­ del t o follow in the s n cre dotal a nd 8postolic career, end would be a powerful intorcossor c t the Throne of God. Aft er two funera l services in the Mission church in the d:J.ys thnt f ollowed , a solemn and l a st tribute was pa id t o hin on Februa r y tho 13th, a t tho school for the children. Fa ther Pri s ­ que r,~o gnan was the ce l ebrant for the occasion. A large gathering of bishops, priests, Governme nt Officials and f nithful 'friends a ssi st e d. Fa ther Hugonnr d had proved a zeal ous mlssionary , c gr eat benefactor of the Indian r a ce , a nd an ardent lover of his ndoptod country . 22 Slee p Ga llent Vlc. rrior

Sleep gallant wn~rior, sweetly sleep Thy hea d upon thy pr a irie l a id, Leave others n 0~ t hy watch t ~ kGe p Nor shall thy fre grnnt nemory f o.de , over thy head thy bree ze is sighting GJntly e s the dey is dying.

Then not to seek a wo rld's renown Unkno~m and poor thou wouldst r ennin; Then but to l a bor for e crown Of charity wh ich none night cla i m, On tho Masteris business going Love and kindne ss over showing~

Thou wouldst not l ot it sproad afar Thc t flano of zeal thou couldst not st ay ~ Too groa t thy hesrt thy deed to ma r By hiding then fron light of day , In thy love so se lf effa cing Still sublino and a ll er,lbrc, cing .

Oh, Red Mnn 1 s Friend so kind and true In whoso brave heerts thou livest yet; Sono gr a ceful L10nur.1e nt is due Th o. t aft or time mc~y not forget , Thy kindness to thy children sleeping Every gr een by r1e nory keeping. •

Sleep on bra vo heGrt s , oh gently sleep Forgotten now thy wo nry yec rs , Fron a ll thy hardships shall r eep Tho j oy wh ich thou hGs t sown in t ears, Ange l voi ces softly stoa ling Like swwet bolls c.. t evening pealing .

Brother Raginol d , O.M.I.

23 Fnthor Hugonnrdis Successors

From 1917 to 1952 · 1 Father Lecog became principal in February 1917 and resigned in June of the same year . 2 . Father hlagnan was acting principal for a time. 3 . Father Dugas was principal from September 1917 till his death in December 1918 . 4. Father Prisgue lv1agnan wa s again temporary principal until Feb . 27 , 1919. 5. Father Vezina was in offi ce from February 1919 to October 30,1919. 6. Father Lreonard was in offi ce from October 30,1919 , till July 1,1936, a period of 17 yeers . He was the first after Father Hugonard's death t o hold the office f~r some time. 7. Father Maurice de Bretagn§. was principal from July 10., 1936 t o Au gust 1943 . 8 . Father Paul Piche was appointed principal in August 1943 until 1\:a y , 19 5 2 • 9. Father O. Robidoux princi pal sin ce 1952 .

_; ~ Memo :rable Incidents

Convention : In August 1924 a Convention was he l d at ihe s ~ hool f or all t he Principal s of Residenti al Schools of the Wes t. Besides many problems, the question of a High School for the brighter children was di scussed greatly. The Fat hers were a ll in f a vor to he lp and encour age the pupil s who fe l t cupabl e or desirous of taking higher grades. The Lebret School wa s unanimously chosen to be the school t o prepare rooms in order to receive the students from othe r school s .

A Great Pageant , 1925 In August 1925 a great Pageant took place i n the open air , at the school , and Hugonar d 's Day was instituted t o raise funds for the erection of a monument to ma r k the unceasing , faithful wo rk of Father Hfu gonard amongst the Indian s in the Valley of ~u'App e ll e . Iv.irs . Rinmer , wife of Judge Rimmer of Re gina was in charge of the Pageant. It consisted of three histirical t ableaux : the first one in the afternoon , wa s the coming of Champ l ain t o Q, uebec ; the second was La Verendrye in the VJes t; the third , at night , was the arrival of Father Hugonard in t he valley . Four or five thousand peo­ pl e , of all ranks, we re present to show their appreciation of the splen­ did undertaking, in memory of their beloved friend . At different times during the day speakers were as f ollows: Judge McKay f rom Prince Albert, ~Jr . LicPher son , lawyer from Regina, Dr. Uhrich, Minister of Public Health , Sask. (later Lieutenant Governor) l!Ir . Gardiner, Minister of Public Vvo rks at Re gina , Dr . Seymour and I·.'Ir. William Graham , Indian Com.nissi cner . At the banquet 1)resided by Mr . Graham were present the Governor of Sask. , Ro n . Newlands, His Grace Archbishop Mathew , cf Re gina , Mgr .Marois, }.,Igr . Harding Anglican Bishop of Qu VAppelle ,Archdeacon David­ son , Judge Rimmer and many others . Lebr et , a humble village unknown yesterday , is now ce­ lebrated throughout all of Western Canada . Such was tho beneficial in­ fluence and the high est eem in which Father Hugonard wa s held even after death. Monument e recte d Thus it be came possible to erect the beautiful brcn- ze statue of the missionary. It r epresents Father Hugonard having by his side one Indian boy and one Indian girl to whom he is talking. This memorial wa s unveiled in the summer of 1927, and vvas made possible by contributions of the provincial and f ederal goverbmen:t" the churches , and t he many friends of Father Hugonard . · n To live in hearts wo l eave behind is not to die . n Dist inguish Visitors : The school is r enowned for its generous hospi- tality a s we ll a s f or its picturesque s ite . It s a ttracti on drew not only the hosts of little Indians and the noma d fa ly caravans , but a lso , quite frequently , the e lite of the population,of' different origin and be lief. In summer , the attractive flowe r-beds, th3 luxuriant and f ertile garden s , the prolific and fruitful f ar ms , the re­ fre shing shadows of trees on the charming bank of the Lebret Lake de light the vi sitor s . Most distinguished guests , such a s H. R.H. the Prince of VJ"c; l os , Governor Generals of Cr nada , the Honorable Ministers of the Fed2rn.l and Provincial Governments , the Archbishops and Bishops , politicians, t o u ·~~­ t ourists , end educa tors of marl'\: , honoured the institution with the ir vis '1_t and sympathetic a pprecinti on . The Anna ls record a l so the visit of four Superior Gene ­ r 8 ls of the Oblates of :Msry Immc.c ulate . In thG v _~ ry firs t years of the f ounda tion of the schoo l, Most r ever end F~, t ouis Soulier on n t our to CanndE visited the school. , His Exce llency IV!gr . Dontenwill has a lso de igned to vi-­ sit the school in Sept . 192 7 - ~ nd in 1928 . ~-~ost never end Fr . Theodore Le. boure ma dJ s brief stey 1.~1 J anuery 1936 . The octuul SupG rior General , a Canadian born Mo st Rov ,_ Fr . Leo Doschat ol ots , visited thG s chool shortly after his e l~cti o n in J une l947 , ba ck ngedn in 1948 , and l s.tely , April 19.5.5 he peid a vcrs _,_ visit before r eturning in Rome . The Second Fire 1932.

Destruction of the School On November 13,1932, at 6:45 a.n. while tho children were at Mass, fire wes dis­ covered in the girlsV wing of the building~ Afte~ the evacuation of the children, tho citizen of the locality and the Scholastics in~~edi e tely took themselves to the spot, and together with the Fathers, the Sisters, and the ernployoos no.de haste to save from the flames, part of the fur­ nitures, church vestenents, books, clothings, beds, kitchen utensils,etc. Of that imposing institution nothing remained, but smoking ruins. The conflagration was attributed to defective electric wires. In all, the financial loss wa s estirnntod at a quarter of o. nillion dollars. Tem.porary . Quc.rters Father Leonard, principal of the school, nnd Lir. Murris on, inspector of Indien Agencies, ir:lnedia ­ tely undertook to find quarters for the children and the staff. Father Blanchin, superior of the Oblate Scholssticate, received all the boys, while the girls were housed, as well c.s was possible, in the tovm hall, basement of the new church, and they also used the old church. The Sis­ ters divided their nutiliar among these different localities. At the Schola stico.to Tho boys and the Scholastics mingled and beccue one l arge fsnily. Cntechisn was taught by tho Scholastics. A band wa s begun and built up by Brother Piche, who, ten years late~ becaFo principal of the school. The Brothers acquired a fresh interest in the Indisn missions, and many begs n the study of an Indisn langMage. Among the lattGr wa s Brother Laviolette who quickly mastered Sioux, and later becGno the zealous missionary of the Siouan missions of western Canada. The GirlsYAcconnodation .After the firo,the ladies of the village helped the Sisters 2 grea t deal assorting, ironing, sewing dresses etc. The girls had class roan in th 1 town hall; the old church was used as a chapel, dining roan and recreation roan, while the basement of the new church was transforned into a dormitory. The Government arranged for a cement floor and sanitary ncconnodations, (~ and lines of two story-bods were the girls~ night quarters. As a matter of f a ct, on the very next day of tho fire directors, Sisters, and teo.chers, pronpted by their devotedness, although at the cost of heroic sucrificos, hud bGen successful in organizing the regular and customary life , and in these inprovisod apartments cls. sses were begun. The Convent Offers Hospitality A lot could be sa id in praise of the Reverend Sisters of Our Lndy of the :Missions but time and space do not permit. Suffice it to sa y that it we s this Co111.111Unity c.lthough somi-cloistored that throw open its doors to give tenporo.ry shelter to tho Grey Nuns after the two great firos of 1904 and 1932. It took some tine bofor0 a ccomnodations could be fixed up for those in chergo of the girls; so e whole dorni ttt;,f'y in tho Convent wo.s put at their disposal, wh ere they wore free to cone in and out as much as they pleased during the cold nonths of 1932. 26 It is always in tines of tria ls like these that we cone in contnct with noble souls whose live s are spent in self sa crifice that God may be better known . Old tiners still hold fond reminiscences of this last period where the two coLrr.1uni tie s of Sisters ningled in connan effort - the educa tion of youth. The staff and tho children wer e thus sheltered until fdnrch 26, 1936, three long yeors, through the charity of their neigh­ bours and friends. Restoration As it happened after the first firo, divers influen- ce C [.. use d the nutter of rebuilding t o be problonctic. Therefore, it was c. difficult tc.sk to persua de the governraent to r e­ build the school. After nany petitions, the goverru:1ent consented and funds were vote d in Parlian ent. RG c on s t ructi ~ n bag·:n in tho spring of 1935, and wa s conpleted in Novenber . The boys the girls and the staff noved into the buildings in llifurch c. nd April 1936. At tho beginning of March, 125 girls he d been trs nsfered to their new horne fran the old church building and fran the ba senent of the new stone church where they had been housed since tha tine of the fire. On March 23 , about 100 boys were noved into the school. These hc d been do@iciled in a portion of the Scholasticate during the sane interv2l ~ A half holiday wa s declared by Father Blanchin,dire ctor of the Schola sticate, on the day of the departure of tho boys and on the previous evening the Brothers gave a farewell party to the boys. The Bro­ thers Dnd tho boys had been close"noighborsn the four yenrs and it wa s with reluctance that sane of the boys ha d to say good-bye to their adept­ a d guardians. vfuen tho Sisters were asked to give an account of the ir lifo of hardships during the three years succeeding the fire Sister Mariani, in the name of the Sisters c. nswered , u Vfu en sa crifice is ncce _p t ed for the love of Go d , nothing seons hard ; l abor itse lf be cooos a pl oc­ sure.0 Opening of the School On April 2, 1936, the s chool wns s ol ennly ble ssed by Archbishop Monahnn of Hegins . On Me.y 29 , of the sane ye.:t r, His Enn.inence Car dinc. l Rodrigue Vill:3 neuvo , Archbishop of Quebe c, on tho occa sion of his visit to t ho we st,joinod with inspector hlurrison in the officia l opening with a l ar go concourse of Govornnent Officia ls, Bishops, _pri est s , Schol a stics , Indi cn en d vv hi.te people. A dinner wn s hol d a t t ho schoo l f or all the gu8sts oArch­ bishop Monahan expre ssed his gr a titude t o a ll a nd wus plea sed with the co-opera tion shown by t he dopartaent of Indi an Affoirs. Cor dina l Ville­ ne uve sc id that the church and the sta t e hEd worked we ll in the y~ · ~ s passed f or the benefit of all the Indians . Willy Yuzdcapi of Lorlie,in the name of the Indians thanked t he departrnent for the school an d the work it was doing among the Indians. The Cardina l spent the night at t he Scholasticate after attending a musical concert put by the Indian s tu­ dents at the school. Vlliile at the Seminary, the Brothers had lend their mu s ic a ~ instruments to the boys, and a band was founded by Br . Piche . The b eys were soon able t o play selections of choice . For t he opening of the s cbr they played, 17 NapolionYs Last Charge;' with the spirit and r yLhm this beautiful composition calls f or. 27 The New Indian School - 1926.

A Modern Institution The largest boarding school in the province accomodates approximately 320 Indian students from the tiny tots of the prima ry grades to the husky young men and women of grade eleven a nd t welve. It is situated on the shore of the Lebret lake, just across the Seminary of the Oblate Fathers. The building is completely fireproof,of red brick construction and adds much to the appearance of the village. The two large wings of the building are practically iden­ tical, one for the girls and the other for the boys, each having its own dormitories, dining rooms , and playrooms. Besides the seven class­ rooms, there is a pharmacy and a eight-bed hospital wa rd, a power laun­ dry, a large kitchen and n spacious chapel . A large spacious gymnasium-auditorium, 120 feet by 60 ft. has been added in 1952. It can be hold approximately 800 seats. It can be used as a basket ball court or badminton and can be taken away as de­ sired. In September 1954, the stage has been used as a classroom and the gallery also had to be taken as another classroom was needed. Previous to that, in September 1953,another classroom had been opened in one of the houses near the school. In all, ten classrooms a re n ow in operstion.

28 Father ~oonard Leave s Due to ill health, Father Leonard had to l ea- ve the school which Was so dear to his heart . He had arrived as principal October 26 , 1919 , and kept his post unt i l June 8, 1936 , saventeen years of zealous accomplishments and courageous achie· vements . Everyone who knew Father Leonard admired his l ove for the Indian chi ldren conJIDi tte d t o his care . He devoted himself in the in­ tere st of the school with great energy. He encouraged higher studies for thosa wh o wanted t o l~ e ep on . He sent some girls t o the Public High SchuCJ l in the village; Edna Dumont fini shod hor grade J:ll, Florence l,:cLeod we nt u_p t o grade X, Jean Louis De snomie went t o the Grave lbourg v s college f or a couple of years , Al phonse Lavallee and Victor Hackay attende d St Bani­ f a ce rs J uniorate . Eventua lly, Fa ther Leonard had the ~rduous task of com­ municating wi t h the principals of tho Indian schools , both Catholic and protestant t o_ raisG funds so that s. monument could be erected t o _p erpe ­ tuate Father Hu gonardVs me mo ry amon g future generations. Hi s greate st trial wa s the disastrous fire which dest r oy­ ed the school in 1932. Thro§r gh his untiring efforts the school was kept opene d . Furtheremore, if the school vva s roconstr ucte d it ws.s owing to :-"' uncea s ing appeals t o th e~ gov(3 rnmont , for the welfare of tho Indi ans , t 11o c2uso he sustaine d with invincible energy . Retiring from Indian work , Father Leonard still used his strongth for e ducationa l purpose s at Gravelbourg Vs College and a t St . Laur .::;nt , L2nitoba , whore illness struck him in 1946 . He passed away in a Montreal hospital on DocGmb er 24 , 1948 at the age of 71 .

A New Principal Fa ther Ma urice de Bretagne was appoint e d principal of thG school in 1936 . A Fr0nchna n by birth , Fr . d0 Bretagne i s a lso u de scendant of tho French nobility. Ho was b orn in castle ~o rt agne , at V~ udric our t , Pa s de Ca lais, near the Be lgia n Border . Vlhen young hG a ttende d school near his home , and l earne d of his f or ef c ­ thers in the magi s tra cy an d court s of Fra nce . In the first Wo rld Vla r Maurice de Bre tagne serve d as a soldier and was sent t o meet the a dva ncing enemy. He was severe ly wo und­ e d in th::; ba ttle a nd pori l ously close t o death. VThile on the ba tt l o field,lying in his blood , he promisod the Blessed Virgin Mary tha t if he could only be save d he would de vot e the r e st of his life f or his f c l­ l Gw men a s a prie st of God in a socie ty de dicate d t o the Ble s sed Virgin Mary. It was only ma ny year s s f t3r wa rds , when he a rrive d in Cana da tha t he me t the Obla t e s of Mary I r11macula te ond j oine d thoir order. Fa the r de Bretagne be gan his apostolic work in tho In­ dic;.n missicns of Loko 'Jinnipegosi33 • He l e c-t rne d ths Indian LanguGge , trc.. ­ velle d in dog sle d to tho missi c ~s on tho shor e s of the 1a4o , and suf­ f er e d tho privations of thoso pi oneer s of tho north. Then he wa s appoint e d principal of t he Fort Frances Indi on schoo l. The Len der Post showe r e d groa t praises on Fs the r Ma urice de Bretugno when he wa s appointe d prin­ 1 cipa l of t he Lebre t Indian Schocl . We quott?., i Ho was closoly observe d by his superiors , and Wh en the y s2w ovident signs of his gr eat ability t o teach, to manege, and t o chr istionizo t he Indian s , he ';Ja s morkcd f or gr eoter work. 11 29 Undoubte dly, Fa ther de Breta gne is a born l ea der , a r n~ ~ t orly a dministrat or, wise and f ar seeing. Peopl e ma rvelle d at the tre -­ mendous amount of work he did while a t the school as prinuipal a nd bursar. Improvements In the first pla ce a fter the r e con s truction of the school, the yards, fences and pla ygr ounds, l awns and gardens, a ll ha d t o be renewe d and rebuilt. Tree s we r e p l a nte d near the l ake shore a s wind-breaks; slrubs such a s ca r a ganas , honey suckle s a nd lilacs a s ornamenta ls we r e plante d in the l awn a nd ar ound tho school. Since then, e ver y ye a r,the flower b eds and the shrubs, in full blossom all slimmer long displa y a va riety of interesting colors. In the lawn, white fences a rtistica lly built e: dd much to the appe ar a nce. Indeed, no effort were spar e d to bec utify the front of the school. We oft en hear peopl e sny tha t it is chr. r a cteristic of a Frenchman to n dd bee u­ ty t o his home surroundings . It holds true here. Further mo r e , a well wa s dug to have good driilic ing wa t er. Great improvement wer o a lso effe c­ t e d on the f nrm; an Indian Hot e l wa s built ha lf a mile from the school t o a ccommodate the distant p ~ rents of the children on their visits to the school; swings, me rry-go-rounds,teet er-tottor s wo r e ins t a lle d in t he p l a ygrounds; childr en we r e well dressed; discipline wn s con s idere d pra ctica l means of e ducntion; briefly, the school c dva ncod a step more towards progress.

The. A~nual Picnic In Septemb e r~ o n the day of the opening of t he school year,a p icnic i s organized and a grand booth for delicacies is opene d in the playground. Th is originated in Fr. de Bretagne's time. This was in view of giving the par ent s the oc­ casion to bring their children at the appointed time, t o meet c. ch other, t o ge t acquainte d with the new teachers and to mee t t ht:3 o l.d , f :.I.i.· --­ thermore, to discussed their problems with the staff . Few more High School Students The de sire t o acquire mo re know l edge gradually increased and Fr. de EJ.:"·eta -· gne stimulate d and encoura ged hi gher studie s for t hose wh o desire d it. So, the following pupils were sent t o a t t end t he village High School:

1Iargaret Dumont, Florence Penny, Ma ria n Pe lletier ,Eliza beth Be lleg&rde 1 (the lat ter graduate d nur s e from Sa skatoon ) pr ofitted by this opport u­ nity. Occa sionally, Fa the r de Bretagne heart i ly t ook t he opportunity t o show signs of French courte s y t o dignitarie s and dis­ tinguished visitors . Do ctor Simes from the I ndi a n Hospita l at Fort G:~ u 1 Appelle and the Agents of t he different r e s erves we r e clos e l y ass oci a ­ ted with t he school in their par t icul ar phase of wo rk. Indi a ns to0 r ~ e welcome at the school and Father wa s intereste d in every individual f a­ mily .

The Governor-General v s Visit ,lllay 1938 . Ue quote fr om the St ar We ek l y . The f i rst Governor- General in many years to visit Sa skatchewan' s historic Qu 1Appelle country , Lord Twee dsmuir received color f ul and l oyal greeti ngs from hundreds cf I n­ dian children a nd their pa r ents from the surroun di ng r eserve s , a t the Indian School at Lebrct, Saturday, May 14. A smiling and gr a cious r e ­ presentant of the king , Lord Tweed smuir l ove d to see the cr ow d of children lined in military pr e cision a nd to hear the sc~ oo l ban J whi ch struck up f1 ) Cana da " the minute the Governor- Gener a l got sut of hi 3 car . 30 Father Maurice de Bretagne , principal of the school, met the Governor and his party and escorted them t o his Excellency Archbishop Monahan, who extended the word of welcome. Miss 111laggie Dumont, then, read an address. Two Indian Chief s we re posted as guards at the step door,dress­ ed in full regalia; they were Red Do g and Jack Fisher. il After t he first formaliti e s were over , the Governor General happened to comment on his last visit to the Picqrdi District of France,where Father de Bretagne came from , and highly talked about his reception t o the famed Chateau Blois , near Bethune,u Do you know them? asked the Governor. 11 Indeed , it is my home , my family,answered the _priest humbly. What a co-incidence ! Lord 'rweedsmuir having just vi­ sited the priestVs family, and while in Canada could give fresh inte­ r e sting news of his aged be l oved father and mother . The Governor Congratulates Sister Ma riani Tha t same evening Sister Mariani was leaving Lebretf> ··ne quote from the same article on the Star Vveekly. ';In Lebret, the Gover­ nor met one of the remarkable vvomen of the west, who, as a Gr ey Nun, com­ plete d more than 43 years Ys wo rk with the Indians, and Saturday night l eft for the 1Io ther House in l\1o ntreal t o 11 ond my days in prayersn , she said . This was Sister Mariani, Irish by birth , ea rly in life orphaned,and then,as a young women took her vows in the Sisterhood . For 42 years she has labored among the Indians and is known to practically a ll of them in the Qu'Appe lle district Indi an reserves . The r~c ep tion of his Excellency was in the nature of a f arewe ll for her and she could not r e strain the tears at the _parting . 11 I will l oe ve when it will be dark t onight, 11 she said,nand I will carry with me the cherished memories of the beautiful Qu ~Ap _pe lle, where I have been very happy f or such a long time . :1 One of Sister hariani 's grea t desires ,during her mis · sian work, was t o see some Indian girls f ollow her steps in the Mi ssion Fields. At l east she ha d the consolation of having lived with one C ~ee Indian Nun, Sister Helen Greyeyes, vvho wa s a daughter of her f ormer I)U­ pil of the first s chool, Ce cile White . Sister Greyeyes a Cree Native Sister Gr f:;yeyo s is a l so one of the forJ who have spent more than half of her life in the school devoting herse lf as teacher and sa cristan since 1927 and is still her e at the school. She hs s afton said that she got her vo ­ cation as a nun thrcugh hearing her mother speak so highly of the Gr ey Nuns , whose naiJe she knew since childhood, Sister Mariani among them .

Sister Gr eyeyes is a Cree native fr om r,i us l--~ e g Reserveo She attended school in the famed St . 1Ii chel Indian School, Duck Lake Sask. She has been taugl: t by the Sisters of the Presenta tion in the tL;-: ,:; of Father De lmas. She enter ed the Gr ey Nuns at St . Bonifnce , where she l earned French a nd then the techniques of teaching. She has a consider a -· ble amount of influence over the children e specially i n her classroom and in the exercising of concerts where sha invari a bly meets with groat success . 31 June 26, 1954 is 0 historical date for the Indians of Canada, OS nearly six hundred pilgrims from all Provinces and Terri_tories met in a pilgrimage at Our Lady's Shrine of Cap de Ia Madeleine, P.Q. Shown here, center: Rev. Fr. G. Laviolette, O.MJ., Director of National Pilgrim· age; to his right: Chief Poking Fire, of Caughnawogo; a group of delegates from Oko, St. Regis, Caughnawago, Lorette and Bersimis, P.Q. (Photo Lanouette, No. 4)

~HE IN DIAN"~~~RECORD 3s1o"~ · OTTAWA, CANADA Father Laviolette,a Former Missionary

The Beloved Father of the Sioux The missionaries in charge of the different reserves had always been ho~sed in the r ectory of the parish until the new Indian school was built . Father Laviolette was the f irst missionary to reside at the school. He arrived i n 1935. 'dhile student at the Scholasticate , he had s t arted t o learn the Sioux l angua ge and mastered it in no time. Natu­ rally he ha s a keen talent to l earn forei gn l anguages . He knows at lea st five . His missionary work sprea d f ar and wide , Beside the Standing Buffa llo r eserve,seven miles from the school, Father Laviole t­ t e was in cha rge of the f ar di stant reservati ons of Pipestone and Gris­ wo ld in Ma nitoba , the Assiniboine , Hood Mountain and Mco se Mountain in Sa ska tchew9n . Every summer he visited his f ar t her missions , building and repa iring the churches , gathering the children for religious in~ structions and preparing them f or first holy communion and confirmation , Band Me ster Fother Laviole tte de voted himself f or the children of the school as dire ctor of the Band . For twelve years the boys benefited of his musica l talents . He was the organizer of con­ certs, musical f e tiva ls, etc . We owe him the organization of the QuV.Ap­ pelle Musical Association wh o did so much t o improve the techniques and r a ise the standard of music in the surrounding district.

Editor of t he Indian Missionary Record The missionary zea l of Fr . La viole tte could not be li­ mited only to the missions of the Sioux people whom he loved so much but his interest for Indian welfare spreads a ll over Canada by the voice of the Indian Miss i onary ne cord. This monthly paper ha d its hum­ ble beginning in 1938 , in the Lebret Indian School which Fr . Lavioletto pe id with toil anfi drudgery. He sta r t e d wi th a mo nthly bulletin in or­ der to bring into close conta ct the pupils of our Residentia l Schools with their par ents . With the a ctive co-operation of Fa ther Maurice de Bre t agne , then Principa l , and other missionaries sending news from their r espective schools, it so en reached 2 great· number of homes . Yeers of constant and persevering l abor and worri es resulted in a National Mont h­ ly paper f or the Indians . It is now printe d in Ottawa .

Author of 0 The Sioux Indi ans in Can e::. da 11 In s_pi te of his tremendous wo rk in these differont fields, Father find time t~ write a book on the life of the Sioux peo­ p l e , entitled , a The Sioux Indiens in Canada . ;: The first edition came out in 1944 . It is ava ilable at the Saskatchewen Historical Society, Regina, Susk. Fa ther Laviolette Ls2ves in 1948. All hi s untiring l abor is o token of his grea t love for the Indi2n s . No wonder he he d a f ew gr ey hair when he l eft the s choo l . On his depar ­ ture in a ha lf chokedvoice , he tri ad t o t ell us whet a big ss crifico it was to l eave the Lobret Indi&n School . HI never was lonesome one day here , 11 he said . 11 I ha ve met many happy da ys amongst tho children Dnd Gl­ s o with your kind parents . I l eave you but my heart stays here . n

32 Although far from us Father Laviolette is still work­ ing for the Indians in Ottawa at the Indian Affairs Branch. His work is no more restrained to one school but he works iri the interest of all the Indians of Canada. In the Uarian year ,l954 , he wa s the director of the Indian National Pilgrimage t o Our Ladyvs Shrine of Cape de la I·Jiadelei­ ne, Quebec. At the close of the Pilgrimage to the Shrine Father Lavio­ lette was inducted as hmnorary chief of the Iroquois Indians of Caugh­ newaga , by their chief. The name given him was RA - NEN- RI-NEH which means Chief Leader. The Indians know they owe him a great debt of grati­ tude a nd t hey take occasion like the above me ntione d to show him they acknowledge his service.

Father Guy de Bretagne

~Great :Missi c;J nary Father Guy de Bretagne came to tho Indian school in 1936 with his brother , Father Maurice de Bre­ · tagne , who had just been appointed principa l. H~ took charge of the five missions of Piapot , Muscowpetung , Pasqua , File Hills Colony and Agency. Every week he visited his people with his hlode l A Ford. He was also very faithful t o visit the patients at the hospital a t Fort QuVAppe lle . He organized a library for them and regularly distributed assorted r evi ews a nd maga zines . Educator From his arrival to his departure Father Guy showed great interest in the teaching of r eligion cl asses. He continu­ ously and constantly workea to enlighten t he minds - giving exampl es in story form t o apply the mo r a l principl e s. He was convinced that t he purpose of Catholic educati on is to teach children to evaluate their own na tural capacity , to develop their talents , control emotions a nd train the will ; to appr e ciate their culture a nd appl y Christian prin­ cipl es to the ir personal , social, economic and national life . Fa the r Guy wa s we ll aware that sports and we ll or­ ganized games are ve r y impcrtant in the life of the schoo l. He was greatly inter e sted in a ll outside games . The seni ors, mediums , sma ll boys and sma ll girls Ypa l ygr ounds each ha d their turn for tricl(ery , jGkc, s , adventures, acrobats or games . As hunting was his hobby , many a time the boys enjoyed the rabbit hunt s. Father Guy was deeply liked by the children and the staff alike . His virtuous life , his gr eat knowledge in so many spheres , his meek and humb l e character is a constant inspiration to everyone . The saying in school wa,s, '1He is a living Di ctionary , 11 ·or, 11 He is as good as a Mo dern Encycl opedi aV In 1947 Father Guy was named professor of Church His­ tory a t the Scholasticate . He l eft with regrets , He had learned during t hose eleven years , t o l ove the Indi an children and their parents . And thsy in return consi der ed him as their gr eetest friend . His parting words were , u 'rhe l o. ke can easily be cross­ ed , so, IVll come ba ck of ten. 11 In f Gct, Father Guy de Bretagne is still very interested in the school we lfDre and he is always we.1cooc . APPOINTED LEBRET PUPIL WINS DRAMA AWARD PROVINCIAL Radio station CKCK announced four $100.00 junior dramatic scholarships made each year to school children throughout Sas­ katchewan. The awards known as the "best individual perform­ ance scholarship" are for use at any accredited drama school. On the recommendation of the school drama advisory commit­ tee which met during the recent Saskatchewan Trustee's associa­ tion convention, the 1951 awards first scholarship was granted to Miss Grace Lavallee, 18 years, Qu' Appelle Indian Residential School, Lebret, Sask., for her portrayal of Martha Cooper in "Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers." The scholarship entitles the winner to a course in drama at Banff or Saskatoon. Sixty contestants had made their application for Miss Grace Lavallee, grade XI pupil, the scholarships. at Lebret, Sask. Rev. Paul Piche, O.M.I., formerly principal of Lebret's Indian Res. School, in Sask., was appointed Pro­ vincial of the Oblate Fathers in Manitoba, on April 24. Father Piche was professor at Lebret Scholasticate from 1936 to 1941, Superior of the Oblate Junior­ ate in St. Boniface from 1941 to 1943 at which time he was named as Principal of the Lebret school. He replaces Father Ph. Scheffer, O.M.I. who is appointed official Visitor to Canada's Eastern Oblate Province which comprises James Bay, Labrador and Chile (South America ).

FIRST COMMUNICANTS AT LEBRE.T

TWENTY­ THREE FIRST COMMUNI- CANTS­ at the Lebret Boarding School, on April 23rd.- The school reg is­ tered 288 pu­ DRAMA PLAYERS from Lebret were pils in the fall received at Regina's Saskatchewan Hotel as guests of the Sask. Drama of 1950. As in Festival. Hon. W. S. Lloyd addressed all s i m i I a r them. They are: Clive Linklater, Catholic institutions a thorough grounding in religion is given the pupils, as Charles Bellegarde, Clifford Goodwill, well as moral and vocational guidance in order to make them better Christians Misses Grace Lavallee and Elizabeth and better citizens. Lera. 1943 Father Piche Ys Nomination cs Principal

Missiona ry 2t Lost Father Maurice de Brotegne,hnving finished his t erm as Superior and Principnl of the school , l eft on Au gust 24 , a fter having intr~duc ed to the staff the newly ap­ pointed principal, rieverend Father Paul Piche . Father Piche had been in close relation with the Indion boys while a t the Schola sticate , and afterwGrds ha d visited the children at the school , organized picnics for them, very often , while professor st the Somin<:~ ry . In 194l,he wr:..s nnmed Superior of the Oblate Juniorate in St . Boniface , until 1943 at which time he was named as principal of tho Lebret school . His Personality His friendly manners , his sense of humour , his mu- sical t a l ents soon a ttracte d everyone . Behind his sense of humour , lies a natural courtesy , c special qu2lity of fronk and open friendliness. At the school the pcrents were most we l come. Father Piche receive d everyone of them as he would have received the greatest dignitaries . He wanted the school and the pare nts to wo rk. together in a family spirit. He provided wo r k for the India ns here a t the school as much a s it was possible , f a voring t he younger ex-pupils . He brought the children on their ps rticula r r eserves f or flower days, wed ding dcys, funerals and sometimes j ust for a Sunday outing to see their parents . His morning rounds were to visit eech e nd everyone nt their little chore s and his friendly cha t with everybody was much cp­ precis tod. At recreation time he would go from one playground or pla y­ room to c. nother a nd take pe rt in the childrenvs games s nd seemed to have enjoyed it even more the. n tho children. 11 For he 1 s e. J )lly Good Fel­ low11, has been sung to him fit y tines or mor e . In these rounds he neve r fc ilsd to say a word of encouragement or s wo rd to show his nppreciction of the work being done , to the suporvisors, tea chers, or employees . His visits in the classroom were a lways l ooked forwa rd to . For the little ones he oft s n brought cc ndies in his pockets .

Heeding to t he r,:a ster vs exEunple' h8 co. rried out Q programme of devotedness day in and day out , a l we ys concerned with oc,ch a nd everyone confided to his car e with the chnrity a nd the joviality chara cteristic cf him. In spite of the duties , toils a nd cares of a prin­ cipa l , everyone was receive d with G broa d smile, kind wo rds tha t knew how to hGa l a wound or t o stimul ~ t e efforts and sustain courage , words o. nd ccti ons t oo , thnt cornrJunicGte t o a ll, pence , joy, a nd r enewed _cou­ rage, to pursue the dnyYs t a sk.

Father Piche vs Mot t o v'la s 11 Th e:_; school for the Children12 To ensure the r ee lisa tion of this motto, no efforts were spared that the sound principles of true Christicn education be c pplied , and through his compe tent guidunco the C~u ~ Appo ll e Indi ::-: n School ha s wo n for itself c.n on­ viable place c.mongst other schools and ha s boon r e cognized a nd prnisod highly by tho Government a nd other e uthorities . For his Christlike chc ri­ ty a nd generosity the Indi2ns owe him a grent debt of gr a titude . BEJing very optimistic he hc. d greet hopes a nd an unfailing enthusiasm in trying to detrelop evory talent. 34 lv'Iusic Father Piche is a musicio.n nnd a lover of beautiful music and singing. Therefore , tho atmosphere was tha t of music Gnd joy. In fact~ big crop of musicians grew up with years , but at wha t cost for the lovers of quiotness and rest! All da y long from morning t i ll night the hours of meals and class excepted, music was heard in the four corners of the bui lding. And what mus i c at time s ! Eve ry yea r an o.vorsge of 1.5 or 16 _pianists , co.ch. in turn , harnmered tho _pianos , 9 or 10 orga nists b l ew t he four orga ns , while always around 2.5 to 30 _players _puf fed b ehind a cornet , clarinet , baritone , trombone , saxophone , etc . For two yea rs , he ­ ving such a great number t cking pia no l e ssons , tho mor o a dvnnced atten­ ded regula r course s a t St Ga briel Convent . In 19.53 , Lorrai ne Bellegnrde a nd Ruth Ann Cyr _p a s sed the Toronto Conservatory Music . Senior Gir l sVChoir Besides , there were the Senior GirlsiChoir who had won a reputation in its appearances at luna ­ teur Hours , Fe stiva ls a nd concert s . Sister A. Gosselin , directress of a ll the singing in the school for many yea rs , must be comp limented not onl y for the Girls'Choir , but a lso for t he boys a nd girl s Gr cgoriant Chant choir . We OV1 (3 her many be c-~ utiful hymns r~ nd l ovely songs . She stert­ ed me ny s ol oiilts 2mong them , Gracie L2vnllee , whor:J. through da ily _pr c:< cticcj s develope d a beautiful voico , a nd was a ble to ta~ e singing l e ssons in Saskatoon later . The Musical Festival The QuVA_p_pelle Va lley Musical Associ ation he l d a Musical Festiva l yo3rly , in spring t i me since 1945. Mr , I2n B::;rrie , fror:1 Regina , hc:d been the adj udicator f or five con­ secutive yenrs . Our school _pr e sented a lar ge number of competitors e very yesr . The children were proud of themselves when trophies and mednls we - . r c ewardod them . Ivia ny choruses end sol os won prizes . Gracio Lavelleo won the highe st mcrk in tho 1950 Fe stivnl , end her younger ha 1 f - sister,Vir gi ni8 Starr , when in grade four, won the highest mark of all the 19 52 Festi va l& The Senior Girls 9Chorus obtained 91 marks . Dr ama Our school has always _p articipated i n the Annual Dr ama Festiva ls of the local for educational purposes as we l l as good entertain­ ment . By doing so , the school gets the satisfaction of living up to the standards of the other schools . It is a yearly event that it a l ways l ook­ ed forward to. by the pupils . Uany trophies a nd medals have been 'won. The 1 ' Lost Princess" won the top honor, the Dr ana Cu_p , in the local dramatic festival , and then wa s invi ted to the Regina Festival and again came fir s t . From the re they headed for the Saskatchewan finals in Moose J aw and came second , one point behind the winning play. Sr . Robinet and her grade 3 a nd 4 _pupi l s often entered in competit ion and twicw brought back the t rophy for theJunior Division. Other occasion such as t he Christmas concert gi vo the opportunity to many children to deve lop dramatic talents . The Lebret Indian Band A few years before the school burnt down in 1932, music ha d suffered for lack of a band master . So, the boys of that _period , did not learn music, until after th·2 fir e , while they were being sheltered for three years a t the Scholasticatc Father Piche , who was then a student there , undertook to teach them with the Brothers 1 instruments . He called his little Band , "Christ the King B a n d ~ It was really a success . When the children moved into the new school, t ho Gove rnment having witnessed the great musical t a l ents of the boys , b ought them new ins truments , and Father Laviolette faithfully ke_pt it up a s band master ; but when the latter had to leave f or Ottawa , in 1948 , Fa ther Picho took up his loved art a gain with the boys and even brought it to a higher standa rd . 35 He loved to participate in public appearances , to brighten up a gathor­ ing,festivals , concerts, parade s , .SportsWDay etc . Consequently, the . Indian school band became we ll known in Saskatchewan and in many dis­ t a nt points in the west . Invitations to the Band came from far and wide throughout the year. In 1946, they we nt t c Ille a la Cross in No rther n Saskatchewan from June 28, to July the 1, on the occasion of the Cente ­ nary of the Oblate Mission ther e . Tho year 19)0 was the most succe ssful year for the band. Under the abl e dire ction of Father Piche,principal, the Band has made strides unparallelled before . Tho Band has distinguishe d itse lf · ~ith music of exceptional quali ty . That year they j oine d the Internation­ al Bo. nd Festiva l, competing wi t h . Canadian and American BEnds . Tho Indian school Band took pla ce next to tho Re gina Lions Band. Decke d in thG itoya l Canadian .b.rmy Cadet uniforms with white ca ps a nd white ankle ts s nd high glosse d instrwnents, l eo d by a waving Union J a ck, the B&nd ga ve a smart march pa ssed thr ough the streets of Moose J e. w, where numerous cum:::. ­ r a s clicked amidst constant appl ause from the Fe stival. The Indian school Band loa d the parade of t we lve Bands and their demonstra tion r e ce ive d much praise . . In 1951, the Band tie d with tho Regina Lions Junior Bend a t the Annua l Kingsmen Internationa l Band competition he ld in Moose J nw. Fc ther Lebleu wa s the e ble dire ctor. The adjudica tor highly praise d tho progre ss ma de in a year. The Indion School held the Toddington gr and cha llenge shie ld for six months , while the Regina Lions took over tho trophy for the fina l months . The Grey Nuns Cent ennry In 1944 tho school cel ebrate d the centenary of t he nrri ve l of the Gr ey Nuns in the Vo st . A parents day we. s organize d nnd a very r e creetive concert was put on i.n tho evening . This co- i ncide d wi th the 60th anniver sary of t he a rri­ val of t ho Gr ey Nuns t o t he India n School of La bre t , in other words , thG founda tion of the Indi 2n school in the va lley. A Drams representing Fr . Hugona rd end the first Sist •s rs at the very beginning 0f tho schcJC) ],. ,h:· d been composed ond r e henrsed by Re ver end Sister Ste . Christine , dire c­ tre ss of the school drcmntic a ctivitie s tha t ye2 r .

Gov ernor Gener a l 1. s Visit , 1944 Earl of Athlono and Prince s s r,I.:::. ry honored the school by a t wo hours' visit here . The corridors end the r e ception r oom we r e all ettra ctivc l y deckedwith gold cha ins and r od , white and blue be lls - a ll made by the children. The Government Officials , doctors, nnd n f ew fri end s j oined us to r e ce ive The ir Exce ll2ncios . Cont rary t o tho itiner a ry , Princess Alice visited many departments such ns dormitorie s, clc ssrooms, infir­ mary e tc . She showe d a great inter e st in the work. Before leaving , she spoke to the Fathers and the Sisters in French in a very friendly fL.nr ~ r ~

The Ob l n t e ~t e n a ry In 194), ngnin a great event , the centenary of tho a rriva l of tho Oblnt e Fa thers in t he Wes t . This e lsa had 2 double ce l ebra tion, the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the hlission, tha t i s of the parish her e at Lebrot. A concert wa s st aged by the children of the school under the able direction of Sr. Sto . Chris tine A banquet wa s serve d to a ll tho dignitarie s, Obla t e s and friends .who had como to offer their tribute a nd mage to the He roe s of the day .

The Cadet Corps The Hugonard Cadet Corps was organized in 1944 having Maurice Bedard ns Lieutenant . The next year Mr .Florent Verra ult t ook ovor until Mr. Doll took ohargc in 1946 until his departure in 1950. In 1950 Mr ,Klepsch was instructor with Arthur Obey and in 1951 Mr . Hugh Bitz became chief instructor. In 1954 Brother Eugene Mo rin t ook over. The Cor pus ChristiVs procession is the highlight of the Cadet public a _ppenr ances . On November the ll,the corps te.kes the first pla ce along with the Veterans in theChurch ceremony and then leads the procession m2rching to the Legion Hall with the Band . In 1945 George Lavallee , William Yuzicapi and Clarence Poitras attended the Cadet Camp held in Prince Albert in July. In 1946, Arthur Obey and Alfred Lavallee attended the Cadet Course at Dundern. In 1947 , twenty boys attended Clear Lake Cadet Co_urse . For a f ew years the Corps made great stride and _peak performances under the capable l ea­ dership of IEr. Ed . Doll . This was _proved by the great awards won in Ma y 1948 , the 11 Efficiency Trophy 11 for the group, and the highly sought li Challenge Cup 11 gi veu the best Cadet Corps in the _pr ovince . It was a great honor for the Corps, competing against Colleges,High schools and Public rchool of the who l e _province of Saskatchewan . In 1950 the Corps received the extremely high marks of 851o and wo n the Eastern Division Shield . Arthur Ob ey was e l evated to the rank of Cadet Iviajor . '}!he some year , two leading Cadets ,C harles Bell egarde and Arnold Stemchild attend­ ed the National Ca det Camp for two weeks at Banff, Alberta . In 1954 nine of theCadets left July 3 for Dundren Camp . In 1952 ,Clive Linklater won a medal for the best shot in Saskatchewan . The following received their Ma ster Cadet Certificat , the highest award in Cadets : Percy ~.. 1a ndy ,Clive Linklster , Charles Bellegarde, Arthur Obey, Richard Poitras,Thomas Des­ nomie , Herbie Strongeagle a nd Ernest Scott .

The Missionary Association of l··Iary Immaculate

The M.. A.l'vi.I. The association is commonly known among its memb ers es the M. A . I~ . I. It is the official organization of the laity co- operating in the apostolic wo rk of the Oblates of Mary Immacu­ late . This association wns started in Europe many centuries ago. It ha d its beginning here only in the year 1951. Reverend Fa ther La _pl ante , _pro­ vincial dire ctor , with unfailing zea l _published monthly bulletins to help us organize our branch und adapt i t to our environment,. As in other enterprises, its beginning was an apprenticeship. With the inspiring and enthu2instic director,Rev. Fr.L . Dumont ,the As sociotion is now well r ooted . At the beginning , four Sisters,assistant directress we­ re in charge of the different groups : Sr. Constantin, 3 yr . Sr . G. Ma rcoux, 4 yr . Sr.E . He r auf 1 yr . and Sr.C.Winter 5 yr. Since 1954 Sr . Cloutier took charge of the Medium grbu_p , and Sr . Ls va llee the Senior group. At the pr e ­ sent time , l 955 , Sr . Deschambecult and Sr. R. Bouchcrd l ook over the Senior group. Organization Later, the associati on remodell e d its organizstion on the Dande lion Club , the recognized organization of the diocese and of the western _p rovinces . This program, if followed faith­ fully will bring about n united effort to m3ke our Catholic Youths,zeal­ ous lay apostles, willing and able to restore a ll things in Christ . 37 Activities The student themselves are the l eaders and organizers.It c ffords great oportunity to build char a cter and pGrsonn­ lity having five different con1mittees providing work for so many more memb ers, a s a ctive participators .

To memtion only 2 few a ctivities , one year the study of good comics we s on the progr nmn1e . Themanes of ba d comics or obj e ction~ ­ ble poclcet books were made known, end wiped awa y from our school.Instee d, with money sponsore d by the a ssociati on 2 library of very good Catholic Books has been purcha sed from the Catholic Book Family Club. Subscrip­ tions of a great emount of periodicc. ls ha s been made this year. A full progr amme on honesty has been stuoied one year ; its advantages end disa dvantage s, its purpose end beauty. The monthly spee ches aff ord the children the opportunity of research, or e l pra ctice a nd public appearance . The debate s ma de in n socia l ga thering of 150 pupils hnve more weight then those being me. de i n a priva te cla ssroom. Tho socia l program organized by the social committee and discussed by the chairman of each conm1ittee, provides l aedershi p to many pupils end above a ll tho understa nding and co-opera tion so nece s­ sary to peaceful living . The spiritua l co1nmittee s lso brings in its part on the programme. This year the study of the gr e12 t Sacrifice of the Mass is on the aganda . The younger group made booklets of colle ctions of pictures of theBlesse d Virgin Mary artist ica lly do cor cted . These were ma de during the r e creational periods and free evenings . All a ctivities s r e prepare d in spare time apart from the cla ss and study hours. The children , we believe , ha ve gained tremendously through this M.A.M.I. more than anyone of us can conceive. It furnishe s inspire ­ tion, guidance , a s a f oun da tion to the l ec.ding of good lives a s honorab l e citizens - a s father s and mothers of future gener a tions - in e very as_pec t of life.

The Prime Minis t er of Canada Visits the School The Reception On July 8, 1950, Honorable Louis St. Laurent honoure d the school by making a short visit. Since it wa s va cation time, no pupils were here except two H_:_gh School- Gr a cie La va llee , who ha d been invite d to come and sing for the occasion , and Clifford Goodwill, both dressed in I ;l dian beaded costume s ,represented t he children. An exhibition of some of the embroidery work, wooded work, sewing , we aving , and the like was put up . A lunch was served , and while t a sting the delicious food, the guests went around the room admiring the exhibits. The Sisters presented a tea set embroidery cloth to His Excell ency to bring to Mrs . St. La urent.

He ~eav es for the Schola stica t e The Fathers and the Scholastics had joine d us for the r e ception and imme - diately after lunch left in a canoe procession with our honor able guest to visit the Scholasticate . From there they ca noed him to fott Qu VAppelle whe r e 8 ,000 pe o_ple we r e o. ssembled to receive him.

Father G. Lebleu,O.M.I. Missionary and Bursar Fr . Leblue came to our school twice - first, in 1948 as a missionary of Piapot, Muscow­ petung and Pasqua . He regularly visited the patients at the Indian Hospital and said Mass there once a month. His skill in office work wa s sonn notice d and the editoria l sta ff of the bi-mo nthly paper of our school,profitted gr eatly of his experience in the Gestetner's work . The Year Book of 1949 was certainly among the b es t~ His Sundayis sermons were looked f or ward to and theemployees classed them as gems. He ha s grea t oratory t a l ents and hi s pr a ctic a l ~ nd vivid exanpl es of f a cts brought out in humorous comparisons keep cnyone from sleeping. In 1950 his health has been badly shaken and he ha d to undergo a severe operation. In 1951 he came ba ck a s bursar , missionary to File Hills Colony and Agency . In his short stay he did a wonderful job. The band made grea t stride enough to win the Tc:- ddington Great C ~a ll e nge Shield. It wa s the firs t time in history that the band won suuh un honorc, ble mention. · It WC.i S due to Fa ther Leblue Vs perfe ction of skill. His singing lessons were appr e cia t ed by the children.

Help From the Seminary

Friends in Need ar e Friends Indeed Wo rking in close relationship with our neighbour is n sign of friendliness. Our nost i ndispensible ne i ghbour is the Semina ry of the Obla te Fa thers situnt e d right a cross t he l ake , who has playe d n vita l role since its er e ction as an institution in 1927.

In the first pls ce , cfter the fire in 1932, they h~ vo house d for three yo s r s a ll tho I ndian boys . ~ Gco ndly they kept on invi­ ting the childr en to go and pa ss nn afternoon at the ir pla co , oround Christma s and tho Brothers cooked end served n de licious supper for then . This ~top~od when t he children starte d to go homo f or t heir Christma s va cntlon , :.H"t:- Gr ect help hns been given to the school in the lino of printing Year Books , progrens , otc . Music t ea chers cannot forge t tho lift they ha d r e ce ived concerning music end singing. The Brothers loolc f or wc-rd to (\ Ccompanying one of our missiona1ios on c distant r e serve f or the Christmss or Ea ster church s ervice s . Our undey High Mess is ul mo st a l ways sung by a young Fe ther from the Scholosticate . Some Fa thers pay a visit e very week for those who want to go to confe ssion. The photographer is often ca lled a t the school a t spe­ cia l occa sion. I s it nt ha.ndy to hove s omeo ne t o help us o.ny tine we need? ViJhethe r for trucks, ccrs , cs mor o. , musl Clans, or for be sket nnd ba seball teams, - we thank God for such ne i ghbours .

39 The Indian Hospital The Medical Health Unit The Indien Affairs Brench Public Health Ser- vice,stetioned at Fort Qu'Appelle four niles from the -school, has worke d hand in hand,with the school for the physical welfart:f of the children. The late boloved Doctor Sines was named Regional Superintendent of all Indian Hospitals in Saskatchewan after having given the best of himself for 20 years in the Fort Qu'Appelle Hospital. Doctor Simes has been a grea t help to the school.

The Departr:10nt of Health ond 1.'lolf· ~ ro "su.:~plio s thG no dicinos and what is nee ded for the care of the children. Xrays and eye tests were also sponsored by the Health Department. Physical examinations, and innoculations are given hy the Doctors and Nurses. The enphasis is nowadays placed upon preventives- the checking of epidenics- therefore, an injection has to be giv~n • At certain pt riod of the year, our ears ore usually greeted with, " Oh,no, not enother needle.~r In 1947 we hed the honor of receiving Honorable Paul Martin, Minister of Health and Welfare,accomponied by Dr.Moore both fron Ottawa. The same year, Dr. Shepperd,dentist, has passed three months in our school to give the children the proper care neede for their teeth. It was the first time we had had a dentist residing in the school, and consequently almost all the children needed dental care. We now have Dr, Mezl,dentist, who passed a f ew months in tho school. Dr.Porth, Dr. Chow, and Dr. Link form the present staff. Miss Riou gave a First Aid Course to all the Senior Boys and the Home Nursing Course to the grade 9 to 12 girls. (1955). The school always had a nursing Sister,Sr. E.Lane is actually attending to the physical needs of over 300 persons.

Reverend Father Dion hlissionari s nd Bursar Father Dion our present bursar arrived at the in 1943 "with Father Piche as principal. ~oth have shown such 8 co-opera tive spirit all eight years they worked toge­ ther in the administration of the school. He left the school for nine months but cane back as bursar again. He is also nissionary of the File Hills Colony and Agency. Since 1947 ho provides a week of sunm1er course to the children of his two reserves who have no religious instructions during the year. The improvenents he made these last years are too nu­ merous to mention then all. We sticlcs to the highlights. Liturgical Altars Under his direction and supervision,in July 1947, our bee. utiful liturgic8 l cltars were ma de by one of our school pupil - the late George Lava llee. They a re fully equipped with credence, ca ndlesticks, e l evations, stools etc. a ll in oak. In 1954, a· ceiling wa s put to the chapel and nll pninting renewed.The new we.y of t,he cross was bought. · · Tho schvol farm The school hos a large farm and cultivates over one and a half section of l and. It has a large chicken coops and receives approximately t welve dozen of eggs daily through the entire year. It a lso ha s a stock of 100 hea ds of ca ttle to hcve suffi­ cient meat a nd milk for the school needs

40 Recreational Facilities Besides the ynnnsium, built in 1952, having 7200 sq. ft. of floor space available for basket ball, gymnastics, volley ball, badflinton, a hosts of other ganes nre bought for the younger ones for the winter recreations. Three excel­ lent rinks are favorite spots during the winter nonths. Every child has his pair of skates fron the 6 yr. old to 20. Father Dion is a lways willing to buy suitable clothes and it is ~ plonsure to see the children neatly dressed. The baseball teams and the hockey players ~ a re very grateful for the nice outfit he buys them when they need it.

Reverend Fe ther 0Her Robidoux

Principnl Since 1951 Father Robidoux is our present principal. He is amongst our greatest Indian Educationalist He has stressed the rnising of the educo.tional ste.ndo.rds a:nongst the Indians. His mn in objective is to make his Indian students good loaders amongst their own people, and with this aim in mind it will raise the moral and social level of tho Indian population on the Reserves. This is the reason why he is one of our greet advocate of an Indicn High School for Indians only - at Lebret. He hns finally succeeded and a fine building will be raised nea r the present Residential School in the very near future. He has worked to inprove all aspect of the pupilsi life at the school. Beside being principal, he has taken an activo part in teaching. He is an ardent mathematic teacher without renuneration.His aim is to relieve bis overladen teachers. Father Robidoux is a lso a great hockey player end sport director and has led his junior tenn to the provincial Junior B. Championship in 1955· He really examjllies the highest in fair play,help­ fulness,kindliness and humour. The TJnching Staff

Their Aim and Ob jectives ~ Tho tonchers a in to form boys and girls (nen and wonen of t onorrow) who will have the ability and tho willingness to profit by widening their experience in ell spheres where lcnowledge mny be go.ined nnd skills developed·. They soek 'to provide activities that will develop the child~s physic n l~ intellectual , emotional ,social , a nd spiritua l life to enable him to enjoy and appreciate health and hea lthy living later &n; to live helpfully with his ossocic tes; to find joy in giving his best to o.ny work; to acquire knowledge; to pr~c­ tice daily the sinple virtue s. Emphasis is being placed upon Bqucational and Child _Psychology. The teaching staff attends the Annua l Convention of the Super­ intendency. They a lso take an active part in the Loccl meetings which ro­ tates from Fort Qu 1Appelle to Lebr~t Public and to the Indian School. Ih 1954,thu to o ch ~ rs cttondod thL S ~ sk . I nd . T~ ~ ch o rs ~ssoci ~ tion ~ t Prince Alb3rt :-.nd 2 Grey Nuns ';lo re hcnoro d' ·with en Honorary Membership card and an Albun souvenir.sr. Robinet for h~ ving worked for the Indians 40 years and Sr. Greyeye s,32 years. 41 .

Mr. Penny, the Superintendent of the district, and Mr. Cairns, the Re gion­ al School Inspector for the province visit regularly. Besides the teechers,we ha ve the Home Economic instruc­ tors, Sr. Paquin and sr.c. Michaud, the carpenter and manual instructor; Mr.Soiben, and band and choir master, Brother Girerd. All sport activi­ ties, social organizations, and supervision are shared by religious super­ visors 2nd enployee s.

Sports Hockey This sport has always been one of the finest and best orga- nized sports in the school. It is due greatly to the fine li­ ne of equipment and coaching given the boys. Being a sport of long build­ ing, the teams have organized throughout the years to develop into con­ dition for entering lea gues. In 1946, 1/.Lr. Ed.DollVs fine coaching start.ed building a Juvenile team which in their first year took honours in tournaments. In 1949-50 season this team entered in the Melville-Yorkton lea­ gue and came out in triumph. In their Southern Provincial Semi-fina ls, after a gruelling battle, they were put out by the high flying Regina Caps. However their fine showing didn't go unnoticed and congratulations started pouring in from vcrious districts and one even coming from Chicago. Further honours were bestowed on the team whep invitations for their three players came to attend e Hockey school in Moose Jaw. The Bantams and Midgets a lso took their share of the laurels in the ensuing years. These were the forerunners of the Juveni­ les and at their a ge they learne d the true spirit of hockey. In 1953, ha ving been put out of their lea gue , the Midgets pla yed a gninst the high­ ly-rated Me. nitoba Midget Char1ps. A hard overtime game pla yed nt the Fort Grena prove d the Lebrot Indians victorious. In 1954-55 the Junior B. pucksters, coa ched by Art Ob ey captured the Sesko.tchewan Junior B Championship •. This they did by putting out Yorkton by the score of 15-6 in the southern finals and then trouncing North Ba ttlefords'St Thoma s ' College in the provinci finals by the scor e s of 9-7 and 10-7. Bnsebnll This sport hc. s nade c. peruanent home on the l.Bbre t campus and the various compe tition throughout the yea rs ha s ma de it a tough team to beat. In 1946, under the guidance of Edward Doll this team participa t e d in a l ecgue vvhich wns forr:1ed by Fa ther Piche, principa l of the school then,. He dona t e d e. trophy for the l ongue comprising Lebret­ Fort ~uY Appe lle-B a lc a rres and t he purpose in mind wa s t o promote mo r e sports in the district and a lso a closer rela tion with different schools •. The 1953 s eeson f ound t he ba seba ll crew on a tour ar 'oumd Iv.Ia ni t oba and Sa sk. They lost t wo gane s in their entire two week trip, e nd they stood up t o te~ms superior in experience .

42 I

LEBRET HIGH .s:cHOO'L GRAD'S

Eugene Courchene and Groce Lavallee at left, Ella Cyr, right with Rev. Fr. 0. Robidoux, O.M.I., Principal. Basketball VJhen t ha gym wa s built it brought along the birth of thG off-season sport of ba sketba ll. The students soon lec: rned tho fundanentals of ba ske tba ll a nd wer e soon compe ting aga inst differ ent schools. This sport will perha ps be cone one of the chief n eans of physi­ CQl training in the school. This year the boys p l a yed a nunber of gane s a ga inst Regina teans a nd nannge d t o hold the ir own on e ll occa sions. Tra ck e.nd Field : Eve ry year or ge nize d fie ld mee ts are he ld in the town of F ort Q,uVAppe lle s nd students fron Lebret a nd the Fort enter in stiff cor:1pe tion for t op points. In 1953, this Field Meet wa s tra nsfer e d to Indian Head for the Hi gh Schoo l Students with a wi der scope of compe tion for a ll concerned. The Indinn s chool of Lebret hn.. s done well in this line, capturing n nnnbor of moda ls for individus. l show­ ing. The Tom Longboat M;; da l Tho Tom l ongboat Conpe tition wo. s e stablished in 1951 by the IndiaB Affa irs Bra nch and tho Ama teur Athletic Union in memory of t he gr ent anadi an Indi an who wo n world wide f ame as a long distance runner. Thi s neda l is uwa r ded annua lly t o eight Indio. n a thle t e s, each one having boen vot e d a s the be s t of tho year in one of eight province s. Tt}r e of the Lebret lndienSchoo l boys, name ly,H.Strong­ eagle,Art Ob ey, und era ld Ste rr hc ve won the cove ted Longboa t medal for the province of Sc sk. the three l a st succe ssive year s .

Other Sp o rt~ Fc,ot bell, swi mmi ng , b oxing , f i shi ng , skiing , e nd t ennis a r e some of the other sports pl ayed at the schoo l.The s e are not t oo we ll or ganize d e nd ar e p l a yed only a t certa in time s in the yenr. In due tine , we hope to orgGni ze t hese spor ts an d possibly enter in competition.

Gra duation

The Event of Events Since the wa r the course of studios of t he pr o- vince of Sa sk. has been followe d closely. Father Piche encourage d the pupil s t o continue their studie s. He h e l~ed them individun lly in Le,tin , Fr ench, en d MEJ. themo. tics . Ant oine t te Desnomi c wa s the first pupil o. ft or tho wa r to pursue highe r educntion. She Ct tten­ de d the Public Hi gh s chool in the village of Lebre t up to gr a de e l even. The yea r following , she s t a rte d her nursing course in St Bonifn ce Ho spi­ t c l wher e she gr a dua t e d in 1952.

St e lla ~ava ll ee end Berthc Pe lletier t ook the pr nct i ccl Nursing Course of a year, -and succeeded s o we ll t h0 t they gr a dua ted a n d are now nursing in diffe r ent hospi tals. In 19 52 , Eugene CourchG nG, Ella Cyr, end Grncie Lavn l leo we re the heroe s of u dny in June 1952 , the e vent of event s, t he first gr2- due tion in the St Pa ul Indian High School. The name for the Hi gh School

43 / HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION AT !_!BREI wa s chosen in honour of Rever end Father ~ich e , who wa s principa l at tho time and to his great patron sa int, St. Pa ul, the great tea che r of Ca ­ tholic doctrine . We thought that Father Piche deserved that his mEmo­ ry linger ed since it is through his dynamic nature a nd convincing per­ sonality tha t strong emphasis had been l a id on the importa nce of a higher e ducation for India ns . · Ellc Cyr took a l abora tory Technical Course a t St. Boni- f c ce Hospital. Gra cie Lavo. llee took her T·eacher Tra ining Course in Saskatoon and is now on her socqnd year tea ching ,,while Eugene is Super­ vmsor of Boys in the St,Philip Residentia l School In 19.5 3 the gr o. duatos vJO re: Rose Alme Be llognrde ,Linda Anaquod, Clive Linklater, Percy Mandy , Herbert Strongeagle, and Kenneth Goodwill. Rose Alma Bellegcrde took the ~ each in g Tr cining in Moose Jaw a nd is now teaching at Beauval,Sask. Clive a nd Percy a r e now t aking the s ame course at :Moose Jaw a lso, while Herbert took a year v s course in a Business Colle ge at Saska toon. In 19.54 J eannie Cyr , Ernest Scott a nd Vincent Worm gr adua ­ ted on June tho 6th. Tho two first a r e still studying to enter in a pro­ f e ssional course ne xt year.

Other honorable me~tion shoul d take pl a ce her e oven though those ox- pupils did not ret:\ch to gr ndo twe lve . There a r e many honoroblo trades in life be side s tea ching a nd nursing. Berna de tte Anaskan certa in­ ly deserve a blue ribbon for cooking. She is working at the school f or five consecutive years. Vfu en the Sister cook ha s to l eave , she is t hen the head cook a nd desei've a first class diploma. Ma ry Dumont mc..de the supervision of the small girls for four years with a very conscientious spirit. Her sistor Al ma Dumo nt ha s gi ven four yea rs of exce llent servi ce in the sewing room as seamstress .

Tee-Pee Tidings

The School Paper The Tee-Pee Tidings is an instrument for broa dc ast- ing th~ voice of th ~ school. The s tafff of the pa ­ per is mnde up exclusively of memb ers of tho student body c:nd publishe d for the perents a nd friends, In publishing the Tee-Pee Tidings , we att mnJ:.; t to r eport a s a ccura t e l y c s possible on the ma ny ~ nd varie d a ctivitie s a nd privileges e njoyed by - or confer o d to - or be stowed upon our s chool.

It is an apprentice ship for the students , a nd, in sp~ te of th ~ tria ls, ha rdshi ps nn d drudgery, it is worth the experience. The typists know we ll tha t they heve to l ea rn skill before they nre a ll o we ~ to touch a stencil. All articles published in tho paper a r e a contribu­ tion from ever y cl n ssroom, sportsV c ommi ttee and r e creati ona l s. ctivit i e s . Ho norable mention to Clive Link l a t er,now in Moose J aw¥s Tea chersVCollege who gas been three consecutive yea rs editor of t he Tee­ Pee Tidings , to Ernest Scott, gr a de Xll pupil,one yec r, to Ger a l d Starr gr a de Xl,one year. These clang with their co-workers have worked untiring­ l y to produce the bi-monthly iss ue s . As f ar as we can see , e xcept f or 2 f ew minor wo rrie s from the e ditoria l staff , it is a very successful en­ ter prise . 44 Our Missionaries and the Oblate Brothers

Father Gelinas F ther Gelina s, a na itve cbf Quebe c, is a missiona ry of r eserve s attache d to the Indian Lebret School. He came here in 1942 an d a dminister e d tho spititua l neP ds to the Standing Buffa llo, Griswold , Carlyle, Pipe s t one , Wood ounta in and Assiniboine r eserve s. He wa s a ble to convince the Indian Affa irs to He wo. s able to convince the Indian Affa irs to build Day Schools on mos t of those r eserve s he is visiting cmd a lso to em­ ploy Ca t holic te~c h e r s . Fa the r Ge l i ma s is in the miss ionsmost of the time but when at the school he is a r ea l he l ping ha nd such a s the mnil trips; visit s to t he hospita l, p l a ying wi t h the pupils during rece s s .

Father Lione l Dumont Fat her Dumont ia the director nnd the: cha ple i n of the M. A.1T. I. He came to Lebre t in 19 50 2nd s ince he hc s devote d himse lf unselfi shly to tho lJI. A. M.I. He hns dire ctod those young pe ople diligently. His gr eat ambition is to mold them intm good Ca tholic citizens . Fnther Dumont a lso took chc. rge of the band from 1951 to 1953. He t eache s Ca t e chism to gr a de five ~ nd six boys. He is the mi s sionar y of tho P2 squa , Pinpot,cnd Muscowpetung r e serve s.

Brother .Kerou2nton Br.Korounuton an e lder of .the Obla t e 5rothers ha s been,in and out, of the Lebret In ~ i a n School You will see Brother Ke rouanton either trying to make all the pe ople who know him happy by his repa ir jobs or a game of domin o ~ s. Brother Eugene Morin Brother Eugene Morin is the Senior Boysv super- visor since t wo years. He is an a ctive sport m2n and Cc..de t instructor. He is a dmira ble for his wonderful .Ponctunli ty he disp l ays at a ll t i mes in hi s functions 8 S disciplina rian. Brother Le opold Girard Brot her Girnr d is a new comer to the Indian School. He is our band instructor and our Music t eacher. He devot e s himso lf intensive ly to tho good ca use of t a eching our pupils t o love nn d t e ste the be st in music and songs.

]J:r . l\1c. Le od , Our Fri~

Mr Me Le ad, t he Superintendent of Indian J;.ge ncies is sta tione d a t Fort QuV Appe lle. Hi s co-oper a t i on with tho School is very much a ppre ­ ciate d. His friendliness a t t r a ct the children and the grown ups alike . His ambition is to work for t he we lfar e of the Indinns. Before having been promote d to the Qu YAppello Ago nci8s ho a lready hc d 12 years of ex­ perience in t heDuck Lnke Agency . He arrive d at Fort Qu'Appe lle in 1952 . Uir . McLe od shows his inte r e st in the school in many ways, one of which is by voluntoo ring to dri ve tho various hockey teams to the ir games. His l e st trip t o North Ba ttle for d wa s enjoye d since tho boys the provincia l Junior B. Champ ionshi p . 45 I OCTOBER 195S Page~--·------INDIAN RECORD Lebret School Graduates Form Alumni An Alumni Association has been formed by the graduates of St. Paul's Indian high school, Lebret. Graduates met Aug. 211-123 at the school and from the reunion the associlati6n has been formed. Officers of the .association said that this is ·the first time in Cana­ dian history that an organization of this kind had been formed by Indian graduates. The 1association, to be known as the Lebret Indian High School Alumni w.as formed to give the opportunity to Indian High School graduates a chance to unite and become a strong, edu­ cated representative group of Indians. "In order that ·the group will be of value, it has set 1 aim~ for which ~t will strive," officers said. The aims being set forth at the meeting were - to help the graduates keep in touch with one another and with ·their Alma Mater at Lebret; to ensure high­ er education among the Jnd~ans; and to pUiblicize the .achieve­ ments of the graduates, the school, and the Indians in ge~­ eral, in order to promote m Oanadian so.ciety a better under­ st-anding of the Indian, his cul­ EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: Recently graduates of the Indian School at Lebret formed an Alumni ture, his rights and his problems. Association and at a reunion elected an executive committee. Left to right are Miss Leona Bigeagle, secretary, Clive Linklater, chairman of the organizational committee, Glen Bellegarde, sitting at desk, First Session Miss Ruth Ann Cyr, constitutional committee chairman, Isaac Beaulieu, Indian social stud·ies committee chairman, and Mrs. Ella Jubinville, publicity director. (Courte-sy Regina Leader- Post) In the first session of the meet­ ing, a provisional constitution 1 was dr:awn up. toon, wa's named secretary of the · After the aims and objectives association. ) were established by the mem­ Council Ill bers, -the group. was then divided Herbert Strongeagle, F o r l into three sectwns. Qu' AppeUe, was appointed trea­ Members .agreed that ·the exe­ surer. cutive •council should be ·com­ Each section was responsible posed of persons residing in the for one part of the constitution. Miss Bernice Acoose •and Mrs. same general area. Ella Jubinville, both of Winni­ Clive Linklater, Conrad Dan­ peg, were elected publicity di­ Glen Bellegarde, North Battle­ ielson .and Miss Ruth Ann Cyr ford, was elected president. were respectively chairmen of rectors. the three sections - member­ Gerald Starr, Saskatoon, was Isaac Beaulieu of Otta.wa Uni­ named vice-president. ship, organization and activities. versity was appointed to take ) Rev. A. Renaud, Rev. 0. Robi­ charge of the Indian social stu­ Miss Leona Bigeagle, Saska- doux, Rev. V. Bilodeau, Rev. L . dies. Miss Ruth Ann Cyr, of the Dumont and Rev. G. de Bre­ St. Paul's Hospital, Saskatoon, tagne .acted as advisors and con­ was elected chairman of the standing committee studying the veners. constitution of the alumni. Local 'IIhe following day, a standing chapters were established in the committee was ·appointed to Saskatoon and Winnipeg areas. study 1and revise the constitution and present it at the .general At the close of ·the meeting, meeting, next year, for fmal ap­ the Grey Nuns at the Indian proval. School served -a banquet to the Alumni and guests including Activities included an estab­ Most Rev. M. C. O'Neill, Arch­ lishment of a scholarship fund bishop .of Regina, H. B. Rodine, £or deserving Indian students; a superintendent of Indian Schools presentation of a brief on In­ for ,saskatchewan, and R. M. dian EducClltion to the govern­ Connelly, inspector of Indian ment; .and a study of Indian schools. soc-ial pro·blems. An election of of-ficers of the Alumni was held next day.