Tales from an Ojibway Chief: Planning a Visit to See Steve Fobister
Steve Fobister and I have a wonderful and very unusual relationship. He is a strong presence in my life, yet we rarely see each other these days, and we can go years without even talking. His phone service on Grassy Narrows Reserve is not too reliable and doesn’t include voice mail, so I can call and call and not get through. But I have been trying extra hard these past few months to get him on the phone because I want to visit him, to bring a box of books as soon as Anung’s Journey is published.
I am always able to find his work reported on in the media, including his recent hunger strike. And we exchange Facebook posts occasionally. But I haven’t been able to get him on the phone for a couple of years now until two days ago, when he called me.
He told me about the hunger strike, and how weak he got within just a couple of days, but how effective it was at renewing focus on the conditions at Grassy Narrows.
His health continues to deteriorate, from Minimata Disease, the mercury poisoning he and his people still suffer from. He is close to a wheel chair and an oxygen tank always, and can’t fly.
But his spirits are high. He called me because he wants me to write another book, about the residential schools and the other abuses his people suffered at the hands of the Catholic church.
So we are planning our next reunion. Since Anung’s Journey will be published in late October, we are looking at the first or second week of November. And we are going to meet, as we have in the past, at the Louis Riel Hotel, in Winnipeg. Louis Riel was a Metis leader, a very interesting fellow from a very interesting people. He nearly lead Manitoba into the newly forming confederation of Canada as a free aboriginal state; the Metis are recognized as a new aboriginal people who emerged from the offspring of the French Voyagers and the Ojibway and Cree.
I can’t wait to see Steve and I will keep you appraised as the trip comes together.
“Tales from an Ojibway Chief” is a long running series on Carl’s blog, focusing on the real adventures, conversations, and stories between Carl and Steve Fobister, an Ojibway chief, during Carl’s time as a fishing guide on Ojibway lands. Read Part 1 of the series and find out what Steve had to say about the Redskins Controversy, and part 2 about his long battle and recent hunger strike against the horrible things that happened at Grassy Narrows. Be sure to follow Carl on Twitter @carlnordgren for the latest in this series.