14

Tony Bernard and Airforce Friends
1940s
Pikwàkanagàn, ON

Credits:
Tony Bernard
Helen Bernard

15

Luckily, here we were allowed to stay on the reserve, even though our ‘status’ was gone; no one seemed to notice.

16

Tony Bernard and Airforce Friends
1942
Pikwàkanagàn, ON

Credits:
Tony Bernard
Helen Bernard

17

Lately the government has marked veteran’s graves with black crosses to acknowledge service.

18

Christina Partridge, Marion Closter, Anna Mary Bernard, Matt Bernard
1940s
Pikwàkanagàn, ON

Credits:
Jill Closter

19

Lennox Amikons
1940s
Pikwàkanagàn, ON

Credits:
Omàmiwininì Pimàdjwowin

20

Women who married non-Indian husbands were also “enfranchised” as Canadians;
Wedding pictures (
as a wedding gift, the Indian Agent served us with a $3 government cheque and informed us that we were no longer an Indian.
We lost our Indian status and were forced to live off of the reserve away from our relatives.

But if non-Indian women married a ‘Status’ man, they were issued status cards by the government, and became an Indian. In 1985, amendments to bring the Indian Act in line with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms the Canadian government attempted to address this discriminatory legislation. But those white women are still Indians.

21

Kirby Whiteduck Wedding
1970-80
Pikwàkanagàn, ON

Credits:
Helen Bernard
Charlene Bernard
Kirby Whiteduck

22

There is also a section in the Indian Act that removes membership if we were away from the
reserve for more than 5 years. So those who went away to work found themselves off the list
when they came back.

23

Waiting for the train
1930
Pikwàkanagàn, ON

Credits:
Jill Closter

24

Those that stayed had few job options. For men there was still trapping,
hunting, fishing, canoe making (though it really didn’t pay much), and timber drives or
hunting/fishing guide work made for limited earning opportunities.

25

Basil Aird Fishing
1940-1960
Pikwàkanagàn, ON

Credits:
Basil Aird
Jill Clouster

26

Women earned what they could through sewing pajamas for the sanatorium and knitting rawhide for snowshoes.

27

Golden Lake Homemakers Working Group
1940-1960
Pikwàkanagàn, ON

Credits:
Golden Lake Homemakers Working Group
Omàmiwininì Pimàdjwowin