Can I Get a Witness!

For my Dad’s 70^th birthday, my gift was a road trip. Just him and I. We headed south of Regina down highway 6, turned onto highway 13 towards Weyburn and then drove through to Moose Mountain Provincial Park. He guided us through the back roads to where him and his buddies have been hunting for the past 30+ years. From there we headed north to Whitewood where we met one of his friends for lunch and then to Cowessess First Nation, of which we both belong. Once on the Nation, he maneuvered us through what I can only describe as goat paths until we made our way to the Qu’Appelle Valley and then followed the Scenic Route all the way to Fort Qu’Appelle, where he grew up. From the time we left Regina until we arrived in the Fort, he shared story after story. He beamed with pride reminiscing of the good ol’days. He told me of the days when Mom and he were first married and were living in Weyburn. He told me many hunting stories with his friends, including the time he got lost and had to “sleep” with his back against a tree, trying to stay warm until daylight. He told me of the people he knew on Cowessess and stories of kokom who grew up there. He told me of the fights he had at the Katepwa Lake Dance Hall, with guys who ended up becoming lifelong friends. He told me of the dates where he took Mom. Gross. And he told me of the baseball games and football games he played in at Bert Fox High School. He told me these stories and many more.

Dad passed away on June 9^th of this year, one week before his 74^th birthday. Now I tell you this, not to make you sad but to seriously consider what Wes Fryer told us in week seven. Be your family’s digital witness. Record your loved one’s stories. I of course would love to go back in time and record Dad telling me about these stories over the course of the day’s drive, but it isn’t to be. These stories remain in my memory now and I’ll cherish them forever. Wes said to take pictures, make slides, and have the person record their story over them. Preserve their voice and the details. Be a digital witness. Be a digital storyteller. Have an archive of oral stories. Be a storychaser for your family. I plan to record some stories over the Easter break, when I visit Mom and Dad’s winter home in Chelem, Mexico as well as a road trip planned for Mom and I this summer. Heck, I might even get my brother and sister to retell a couple doozies from our past. This will be a fun little passion project. And that’s just it, isn’t it. A project that is fun. We sure could use more of those in our classrooms. And with current cell phone policies in the province, what a great loophole this project could be. So to you budding Speilberg’s, Tarantino’s, and Wiseau’s, get out there and preserve some memories before it’s too late!