B I N G O !

I have one more memory to share before we move on from Boya Lake Provincial Park. The Hosts/Caretakers of the park are Sue and Jack Chief.  Sue is a third generation Norwegian. Jack is a Kaska Indian who was born and raised on Boya Lake.  He is 72 years old now. Talking to him, I discovered that he is a good storyteller and I will try to capture a bit of his delightful manner .

Jack grew up hunting and fishing and trapping.  His family had a cabin on Boya Lake and whenever his family needed food they got it from the land.  They ate beaver, muskrat, porcupine as well as lots of fish and moose.  He told me that they used to throw a blanket over a porcupine and then pull it off in order to harvest quills.  That way they did not have to kill the porcupine if they did not need the meat, and they would have the quills for braiding baskets.

The first story Jack told me went something like this: A young friend was writing his thesis about the Kaska tribe and he lived the Sue and Jack for most of one winter.  The young man wanted to hunt and trap and experience the life of a Native.  Jack taught him various skills. One day they caught a muskrat and the young man thought it was a beaver and was all excited about his catch.  Jack went along with him and said it was the smallest beaver he had ever seen...  maybe even a record catch.  The young man took the muskrat back to the house and Sue cooked it for supper, never letting on that it was not a beaver. They enjoyed that joke for a long time before letting on to the young man.

According to Jack, humor is a big part of Native life.  He said if he fell off his ATV or if he stumbled over a rock or a tree root, Sue would laugh.  When she started doing that he told her she was "becoming too Native".

The Milepost notes a creek not far from Boya Lake called "Charlie Chief Creek".  Jack told me it was named for his father. Then he went on to tell a story about his father. "Charlie went to the casino in Terrace to play Bingo and he won. We won a brand new Chevrolet truck!  Charlie called home to get a grandson to come pick him up and drive the truck back.  After that Charlie liked to have his grandsons drive him all over while he sat in the passenger's seat and smiled."

Jack said that his father used to walk miles everyday.  However, "after he got that truck he lost his legs."  Nevertheless, Charlie Chief won big at Bingo and died a happy man at the age of 97.