August 3, 1939 – October 31, 2016 Myles McDonald was born in Grande Cache on August 3, 1939 to Dave and Nancy McDonald. His paternal great-grandfather was Jacques Thapay who was a Beaver Indian and buried in Willmore Wilderness Park. He is also of Nakoda Sioux ancestry, of which oral history says there is a connection to the great chief Crazy Horse. His brothers Frank and Norman and sisters Florence, Mary, Evelyn and Delphine made up the rest of the family. Their mother died while they were young, and the two youngest (Evelyn and Delphine) were taken away and placed in an orphanage. It was a tough time of poverty. Sometimes they had nothing to eat. Once they only had salt in their home so he and Norman set out to the trap line at Little Smoky and on the way there they were lucky enough to get two caribou. He spoke of having a little dog who was good at flushing out the grouse, and in this way kept them from hunger many times. He had an open wound on his neck that was a result of malnutrition for many years. Albert Gauthier, a local traditional healer took pity on him and treated and healed the wound when he was 17. He started working at age 16 in a sawmill. He met his friend the late Roy Beaverbone at this time. Roy’s father taught him how to drive. Among many other jobs he picked pine cones to be used in tree-planting, had a taxi business, worked in a mill, drove a mine bus, and worked for the town of Grande Cache. He married Marie Wanyandie on October 4, 1961 in a double wedding with his brother Norman and Marie’s sister Adeline. He and Marie raised eight children at Grande Cache Lake. The Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage was important as he credited the water for healing his second youngest child Bob from seizures. He loved the land and was a spokesperson for the aboriginal community. He talked about his first meeting with a provincial minister in the 50’s where the community was asking for land, and the minister told them that there were places like that, and that they were called zoos. He was a passionate speaker who wanted to secure land for his people as he felt that it was a great injustice to have been evicted from Jasper when it was turned into a National Park. He enjoyed listening to traditional singing and travelled for many summers to the Kamloopa Powwow. One nephew that had been adopted in BC always managed to find him there and they shared pop together. While he never had a formal education he saw the value of one. He had been taught cree syllabics by his father and is largely self taught how to read in English. He successfully advocated for a school to be made for the community which was built at the Susa Creek Cooperative. In the 1970’s he began his role as a leader in the community. He signed the land agreement with the province as Manager for Kamisak Development Company Limited. He held this position for over thirty years and has passed on the position to his eldest son Tom. He advocated to get better housing in the community. He was involved in hunting and trapping with his wife Marie and their children. He hunted marmots and sheep at Caw Ridge. In 1984, after a successful deer hunt, RCMP stopped him and because he did not have a treaty card the meat was confiscated. The charges were dropped the day before court. The indignity of having his sustenance taken away like this had a huge impact on Myles. He didn’t hunt again. In winter, he would be out on the lake trying to skate with his children. He loved softball, as a youth he said that they played without gloves and that catching a ball would sting. He was proud that he hit four homeruns back to back in his first game. He played softball in the front yard with his children and there were a few front windows that needed to be replaced. He also enjoyed parades and watching rodeos, boxing as well as hockey. Becoming a listener of the CFNK radio show provided him a world view in his own language of Cree. He would take his kids climbing Grande Mountain each autumn. He was one of the original directors of Aseniwuche Winewak Nation. He is a member of the AWN Elders Council. The time, work and dedication he placed into the community is a solid foundation for future generations. He contracted leukemia over 13 years ago and was told by the doctors that he might live two more years. He was advised not to work anymore because of his condition. He went to pray at a Sun Dance with his friend Roy Beaverbone asking for healing. He also had a dream of his late sister Florence. Florence was happy to see him, but Myles thought of his family, and he told her that he would return back to them so he could provide adequate firewood for the winter. Even with his illness, he would get firewood and be active around the house. He would keep his son’s and granddaughter’s homes warm while they worked. For Myles and Marie growing up poor was tough but they gave their 100% and more just to give us what they could and teach us to work hard and never forget our traditions, and to stand up for what’s right. We are very lucky to have had them in our lives they loved every one of us, many people were fond of them cause they touched their lives. Myles was predeceased by his wife Marie, twin babies, mother Nancy, father David, brother Frank, sisters Florence, Evelyn, Delphine and grand-daughter Autumn. He will be sadly missed by his children, Audrey (Allan), Tom (Brenda), Rita, Doris, Garry (Elizabeth), Brian, Bob, and Stuart (Nadine); his grandchildren Jamie, Stevie, Grant, Selena, Regan, Stephen, Eric, Christopher, Jenni, Keven, Leissa, Cheryl, Brent and great-grandchildren Christian, Isis, Douglas, Serenity and brother Norman, sister Mary and many other friends and relatives. Funeral service for Myles will be held on Thursday, November 3rd at Holy Cross Catholic Church, Grande Cachewith a reception to follow at the Eagles Nest. Care entrusted to Bear Creek Funeral Home (780) 830-7742 www.bearcreekfuneral.com