Interview

vii th

obert

ob i naon

. h~.t's your full
n .n e .
Hober ~ xob i.r.e cr..•
en "e. ') ",'ou b ..Jl.'n
7 1}17

•. eb,

}

1.r}~ .t

J,

)

) .1' en tc' n ,1:1 es 7
r~ .b l.e , ·nj my mo--sller's

er e your

l-:~~Ys i s t er '.»

el ton

11,.r11e i·

ih t .bcu t t')v'''' ~
I li v
i L St"'ve

o

J.

n un

if'

.1.

;_8.

lon

IL":.'e .i d
01
~ y:. 1':' r>
} ~11 you
"'r~ ;, .11
Ir.. .n 01 . :~ou::;~, nevr
~he b :'::'1 i.n : _ "y rd.
i

t ....'11 f") "I --. ~
"'Ira
you u -t"1'1 ~
~O .:e
2.0 ~
., '0.. 0 (~T0.
) .e 1 .j:lood
stOY-G.; ( ,r~re
-n:
you ..Jet y ur ',:00 . ) I buy '(;} e .. 001 from ~,o:"eO:.1G"ls~,
m yb s th e
'"01n on ' [ ~ro.""l :j. )~0':. I -:; c os t 20 ,o~l:: s ' ~or ."'t
~r8 ·s e cdnd
ye.r ~~e e., '00 < ~
','00:
.::; i'l

It, ~

0'.

"1 e 9 ,'~i you ->,t y 'r ' '~ r7
i ::! ck vt , t'~r
0,
::;u _leI
d., =; , ~ :;':0_"
-.;1 e
,~.)
C' .me t: r-ougr ,
( every d~.y. ) y""r., ch .tw;
every j(...y, I D ck '''0 er,
( rr1'.t
the 'Il"" t.er for?)
l e use it
f'or when
e cook an d to Vi .s1' the )l.ce.
.L

n d I uc ed "GOcut.
00 J for
3 do Llvr s a cord s ome t l m s ;~2. 50.
',nd I p ck Vl_'.ter for '~-:o)le dovrn t ow for,
8. 25 yrs.
'lgo. You know
Le cn cung , Laun tr y w :i Wong ( I~· ;"h"'t t·.., 0 ,e t1"~t \l s b"'sijo
lice
.ni tl ond's . tore.)
Yvh , I :? ck ,,'"1.ter:. for 5 yr['.
.rid I ) .ck
'" .t si to 0 .. U~fe, for Lon ; time,
9 yrs.
( who I'o: . ) You ':nov;
Lee Jo, I c .11 him :!ii Bun ( n e .ns .....
i.=; belly
) . t'-'r th. t I go b .ck
o r-es t .urv.n t . or 7 yrs.
J.g .Ln. ( Do you ..{nO"NBC Ji..nmy
) Yeah I
cu t \700d ~ or l"'i i , _ doll.r
. cord.
( ',{:.:-~s
tIp. t ca f e ther
"1.11 tr e -t.
time
)Ye.h (w ». th.t
WI ere S:,
rom Sunrise
C .f9 born
) Y8ah,
B ::; Jil1my 7;"G:::' m's f.-:;her.
Ye ..11 , I qu t , 1"e only )LY 1 ~oll-r
a cor
I cut 5 cordu
.nd get 5 doll.rs.
I s .~:i th~ mo~~y ~s no~
enough for che Vlor:ic •
The W2.. ter \l c 10 _2 •• ts _ tri.:?
( Do you remember Cora Sterri tt Grey ,"lor.~ing _ t Le Cheung . ) Ye...1"'~o:np.times .•.
I 'ct ~ 2. 50 .f t.er'
rh . t .nd I -.[_~ cbe L.s 1; )erson
to t. ul vn t e; ,
fter
th '.t, I jus t
.va Lk .r-ound.
I ..:;;ot I'1Y old '"'6e )ensi:m
now , Ijust
'.'''-tlk round.
The only «ox:s: I do now , is in uh e g.vr-d en, Evr->ry ye.\,r.
i

';Ih t

xi.nd o f chores
di d you
)) .round t h e hous e .
The s me 8 wor-k , I cu t wood, -.nd get ',:a ter.
I don't
. ck
VI • "Ger nyraore.
Ius ed to p.i ck v • ter
nd cut wood. allover.
I. didn 'It fnloveoinhto Steve's
p l, ce,
until
2 yrr'.
ci1 ed.
n
') o VI en my .O"G,er ~ •.ssed
.'{{ay.
jJO

you remember

vh e flool

in' 3v

?

No. not

after

our motr.er

re ,11J.

l fter
l)i}e w -~ put in, Iwash IE shes , ~-t mourning,
•t SU'11)e.L
time,
I get two doll7£f5'S - tha t8s good enough for me ( vII:. t did you buy
,i th the money ~ ) I ouy f'c .d ~.n-l what ev ez I need.
~ometimes
I
save 60 Doll" r-s .rnd buy lots
of groceri es.

Ih .t ki nd 0

games

1: r ev er' _)L y when .•

di d you )1 ,y, .:hen you w er-e small
.
jus t chor-e r , I get w .o d .111 che time.

'Nhere di d you ';0 to s cho oL?
I\l en
to school
town by "Gte 1.:;li c n en ar-ch, L:s. S uoneg . te
as
~he te .chcr . rhen I want to Edc.on to-: for 3 yrs.
1935. Then I
went to v.or-k, I worked f i r-s t at .. s tab.l s , c.Learri ng out m cnur e
for 1 yr.
t supp er t.i me I feed them. I never
go b .ck to s ccco I
. fter
th.. t, I come b .ck here
.n d wor-iced s i n c> chon,
v

Di d you pl.,y old Tom?
Oh ye h we I)Ll.yed beside
tLe old church
( S~lv.-tion
r.y).
\ e 1'L yed - or - lone: time.
erytime
I go to b. t, I hi t a
ho eroom, h.. ha , no unp i r e.
vid you pl~y b seb •.11 !
'0, I"ust
watch.
They h..d ...ome pr et ty good g meso No drinking
everyone
dr i nr s now, I .l on t t li t e to "a tch =o«.
In 1)50, I cut
io Les :'ter
t.h t I "'Jrked
on "G e rivel.tr.i v e ,
or 3 y .r-e, Rive1.drive
- ch .tto.:> .r en you ek i n .ooi
.nd dry
iL. You ride
the lo~s,
no btne~~ng,
jJ.st go. Trey t00 nuch
,,
trouble,
50
: oui t,
'de uc e d co "t ::.t r t Ki s oi cx , r i gh t .lown to
her e, (so yJJ. ride
r i gn t dc.rn to H·.:.elton.
) Yeih.
( n t you auit
b ecau..e of the d~nger.
) Yeah. I just
rant something
to e t , the
cook is no good ( Lvughs ). Thl-t's
why I pvck
11 my b.l vnke ts
home. They Cell me b .ck in the mo.rrrri ng ,
u t T ji ln 't ',I .n t to go
b eca.ue e I like
to e c ( h.. , the cco x w.i s n t too go od, ). ('{hen
lid you go on 1 river
drive?
) You know 1'm :;:ettlng
too old
"GO remember,
when you get
he wood re dy .n d out it in tre w Lter
.ind .hen you ~o. I qui t that,
I nevar '::0 back to r-i.ver-dr-i.v e ,
r.y ior e. ( .ho ',I ere your :)artner;:,
wr-en you ri v =r-dr-i v
ed.)
11 the oller
p e op Le ,
us t i n IJ.arti 1, Steve,
Steve £'loore, Jornny
..oore, t lec Green.
i

i

I

3/

nything

~out

~he Si~Jn Gun noot story .

•:y old rn vn tell .ne th t he 'dll
man b e twe en T\';o :.:ile
rid
H ,~el ton. Fe .I l.Led two men, ( bu t i t::--s
elf-dp en c», W .cn 't
iu.
) Yen.r". SVeryone Lo o.; for r.Lm , ani the ole' m m , h~ e t i Ll,
r-ou.id , '1.11 "'CLJ ")01:' c emen who loa .Lng ::or 1-".m 7 L'c ri:; ~ P ,~E ed
him, in t own.
f "pr tr.l. t he go on 'the tr"'.."Jli '1e. 1 e come and tte
t~'i~,l t.r v. y .u .cn ow Conni e Coo1:;:8.nd L--.Yly?rE .nr on ( the: g"y
th'l.t o.'n ed tLe ',Jig tore.
h2 .;tet off" I hink he served rri e. t.i me
while i.:! exile. You get the book, "'\.ndyou see L .wY·r } .nf on. Pe
told me to st.y ~w~y, someone g~t ~urierej.
J e ~et md
t me
;.,0 I ~'tay
w .y. 'llhey never f ound rim, before he turn~d -Lm. elf in.
I t~y one for hteve,
1 for Bruce, 1 .or C~ ,to Dou~l E ( Ee
i;:.. t .Lci n. .cou t .h e boo~'i:; "un, Indian,
Run )

Let th;s be an edited vel'sionRobert~s father told him Simon Gunanoot shot a man between

Two .ile and Hazelton. He killed 2 men, as a result of selfdefence. The police party looking for him ~ walked right passed
him while in town. He went out to his trapline, and stayed
there for 13 vears. He was exiled, and finally turned himsel~ in. Lawyer Hanson ( + Connie Cooks ) supported Simon and
he got off due to his eeLt'def'ence
MY

plea.

ather told me to st~y away, because of the murder •••

r 1,