: Editor 's- note: During the re- cent Youth Traffic Safety Con- ference held in Terrace, a presentation by Ivy Chelsea of - the Alkali Lake Indian Band had a particularly dramatic impact on the high school students fram around the Northwest who par- ticipated in the conference. Our _ reporter Tod Strachan took the _ Opportunity to. interview Ivy Chelsea during the conference, ‘and this is the story that emerged. . Life at Alkali Lake in the ear- ly 70’s was hard. Everyone, in- cluding the children, drank to excess and had little to eat. The | beating of wives and children was commonplace, death from a combination of alcohol and driving too frequent, abandon- ment almost a daily event. Ivy Chelsea was young at the time, perhaps three or four — but she remembers those days and how her wish to no longer live at home changed the community forever. She remembers a time when everyone spent their welfare cheques on wine and when that was gone would fill their days making home-made ‘‘hootch’’ while drinking last week’s batch. And because their parents had drank an entire month’s worth of.money, there was little or no food in the village for children. But they didn’t starve — daily - meals consisted of mash from the bottom of plastic garbage ‘cans after the day’s production _ had been bottled for tomorrow. But Chelsea says there are some good memories too.— al-. ‘though = short-lived. Family ‘outings to gather dandelions were fun, she recalls. ‘“‘It was a family event’’.., until she found out what was happening. The _children were being used to col- lect a fresh supply of dandelions so their parents could make more “hootch” and replenish the supply ‘of mash for their kids _ — and then the good memories were gone. She remembers being fright- ened. Her father would beat her mother as well as her brothers and sisters, there were fights late at night, one parent would leave and she was never sure they would come back... some parents died. And the children went to school bruised and with- out food. But something happened in 1971 that changed the village. She was seven years old and her parents had left her and her brothers, Robert and Dean, with their grandmother. When her ‘parents returned, drunk, she said eight sobering words, ‘I don’t want to go home with you.” That day, her parents vowed never to drink again and have kept their word. They have been sober for 17 years. Chelsea says she thought life would be easier after that day, but she was wrong. Their family still had to fight pressure from others in the village. Her mother could now afford to buy her a new dress, but when she wore it to school she was mocked. ‘‘All the other Indian kids called me ‘seme?’ (correct spelling of the linguistic version of the Shuswap - ‘Indian word for ‘whiteman’). I was hurt by their teasing.’’ But in 1973 Chelsea’s father, | Terrace Review — Wednesday, December 7,1988 15 oe, . ‘The village that came back from the dead _ This group of teens and adult sponsors were moved when Ivy Chelsea described the lessons of Alkall Lake, a small Native community near Williams Lake. Speaking at the ICBC CounterAttack “Wheels of Awareness” youth conference held In Terrace last month, Chelsea brought out some strong emotions when she told the story of how alcohol abuse nearly destroyed her community. Andy, became chief at Alkali Lake and, being sober-minded, could see what alcohol was do-- ing — it was slowly killing the entire village. Grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters — children. They were all dying. In order to stop what he saw, Andy Chelsea did the only thing that was within his power to do. He cut off their welfare payments and replaced them with vouchers. After that, no one had any choice but to use the vouchers for food, clothing, the hydro bill and other basic necessities — they had no other value.’ » But. 1973 was. the turning point. Since that time Alkali Lake has become a world model. There is 95 percent sobriety, people have jobs and a special event is when someone cele- brates their ‘“‘AA Birthday’? — the anniversary of the day they stopped drinking. ‘‘Alcohol isn’t banned from Alkali Lake,”’ explains Chelsea, “‘it’s just not socially acceptable. Everyone has discovered they can live without alcohol.” With the help of a video describing the last 20 years in Alkali Lake, Chelsea told her story to teens attending the “Wheels to Awareness’? youth conference held in Terrace last month, and it brought out some strong emotions, But when she Eee told her own story of involve- ment with alcohol and drugs it brought tears. ; The youth of Alkali Lake began to repeat the errors of their elders. And as a result, her older br’: Dean, died at the ate of 15ina Vancouver hospital in August of 1981. The cause... complications to diabetes caused by alcohol and drug abuse. ‘We tried to talk to him,’’ she says quietly, ‘“‘but he wouldn’t listen us. He was more into satisfying his friends.”’ On the eve of Dean’s death, she says she showed up at the . hospital drunk, ‘‘and that really blew my parents away. I could see the disbelief in my mother’s face because I had been her big- gest supporter when she quit drinking.’’ The next morning at 5 a.m., they received a phone call telling them that Dean was dead. Chelsea said that caused her to reflect on her own life, and she repeated for herself her mother’s vow of 1971 — never to drink again. “That night in the hospital was a real learning experience for me,” explains Chelsea. She suddenly realized she was following in her mother’s foot- . steps, and with three children of her own, she wanted to make the same commitment as her mother. Today, Chelsea is a home/school coordinator and | | AMR month. way += CITYOF TERRACE —— TERRACE ADVISORY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION. APPOINTMENT The City of Terrace is looking for persons interested in ~ serving as. members of the Terrace Advisory Parks & Recreation Commission. The Commission is a volun- tary Council appointed agency, whose function is to ‘advise Council regarding the provision of Parks and Recreation services In Terrace. Appointments are for two-year terms. The Commission meets once per If further information If required regarding the role of . the Commission, please contact E.R. Hallsor, Clerk- Administrator of the City of Terrace by telephoning 635-6311. Letters of Interest must be recelved by the Ci- ty by December 16, 1988, at the following address: E.R. Hailsor, Clerk-Administrator City of Terrace 3215 Eby Street, Terrace, B.C. V8G 2X8 Telephone and Fax Number: (604) 635-6311 counsellor at the Alkali Lake school and this year she will celebrate her seventh AA Birth- day. And she is proud. that her message is getting out. The video has been translated into Japanese, Chinese, Russian and several other languages. In addi- tion, she has made personal ap- pearances in U.S, cities such as Albuquerque and Santa. Fe.” ‘‘We learned to live without alcohol in Alkali Lake,”’ she tells her audience. “‘It’s happen- ing at Alkali Lake and I think it’s happening all over.”’ CHRISTMAS MAGIC — ‘FOR CHILDREN AT MISTY RIVER BOOKS 4606 Lakelse Avenue, Terrace, B.C. Telephone 635-4428 Monday to Friday — 9 a.m. 109 p.m. Saturday — 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. TERRACE OTEM FORD DL #5548 will be: In an effort to better service our customers, TOTEM FORD will have extended hours in their Ser- vice Department commencing November 28, 1988. Service hours 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday 4631 KEITH AVENUE, TERRACE, B.C. 635-4984 CALL TOLL FREE - 1-800-772-1128 cs penny AIRE TOT NE IS me 9 te RET Sy Sac Fl Seka, LPS Sg CES GRE eee eed remo, | ee ee eee