National Adult Literacy Database

September 9, 1996

This week, we are featuring a story written by Loretta Tom, from British Columbia. Loretta is the mother of four boys, and she likes to spend most of her time with the people she loves. She wrote about her night in the smokehouse to recall the good times she had as a child. She wants to improve her education in order to be a better provider for her children.

The Night I Spent in the Smokehouse

by Loretta Tom

On the last day of school I packed my stuff and came home to my family at Fort Babine. I had turned nine, so my mother asked me to help in the smokehouse. My mother and sister promise that if I helped them with the fish, I could sit and watch them make bannock outside by the smokehouse.

The smokehouse was on an island in the Babine River. The night was dark and warm, so we spent the night in the smokehouse. While we were sitting by the fire waiting for the bannock to cook, the women started to talk about the time when they used to live on the island. They also talked about the times at Takla Landing. While I sat there listening to the stories about the good times they had, I watched the full moon until I fell asleep between them. They woke me up to help put away the bannock and frying pan. After cleaning up, we went to bed in the smokehouse.

After breakfast the next day, my mother and sister pulled the net out of the lake. They untangled the net and covered the fish to keep them from the birds. When all that was finished, we waited for the guys to come and help with the fish that had been caught. When everyone was there to help, we all grabbed a drink and started on the fish. After gutting and hanging them to make dry fish, we ate some fresh fish for lunch. After lunch it was time to cut the half-dry fish to make some more dry fish. This is the way it went all summer long, until the smokehouse and the freezer were too full and there was no more room for any more fish.

When all the fish was done, we relaxed for a couple of days, then started on the moose. It was the best summer I had before I became a teenager.

[This story was taken from a collection of personal stories written by adult learners in Northern BC, entitled In This Country, p. 56.]