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ANTONIA MILLS
First Nations Studies
University of Northern British Columbia

Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9
Canada

Goose Feather, Rabbit Fur

There's a feather
in my bag--goose feather
from those geese between 
the Field Museum
and the Chicago Hilton Towers--
something real/okay symbolic
between those two weird worlds

Elmer Derrick, Head Chief of his matriline,
told me they had lots of stuff
at the Field Museum
"So & so the Director is a good guy,
he showed me the Gitxsan masks"
so I go, don't know the Director,
go to see what they got.
There's a Cartier exhibit placed

in the heart of the North American
Indian exhibit--right beside
two Haida totem poles
set in cement--
I go past cases, displays,
to the NW Coast display.
Intense display of masks,
blankets, regalia--
a letter of 1996
from the Tlingit and Haida says
This stuff belongs
to us--it will take us
time to use NAGPRA
to get it back.
In the meantime
know it belongs
to our head chiefs.
2 items out of thousands
aren't there
because the "owners"
have asked to have them

off display.

The only Gitxsan object
I see
is a rabbit skin blanket
like the one Sam St. Pierre
helped me make 
so long ago--
80 rabbit skins he so
carefully snared--
Jean helped me
skin & cut & spin
the fur to rabbit yarn,
weave it 
carefully
into one big
sleeping robe--
I am awed
by the power
of the objects on display


A school teacher says
"I'm scared--seeing
all this stuff"
I'm scared too,
walking back,
leaving the captured
power on display,
wondering about my role,
my non-Native role
of conveying the passion
the Gitxsan, Witsuwit'en,
Beaver feel about
their lives and land--
lonely
cast between
roles and voices
old and new--
late to a session
on anthropological writing
the downy feather
feels like a gift

a reminder
that despite the pain
of colonizing moves
there is some flight
between our
uncommon
worlds

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