A Short History of Indians in Canada: Stories

The Baby in the Airmail Box

The Baby in the Airmail Box Okay, so on Monday The baby arrives in a cardboard box with a handful of airmail stamps stuck on top and a label that says, “Rocky Creek First Nations.” Orena Charging Woman brings the box to the council meeting and sets it in the middle of the table. “All right,” she says, after all of the band councillors have settled in their chairs, “who ordered the baby?” “Baby?” says Louis Standing, who is currently the chief and gets to sit in the big chair by the window. “What baby?” Orena opens the airmail box and bends the flaps back so everyone can get a good look. “It’s a baby, all right,” says Jimmy Tucker. “But it looks sick.” “It’s not sick,” says Orena, who knows something about babies. “It’s White.” “White?” says Louis. “Who in hell would order a White baby?” 34 And just then Linda Blackenship walks into Bob Wakutz’s office at the Alberta Child Placement Agency with a large folder and an annoyed expression on her face that reminds Bob of the various promises he has made Linda about leaving his wife. “We have a problem,” says Linda, who says this a lot, and she holds the folder out at shoulder level and drops it on Bob’s desk. Right on top of the colour brochure for the new Ford trucks. “A problem?” says Bob, which is what he says every day when Linda comes into his office and drops folders on his desk. “Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal,” says Linda. When they were in bed together, Bob could always tell when Linda was joking, but now that they’ve stopped seeing each other (which is the phrase Bob prefers) or since they stopped screwing (which Linda says is more honest) he can’t. “Have they been approved?” “Yes,” says Linda. “Okay,” says Bob, in a jocular sort of way, in case Linda is joking. “What’s the problem?” “They’re Indian,” says Linda. Bob pushed the truck brochure to one side and opens the file. “East?” “West.” “Caribbean?” “Cree.” The Baby in the Airmail Box 35 “That’s the problem?” says Bob, who can’t remember if giving babies to Indians is part of the mandate of the Alberta Child Placement Agency, though he is reasonably sure, without actually looking at the regulations, that there is no explicit prohibition against it. Linda stands in front of Bob’s desk and puts her hands on her hips. “They would like a baby,” she says, without even a hint of a smile. “Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal would like a White baby.” Meanwhile Orena takes the baby out of the airmail box and passes it around so all the councillors can get a good look at it. “It’s White, all right,” says Clarence Scout. “Jesus, but they can be ugly.” “They never have any hair,” says Elaine Sweetwater. “Got to be a mother to love a bald baby.” Now, the baby in the airmail box isn’t on the agenda, and Louis can see that if he doesn’t get the meeting moving , he is going to miss his tee time at Wolf Creek, so when the baby is passed to him, he passes it directly to Orena and makes an executive decision. “Send it back,” he says. “Not the way it works,” says Emmett Black Rabbit. “First you got to make a motion. Then someone has to second it.” 36 A Short History of Indians in Canada “Who’s going to bingo tonight?” says Ross Heavy Runner. “I could use a ride.” “Maybe it’s one of those free samples,” says Narcisse Good. “My wife gets them all the time.” “Any chance of getting a doughnut and a cup of coffee ?” says Thelma Gladstone. “I didn’t get breakfast.” “We can’t send it back,” says Orena, “There’s no return address.” “Invoice?” asks Louis. “Nope,” says Orena. “All right,” says Louis, who is not happy with the start of his day, “who wants a baby?” “Got four of my own,” says Bruce Carving. “Three here,” says Harmon Setauket. “Eight,” says Ross Heavy Runner, and he holds up nine fingers by mistake. “You caught up on those child support payments yet?” Edna Hunt asks him. “Coffee and doughnuts?” says Thelma, “Could we have some coffee and doughnuts?” “Could someone come up with an idea?” Louis...