Susan Ressler
1972 / 2007
32 Where I Lived
[At Owner's Risk: My Journey Among the Algonquian]

High resolution scan of original 35 mm negative, archival pigmented ink digital print on photo rag
16 x 20 in
 
Provided by the artist - Susan Ressler
This is where I lived: in Pierre's shack by the railroad station. And one morning, while still rolled up in my sleeping bag on the floor, I heard voices glibly chattering away in English. The new arrivals paid me no mind.
 
A bus full of tourists had unloaded at the station. They were milling around on the platform, unaware that anyone within earshot could hear, much less understand, what they were saying.
 
Their comments were deprecating and hurtful. But what did they know of this place?
 
They were here to fish and have a good time. To them the village was just a stopover between the city they'd escaped and the wilderness that beckoned.
 
Irritated, I shouted for them to "pipe down." Their chatter immediately ceased, replaced by an embarrassed silence.
 
When I finally left the reserve, I too became silent. I put these photographs away in a drawer, and there they remained, gathering dust for all these years. Finally, I understand.
 
LL/21124