Gumption & Grit: Women of the Cariboo Chilcotin
| Human interest |
The Women’s Contact Society of Williams Lake is gearing up to launch a brand new book, Gumption & Grit: Women of the Cariboo Chilcotin, published this fall by Caitlin Press of Half Moon Bay. A celebratory book launch will take place on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 8, at the Seniors Activity Centre in Williams Lake from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Gumption & Grit, edited by Sage Birchwater, contains the work of 23 authors telling the tales of 39 women in the region stretching from Williams Lake, Horsefly and Big Lake to Dog Creek, Big Creek, Tatlayoko Valley, Anahim Lake and Bella Coola. Nearly a dozen women tell their own stories, but most are told by others. Some accounts stretch back to the late 1800s or early 1900s recalling the perseverance required to brave hardships in a raw, untamed land. Others tell of more modern exploits demanding unusual courage.
Included in the 216 pages are the stories of Doreen Armes, Veera Bonner, Gerry Bracewell, Emily Ekks, Lena Jack, Maddy Jack; the Grand Dame of Williams Lake, Hazel Huckvale, Molly Walker of Bella Coola, Marilyn Berwin, Joy Graham and Eve Chignell of Tatla Lake, Ingeborg Hansen of Clearwater Lake, Jen King of Bluff Lake, Helen Schuk of Tatlayoko, Linda Lou Howarth of Riske Creek, Dinah Belleau of Alkali Lake, Jessie Frink of Big Lake, Pam Mahon, Sheila Westwick and Olive MacKenzie of Miocene, and Velma Derrick of Okanagan Falls.
Some in the book have long departed like Jessie and Violet Moon of Riske Creek, and Chiwid, the Tsilhqot’in recluse who lived outside in the Chilcotin for fifty years. Others like Liz Robertson, Win Bennie and Sarah Spring Stump, have more recently passed, but left a lasting legacy.
Others in the book, both seniors and younger women, are still contributing to the vibrancy of the community. These include Diana French, Audrey MacLise, Biddy Jones, Sheila Gruenwald, Diane Walters, Josephine Gregg, Debra McNei, Heather Fraser, Irene Stangoe, Kelcy Slocombe, Maree Benoit and Marie Fletcher.
The book had its beginnings in 2005 when Jenny DeReis, acting executive director of the Women’s Contact Society, hired student Erinn Brown to work for the summer to collect the stories of women who made a difference in the community. By summer’s end, Erinn had collected some two dozen written accounts in various stages of completion. She felt the project was only half finished, and anticipated continuing her work the following summer, but funding didn’t materialize. So the project sat dormant for three years.
Then in October, 2008, Women’s Contact Society members convinced Williams Lake Tribune staff writers Sage Birchwater and Gaeil Farrar to consider editing the material and getting it ready for publication. The work began, page by page, story by story, over the winter of 2008-09, with Sage doing the bulk of the editing work. He says the project kind of grew on him.
“Some of the accounts were so powerful they demanded to be put in print. Others were more disturbing—depictions of abuse and shattered lives. I really didn’t know what to do with them,” he says. “I questioned the wisdom of publishing them in their raw form.”
But after speaking with some of the authors it became clear that these hard-hitting narratives had immense value. He saw them as teaching tools—part of a profound healing journey.
“At first it was difficult to decipher what some writers were trying to say,” Sage explains. “Some of their experiences were still pretty raw and difficult to express.”
With some editing, the intentions of the writers were brought forward and made clear.
“I’m pleased with the results,” Sage says. “One woman’s victory over insurmountable odds gives hope and inspiration to others.”
Once the stories were edited, there were still a few holes in the manuscript to fill. For one thing there were no stories of First Nations women, and more stories were needed. Thanks to the Williams Lake Tribune archives and the good will of publisher Lorne Doerkson, Sage and Gaeil were able to access stories and photographs previously published in the newspaper and in the Tribune’s annual award-winning supplement Casual Country. A dozen more stories were added to complete the book.
“It’s not perfect,” Sage admits. “There are many other stories of incredible women of this region that weren’t included simply because those stories haven’t been written yet. At the same time Gumption & Grit has a wonderful sense of wholeness to it. We are delighted how it turned out.”
Literally the day before Sage was going to have a friend lay out Gumption & Grit as a self-published effort by the Women’s Contact Society, Caitlin Press publisher, Vici Johnstone, got wind of the project. Vici told Sage to hold the press until she had time to look over the manuscript, saying that women’s stories from the Interior of the province fit neatly into the mandate of her small Sunshine Coast publishing company.
In short, Vici liked what she saw, and over the next six months she worked with Sage to produce a polished and professional literary work with appeal beyond the local region.
“Reading this book is like having a heart-to-heart conversation with some good friends,” Vici says. “These women were mothers, grandmothers, schoolteachers, outfitters, ranchers, homesteaders, volunteers, survivors and business owners that made their communities tick. It’s high time they were celebrated in print.”
Vici says Gumption & Grit is the first volume in a new series Extraordinary Women by Caitlin Press, which will showcase women’s stories, their lives, their successes, their history. She reflects how in 2005 the Women’s Contact Society posted a request for stories about women in the Cariboo Chilcotin performing non-traditional roles in a rough and tumble, male-dominated environment.
“What the Contact Society received was an overwhelming number of tales of hardship, faith, adversity, endurance and accomplishment. Gumption & Grit contains over thirty-five heart-felt and honest stories which will resonate with all women. This is an important book,” Vici adds. “It’s a sign that our society is ready to celebrate and value women’s history. This book speaks to personal triumphs against all odds—and it’s a great read.”
Authors who contributed stories to the book are Barbara Coupe, Linda Lou Howarth, Gerry Bracewell, Sage Birchwater, Marie Fletcher, Gloria Atamanenko, Pam Mahon, Rebecca Aldous, Clint Thompson, Liz Twan, Maree Benoit, Gaeil Farrar, Jessie Frink, Karen Longwell, Kelcy Slocombe, Erinn Brown, Sheila Greunwald, Heather Fraser, Debra McNei, Diane Walters, Audrey MacLise, Viv Lee and Diana French.
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