WHEN THE BIG CHIEF OUTDID HIMSELF
.
I’m not the boss, you’re not the boss,
the plants are the boss. (the late Rien Van Mil)
The plan was to develop an economic development project which would
provide income and employment on the reserve, and, with training and simple
technology, be sustainable after all the VSers(Voluntary Service Workers) had
left. A cow-calf project had already
been established, supervised by experienced Mennonite farmers from St.
Jacob’s. For two successive summers
there had been a community garden with two VS couples, one young and one older,
to supervise it in turn. Although the
gardens were popular, and the couples so well-liked by the community that their
good will paved the way for acceptance of the current two couples, the
Schlichtings and us, Ken Schlichting, in charge of the project, said that the
garden must become economically viable or it would have to be scratched. Rien’s job as a professional market gardener would
be to establish a successful commercial market garden and training program.
Funding for five years was in place. There was a budget for wages,
equipment and the three greenhouses Rien had approval to put up. Finally, the right trainees were
selected: Philip Jones, Chris Solomon
and Bobby Nadjiwon.
“I’m not the boss, you’re not the boss, the plants are the
boss.” Rien was humming and singing as
he walked up and down the aisles demonstrating how to use the watering system
in the greenhouse. The eager trainees had already learned the basics of
planting and transplanting, and were now learning how to water the thousands of
trays of seedlings which filled three huge greenhouses.
“Do ya think anybody’s gonna buy these veg’tables off us, once we’re
done? I mean, who’s gonna buy them from
us ol’ Indians anyway? They think we’re
just a bunch of drunks.” This came from Bobby, with nods of agreement from
Philip and Chris.
“Oh, ja,
dey will, don’t worry. I’ll help you
find the markets when we’re ready. Don’t
forget one t’ing: it’s all in the hands of the Big Chief.”
Over the
summer, the young men became competent, confident in their new skills. They planted, weeded and expertly handled the
lettuce, cabbage, tomato, onion and cauliflower plants, as well as the
begonias, dahlias, marigolds and portulacas. They learned how to operate the
combination oil-and wood-heated greenhouses; also how to cut cabbage and
cauliflower in the seventeen acres of sandy loam soil in the garden. Plans were
to supply local flower and vegetable markets, thereby providing fresh, local
produce without the shipping costs from Toronto. The future goal was to raise
10,000 lettuces, 20,000 cabbages, 500 cucumber plants, onions and year-round
tomatoes. Three more greenhouses would have to be put up.
Rien was
in his element: doing the gardening he loved and teaching three young native
men, as he had taught his own three older sons, how to do it. The love he had for aboriginals had always
been there from the time he fell in love with a two-year-old Inuit child cared
for by his late first wife at the Hamilton Sanitarium, a tuberculosis hospital.
There was just a connection. And there
was a special personality bond with these three hardworking trainees: outgoing Philip, a fisherman –now the
designated sales person; personable Chris, husband and father; and shy
professional fishing guide Bobby, famous for his “Vanishing Lake” story in
which he played a trick on critical American tourists by placing fish in a
flooded farmer’s field, “guiding” them to them, then watching them try to find
the “lake” the next year. Rien and the
three trainees were often seen driving together to get supplies, investigate a
problem or check out markets.
Before long, the band was starting to
sell their produce to local stores. They
supplied Vince’s Food Market in Owen Sound.
Now A and P Stores was making inquiries.
The band was getting a good name for delivering top-quality produce on
time. The whole community began to hold
their heads up high.
The cauliflower this year were huge,
creamy, flawless and almost twice the usual size.
“Ja, the
Big Chief really outdid Himself, this time,” said Rien.
“Could I buy one of these
cauliflower, Rien?” asked our coworker Gwen.
Rien, standing beside a large truck filled with vegetables to go to the
stores said,
“No, ja,
these are already counted,” and offered her one of the “seconds” left in the
field. The Cape Croker Market Garden was not just a small-time operation, but
was doing real business now.
For “The Rest of the Story” – folks, I just cannot steal the climax of
the book, so you will have to wait to read the book to find out what happened
with the huge, creamy cauliflower!
Now
to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine
,according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory…(Ephesians
3: 20, 21 NIV)
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