Honour our Children

Yellow Quill bids farewell to tots who froze to death
TIM COOK

The Canadian Press

February 2, 2008 at 6:48 PM EST

YELLOW QUILL RESERVE, Sask. — The heartbroken grandmother of two children who met their tragic ends in an icy field on a Saskatchewan reserve has issued an emotional plea to the Canadian public, asking that their deaths not be in vain.

Three-year-old Kaydance Pauchay and her one-year-old sister Santana were laid to rest Saturday after a private service on the Yellow Quill reserve about three hours east of Saskatoon.

Afterward, the girls' maternal grandmother, Irene Nippi, made her way to the edge of the reserve, where the media were being kept back, and asked reporters to tell the story of Yellow Quill and the struggles its people face.

“I was worried about my grandchildren. I did not want them to leave this world in vain,” Ms. Nippi said, her slight frame trembling against the cold. “I hope there's change now that happens — a lot of changes like no alcohol and counselling and stuff to be brought in here. Our old teachings should be brought back.”

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The Yellow Quill reserve, situated in a part of the province where flat grain fields give way to rolling hills and forests, is battling alcohol abuse, high unemployment and a lack of suitable housing.

The First Nation also has political and financial difficulties. It has been under third-party management since 1999, and the chief is currently locked in a bitter battle with councillors that both sides agree is crippling the reserve's development.

Ms. Nippi said she hopes Saturday's service helps her own family move forward. The children's father, Christopher Pauchay, was brought to the reserve by ambulance so he and their mother, Tracey Jimmy, could say goodbye to their children together. Ms. Jimmy is expecting another baby in April.

“I'm glad it is finally over. Now the healing can begin with my daughter and my son-in-law,” Ms. Nippi said. “When we went to lay my grandchildren to rest, I was very proud of her and my son-in-law Chris, because they were so strong.”

Details about the deaths remain incomplete, but family members have said they believe Mr. Pauchay might have been seeking medical help for the one of the girls and intended to walk a short distance to another home when he took them out wearing light clothing around 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday. They say he had been drinking that night.

At some point, Mr. Pauchay got separated from the children. He made it to a neighbour's house and was taken to hospital suffering from severe frostbite and hypothermia. Eight hours later, when he was finally able to communicate, he asked about his children, triggering a grim search.

Saturday's memorial service was private, and RCMP officers were stationed at the reserve entrance to enforce a media ban imposed by Chief Robert Whitehead at the request of family and the band's elders.

One of the guests, Saskatchewan's minister of First Nations and Métis relations, said she sensed a mood for change on the reserve.

“They're very, very extremely sad people. It's just an unbelievable sad feeling of tragedy and mourning there and also a resolve to see what they can do different in their lives,” said June Draude.

Speaking to reporters as he left the memorial reception in his car, Mr. Pauchay's brother Gary said both parents have been devastated by the tragedy.

“The parents are really sad,” he said, adding his brother hasn't told him much about what happened that night. “He just stares at me.”

He couldn't speculate on Christopher's recovery, other than to say, “He'll walk.”

When reporters asked how he himself was coping, Mr. Pauchay said simply, “having a beer.” There was an open beer bottle beside him in the car console.

Ms. Nippi had words for the band leadership, saying she and her family have felt like they weren't supported during this tragedy.

But she was comforted by all the people who came to the funeral from far and wide to offer their condolences.

“That made me feel so good,” she said, fighting back tears. “I just knew we weren't alone