Twenty years ago, Mike Metatawabin went to Wunnumin Lake First Nation to act as a translator for the Elders coming inland from the James Bay coast to attend a summer meeting of Nishnawbe Aski Nation leadership . It was during this trip that Mike first met a Ralph Rowe survivor. The encounter altered the course of his life. He had been sitting in the community hall and remembers being overwhelmed by the odd, unsettling feeling that he needed to leave. The cold rain soaked through his shoes as he made his way to the modest cabin where he was staying. He hoped the wood stove would be on but the cabin was dark and chilly. He could feel someone’s eyes on him. A young man was sitting in the corner. A small leather hand drum was on the table in front of him. The noose was near.Mike took a seat and began to beat the drum. He told the young man of the pain he was holding after the sudden death of his infant just months earlier. Mike finished his story and continued to drum.Then the young man spoke. He said that tonight was the night. He could not take it any longer. The hurt was unbearable, and no one seemed to care. He didn’t feel he could talk to anyone about what Ralph Rowe had done to him, because it was the faithful who kept inviting the monster back. Every time the Anglican priest flew into Wunnumin, he was met with praise and adulation.But the young man, who was then only a boy, knew what was in store for him. He was terrified. No one would believe that this revered man of the cloth would do such nasty things. The story poured out of the man, and Mike continued to drum. They sat together for hours, until they were both emotionally spent and Mike saw the danger pass from the man’s eyes.“I’ve never forgotten that moment. A time when someone was reaching out and I was the one who answered the call. It makes you wonder at the power of the will to live. At a time when all seems lost, an angel comes calling, sending a message to listen,R ...
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