Myron Burger has lived on both sides of the Canadian/U.S. border throughout his life.
His mom, the late-Anna Alphonse, was from Williams Lake First Nation, and his father Paul Burger was born in Iowa.
A Vietnam veteran, Paul served for 23 years in the U.S. Navy from October 1957 until June 1979 which meant the family moved around a lot. Myron was born in Fort Madison, Iowa, but said he grew up in Hawaii, Washington and Oregon.
“My mom passed away in 2017 and dad lives in Las Vegas, Nevada,” Myron said.
In the middle of his siblings, Myron has two sisters - Christie Palmantier and La Rae Dolan - and his brother, Jay Burger.
Following in his father's footsteps, Myron also joined the military, serving from 1986 to 1990. He was active during the Persian Gulf War and was also in the U.S. Navy submarine fleet, stationed at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii on the USS Hawkbill - S666.
His experience in the military helped him immensely, he said.
“The discipline and structure really helped me out and during the time I actually went into treatment for my alcoholism and was able to sober up and I have been sober now for 36 years.”
In 1990, he decided to move to Canada. He spent a few years in Fort St. John and then in Williams Lake. He stayed for 10 years before he decided to return to the U.S. to go to Salish Kootenay College, a private tribal land-grant community college in Pablo, Montana.
“I got a degree in Native American human service so I could become a counsellor.”
After graduation he moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lives and works now for the Santa Fe Indian School.
“It is a boarding school and I'm a counsellor there with about 65 Native children seventh grade through 12th grade. It is one of the top Native education schools in the U.S.”
The school is run by the 19 Pueblo Governors of New Mexico.
“You know how we have 17 bands of the Secwépemc Nation, instead of bands, they call themselves pueblos.”
In 2000, the Santa Fe Indian School Act was signed allowing the school to build a program based on educational sovereignty – the right and responsibility to educate New Mexico Indian children in a manner that supports their cultural and traditional belief systems. There are Native people from all over the U.S. who live in Santa Fe, he said.
Myron has been making an effort to come home to Williams Lake for his summer holiday, which starts after school is out on May 24 in New Mexico.
While home in 2024, Myron danced at the Traditional Father's Day Pow Wow at the WLFN Arbour. It was the first time he had danced since 2005.
“That pow wow I helped start - me and Jean Williams, Jim Edgar and Virginia Gilbert and a few other guys. We were running that pow wow and building that arbour ourselves.”
Getting to dance was “beautiful,” he said. “I am glad they have been able to keep that pow wow going. It's good to see young people dancing.”
Parts of his Black Bear regalia belonged to his grandmother, Celestine Alphonse, as well as some gloves she made, and other things made by elders back in the day such as his moccasins made by Clotilde Thomas.
“Christine Cooper did buckskin and moose hide pieces I collected over the years.” His Secwépemc name is Kekenem, which means black bear. “I received that name through marriage,” he said, noting he is now divorced but has a son Tristan Auger, 28, who lives in Alberta.
While in the Cariboo he enjoys fishing at places such a Dugan Lake and hanging out with his family, doing ceremony and pow wow. He also planned to attend the 2024 Kamloompa Powwow, June 28 to 30, 2024.
“If I can get a hike in I'm happy because I do a lot of hiking in New Mexico. The Pablo sites are beautiful to see.”
He enjoys travelling with his father, and brings his father to Williams Lake with him.
“My father's been coming here since the early 60s. He's pretty well part of the community.”
To attend the Father's Day Traditional Pow Wow, his father wore a ribbon-shirt Myron got for him. “I take him to a lot of different pow wows all over the U.S. Our favourite one we like to go to is Denver March. It's the first pow wow of the season.”
Myron plans to work at the Sante Fe School for some more years, but said he is feeling more and more that he needs to come home to Canada. “Chief Willie Sellars, the council, my friends and everyone I know here are wanting me to come home. I do want to come home and retire.”
