Saturday, December 17, 2011
Glory of the Morning: History does repeat itself, but you have to know t...
Glory of the Morning: History does repeat itself, but you have to know t...: Yesterday I had an interesting meeting. Surprisingly I was made aware that I have offended some people who are following my blog, therefore...
History does repeat itself, but you have to know that it is happening for it to count.
Yesterday I had an interesting meeting. Surprisingly I was made aware that I have offended some people who are following my blog, therefore, I will be as general as possible.
Someone at this meeting said they didn't like being called an Indian Agent and wanted me to stop calling people names...hmm. First of all I didn't call them an Indian Agent as I wasn't referring to them. They are more akin to the evil enterprising overlord who saw to it that we Indians were kept in our place either through indebtedness (money) or fear or through other controlling measures. The Indian Agent in my previous blog and other articles is the poor token Indian who sat on a big important committee who did the evil overlord's bidding. While this may seem mean to you, this is all too real for me as it happened to my ancestors in the 1700s', 1800s', 1900s', and it is happening to me, today in 2011. This is the whole point of my observation!
My ancestors signed the treaty at Prairie du Chien which removed the last of the Ho-Chunk from Wisconsin. They were duped, signed out of fear for their peoples/families lives. Some of my ancestors had homesteads and didn't have to leave Wisconsin during the forced removals because they were Decaris (half white). Some of my ancestors who stayed near Prairie du Chien (a place given to half bloods) were without a home or food or with no means of securing food; who had to wait for the White Father to honor his treaty. Some tired of waiting took to drinking, so much so that when annuity payments were made they owed the store keeps or enterprising settlers quite a sum of money that they had little money left to get needed food and clothing. Indian Agents and the early leaders of Wisconsin and the US, knew what was best for us and employed Indian Agents to help us. Some were white, though they kept a few of my ancestors on and considered them to be better than others because they were half bloods (though they had married back into the tribe and they didn't understand genetics), and offered them a little power through this title of Indian Agent. One of my ancestors got out of the Indian Agent business all together and moved to Oshkosh to start his own business and family.
I do not judge my ancestors as I was not in their shoes.
This pattern continued among the Anishnabe and the Dakota.
Explain I did my use of the term Indian Agent to my critic. I also explained the history behind it and it was to no avail. I was accused of attacking people (doesn't that sound familiar?) with no discussion of what led up to the alleged attack (doesn't that sound familiar too?). History has been whole heartedly embraced from the view from the top though there is some tiny incremental advances in native peoples recapturing their history, but I wonder if it will be enough.
How can we help others feel what we have felt from our grandmother's and grandfather's stories of injustices, genocide, forced removals, relocation, treaties, and discrimination? Their very lives were affected through these means. How can others understand what we have experienced for generations because we have the cultural advantage of oral tradition in our everyday lives.
I recognized that history was repeating itself here in Rochester. The evil overlord offered the poor starving Indians a little power (or alcohol of the old days) and now they have become addicted. They have become so addicted that they no longer see the need to help their people or other Indians and seek to misrepresent other Indians to feel the rush of power again. Sad. It is hard to stand against or with someone who has an addiction. Perhaps I have been too hard on the token Indian.
When I first heard the phrase or cliche "history repeats itself" I doubted it. I was young and filled with optimism. Surely, no one would ever go back to the treaty days! We can all become educated, self reliant and then, we can make our own destinies. We are the master's of our fate, right? Now I am older and filled with some wisdom, some pessimism and a little hope among other things. There are obstacles in the path of our people and it will take time to overcome them. There will be incremental evidences of change. There will be victories won, look at Indian Heights Park!
To my critic or rather critics as I am sure there are more than the one, I say that I am sorry, but my grandmother didn't tell me her experiences of injustices like being punished for speaking her native language at boarding school for nothing. She didn't want me sitting passively by because she made peace with the dominant society about being forced to go to boarding school. Nor did leave me the example of her telling Clyde Bellecourt and Russell Means to call her "Delicious" because they likened her to an "Apple Indian" because she believed in education, so that I could let others decide my fate for me. No, she left me quite a legacy and I still draw power from today as a wife, mother, community member, church member, tribal member and clan member.
As for GOM. She was a woman, who may or may not have been a Chieftess, but she made a conscious decision to marry outside of the tribe; Jospeh Decaris. From them came numerous chiefs and other descendants whom historians, military men, early Wisconsin businessmen wrote about in their memoirs, narrative writings and papers. My journey to discover her world has enlightened me beyond measure and I am grateful.
Someone at this meeting said they didn't like being called an Indian Agent and wanted me to stop calling people names...hmm. First of all I didn't call them an Indian Agent as I wasn't referring to them. They are more akin to the evil enterprising overlord who saw to it that we Indians were kept in our place either through indebtedness (money) or fear or through other controlling measures. The Indian Agent in my previous blog and other articles is the poor token Indian who sat on a big important committee who did the evil overlord's bidding. While this may seem mean to you, this is all too real for me as it happened to my ancestors in the 1700s', 1800s', 1900s', and it is happening to me, today in 2011. This is the whole point of my observation!
My ancestors signed the treaty at Prairie du Chien which removed the last of the Ho-Chunk from Wisconsin. They were duped, signed out of fear for their peoples/families lives. Some of my ancestors had homesteads and didn't have to leave Wisconsin during the forced removals because they were Decaris (half white). Some of my ancestors who stayed near Prairie du Chien (a place given to half bloods) were without a home or food or with no means of securing food; who had to wait for the White Father to honor his treaty. Some tired of waiting took to drinking, so much so that when annuity payments were made they owed the store keeps or enterprising settlers quite a sum of money that they had little money left to get needed food and clothing. Indian Agents and the early leaders of Wisconsin and the US, knew what was best for us and employed Indian Agents to help us. Some were white, though they kept a few of my ancestors on and considered them to be better than others because they were half bloods (though they had married back into the tribe and they didn't understand genetics), and offered them a little power through this title of Indian Agent. One of my ancestors got out of the Indian Agent business all together and moved to Oshkosh to start his own business and family.
I do not judge my ancestors as I was not in their shoes.
This pattern continued among the Anishnabe and the Dakota.
Explain I did my use of the term Indian Agent to my critic. I also explained the history behind it and it was to no avail. I was accused of attacking people (doesn't that sound familiar?) with no discussion of what led up to the alleged attack (doesn't that sound familiar too?). History has been whole heartedly embraced from the view from the top though there is some tiny incremental advances in native peoples recapturing their history, but I wonder if it will be enough.
How can we help others feel what we have felt from our grandmother's and grandfather's stories of injustices, genocide, forced removals, relocation, treaties, and discrimination? Their very lives were affected through these means. How can others understand what we have experienced for generations because we have the cultural advantage of oral tradition in our everyday lives.
I recognized that history was repeating itself here in Rochester. The evil overlord offered the poor starving Indians a little power (or alcohol of the old days) and now they have become addicted. They have become so addicted that they no longer see the need to help their people or other Indians and seek to misrepresent other Indians to feel the rush of power again. Sad. It is hard to stand against or with someone who has an addiction. Perhaps I have been too hard on the token Indian.
When I first heard the phrase or cliche "history repeats itself" I doubted it. I was young and filled with optimism. Surely, no one would ever go back to the treaty days! We can all become educated, self reliant and then, we can make our own destinies. We are the master's of our fate, right? Now I am older and filled with some wisdom, some pessimism and a little hope among other things. There are obstacles in the path of our people and it will take time to overcome them. There will be incremental evidences of change. There will be victories won, look at Indian Heights Park!
To my critic or rather critics as I am sure there are more than the one, I say that I am sorry, but my grandmother didn't tell me her experiences of injustices like being punished for speaking her native language at boarding school for nothing. She didn't want me sitting passively by because she made peace with the dominant society about being forced to go to boarding school. Nor did leave me the example of her telling Clyde Bellecourt and Russell Means to call her "Delicious" because they likened her to an "Apple Indian" because she believed in education, so that I could let others decide my fate for me. No, she left me quite a legacy and I still draw power from today as a wife, mother, community member, church member, tribal member and clan member.
As for GOM. She was a woman, who may or may not have been a Chieftess, but she made a conscious decision to marry outside of the tribe; Jospeh Decaris. From them came numerous chiefs and other descendants whom historians, military men, early Wisconsin businessmen wrote about in their memoirs, narrative writings and papers. My journey to discover her world has enlightened me beyond measure and I am grateful.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Pilot study brings new insight
My pilot study this past fall semester looked at the roles and cultural practices of contemporary Ho-Chunk women and the results were amazing. The women viewed themselves as defenders, mothers, teachers, providers, spiritual, disciplined and carriers of vital knowledge. They saw themselves as hard workers and resourceful, willing to do whatever was asked of them for the sake of their people, their clan and family.
This is amazing because I expected them to state "roles" such as teacher, mother, cook, or at least state their professional roles, but they didn't. Instead they listed those things that are at the core of one's identity, their character. As I pondered these preliminary results I couldn't help but think of the Ho-Chunk women that I observed over the years and this fits so many of them so well.
Also, none of them felt GOM could have been a chief in the real sense of the word by today's standards nor did they hear about her through oral tradition. The study asked about their knowledge of GOM too.
What does this study have to do with GOM? GOM was rumored to have been a chief of the early Ho-Chunk and there are those within the tribe who vehemently disagree with this story and there are those who quietly agree with the story. Some say that this goes against all tribal teachings regarding the roles of men and women, there was a female leader of the modern day Ho-Chunk who was elected to be the President of the Nation. Though she wasn't a "chief" she certainly was an elected leader possibly similar to GOM. Therefore, given the story of GOM (1700s') through oral tradition, it begged the question, "how do Ho-Chunk women view themselves?" While it is difficult to directly ascertain how the Ho-Chunk women of the 1700s' viewed themselves, our cultural is steeped in oral tradition and those teachings vital to our Nation's survival have been passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, how women view their roles and their knowledge of GOM might give valuable insight to my thesis question: GOM: Ho-Chunk woman or Chieftess?
I am anxious to do the actual study in the spring of 2012!
Let's hope the Mayan Calendar holds out for me to do the study and write it up.
This is amazing because I expected them to state "roles" such as teacher, mother, cook, or at least state their professional roles, but they didn't. Instead they listed those things that are at the core of one's identity, their character. As I pondered these preliminary results I couldn't help but think of the Ho-Chunk women that I observed over the years and this fits so many of them so well.
Also, none of them felt GOM could have been a chief in the real sense of the word by today's standards nor did they hear about her through oral tradition. The study asked about their knowledge of GOM too.
What does this study have to do with GOM? GOM was rumored to have been a chief of the early Ho-Chunk and there are those within the tribe who vehemently disagree with this story and there are those who quietly agree with the story. Some say that this goes against all tribal teachings regarding the roles of men and women, there was a female leader of the modern day Ho-Chunk who was elected to be the President of the Nation. Though she wasn't a "chief" she certainly was an elected leader possibly similar to GOM. Therefore, given the story of GOM (1700s') through oral tradition, it begged the question, "how do Ho-Chunk women view themselves?" While it is difficult to directly ascertain how the Ho-Chunk women of the 1700s' viewed themselves, our cultural is steeped in oral tradition and those teachings vital to our Nation's survival have been passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, how women view their roles and their knowledge of GOM might give valuable insight to my thesis question: GOM: Ho-Chunk woman or Chieftess?
I am anxious to do the actual study in the spring of 2012!
Let's hope the Mayan Calendar holds out for me to do the study and write it up.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
SACRED DAKOTA burial site...
Today a long battle has come to a close and a new beginning has ensued.
For me, it was the courage that I have gained by studying about GOM and being raised by a full-blood Dakota grandmother. Indian Heights Park in Rochester was finally recognized as a sacred site of the Dakota peoples in a unanimous vote today by the Park Board of Rochester. It has been a long arduous road to travel these past two, nearly three years. In the critical last few months, I, through my studies and upbringing, was able to defend oral tradition and use historical data to show that Indian Heights Park was used by the Dakota people as late as the 1860s' through two presentations to the Park Board and Steering Committee. Also, through my studies and support I have received from my advisor, program director, thesis team members, and the Minnesota Dakota Hereditary Chief, and my "academic mother" I was able to write an op-ed piece that compared and contrasted oral tradition versus history of the dominant society as to how each viewed "burial sites." This op-ed piece stirred a lot of feelings, both good and bad, in Rochester. I received both praise and criticism. One man, a leader of a small local organization threatened me after I wrote the article because I did not share his views of a homogenous Native American culture and singled out the Dakota Nation.
To be sure, this much wanted outcome was NOT due to my efforts alone. The Friends of Indian Heights, a grassroots neighborhood organization helped GREATLY!! Though I did not always agree with their methodologies, namely they did not tenaciously go to the source (the Dakota people) and instead went to non-natives for their information, yet despite this faux pas Indian Heights Park will be recognized as a sacred site. Though we ethically disagreed at many junctures during this process, I am still desirous and free to join their ranks as someone who wants to preserve the park and restore it to its proper dignity. FOIH here I come.
I do believe my gram and GOM would be proud.
For me, it was the courage that I have gained by studying about GOM and being raised by a full-blood Dakota grandmother. Indian Heights Park in Rochester was finally recognized as a sacred site of the Dakota peoples in a unanimous vote today by the Park Board of Rochester. It has been a long arduous road to travel these past two, nearly three years. In the critical last few months, I, through my studies and upbringing, was able to defend oral tradition and use historical data to show that Indian Heights Park was used by the Dakota people as late as the 1860s' through two presentations to the Park Board and Steering Committee. Also, through my studies and support I have received from my advisor, program director, thesis team members, and the Minnesota Dakota Hereditary Chief, and my "academic mother" I was able to write an op-ed piece that compared and contrasted oral tradition versus history of the dominant society as to how each viewed "burial sites." This op-ed piece stirred a lot of feelings, both good and bad, in Rochester. I received both praise and criticism. One man, a leader of a small local organization threatened me after I wrote the article because I did not share his views of a homogenous Native American culture and singled out the Dakota Nation.
To be sure, this much wanted outcome was NOT due to my efforts alone. The Friends of Indian Heights, a grassroots neighborhood organization helped GREATLY!! Though I did not always agree with their methodologies, namely they did not tenaciously go to the source (the Dakota people) and instead went to non-natives for their information, yet despite this faux pas Indian Heights Park will be recognized as a sacred site. Though we ethically disagreed at many junctures during this process, I am still desirous and free to join their ranks as someone who wants to preserve the park and restore it to its proper dignity. FOIH here I come.
I do believe my gram and GOM would be proud.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Last words in print
These are the words of Spoon Decorah, an ancestor of mine in an 1887 interview with Rueben Gold Thwaites. I found his words to be quite profound and prophetic.
"Now the Winnebago(e)s are poor. They have not so much pride. Very few of them care about the old times. Most of them care only for firewater. We get a very poor living now. Our farms have not good soil. The game is not as plenty as it once was. The White traders cheat and rob us. They make our young men drunk. It would be better if we had no agent. We think the Big Father does not care for us any longer, now that he has all our best land. Perhaps it will not be long before he will want the poor land we now live one" (Wisconsin Historical Society Collections, Vol. xiii, p. 462).
"Now the Winnebago(e)s are poor. They have not so much pride. Very few of them care about the old times. Most of them care only for firewater. We get a very poor living now. Our farms have not good soil. The game is not as plenty as it once was. The White traders cheat and rob us. They make our young men drunk. It would be better if we had no agent. We think the Big Father does not care for us any longer, now that he has all our best land. Perhaps it will not be long before he will want the poor land we now live one" (Wisconsin Historical Society Collections, Vol. xiii, p. 462).
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
GOM's descendants
that it all started on a small island in Wisconsin. My connection to her goes back
9 generations. Her exact birthdate is hard to pin point, so I will still with the generation measure.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Beginnings
From my earliest remembrances of my childhood Choka always began his story about our Decorah origins with, "I was born in a wigwam in a Ho-Chunk settlement (or village) along the Turkey River. Seeing the river takes his words to a whole new level for me since I have never been there before.
file:///Users/valerieguimaraes/Desktop/156-18v.jpg (aerial view of the Turkey River on the border of Wisconsin and Iowa.
Monday, September 12, 2011
A step closer to Joseph Decarie
GOM married Joseph Sabrevior Decarie. All this time I have heard the story of GOM and Sabrevior and on Tuesday August 17th I learned that his given name was Joseph. How amazing. It was around 3pm and I was thumbing through the Gale Papers in the Archive Room of the Wisconsin Historical Society when I discovered that Spoon told Gale that his father's name was Joseph. I read it again and again. Could this be so? On Friday August 19th around 10am I was talking to Dr. Jan Vansina and he explained that Sabrevior was a nick name and not Decarie's real name. He asked, "What was his real name?" I was in awe. I relayed the story of how I just learned on Tuesday that Sabrevior's real name was Joseph. Dr. Vansina said, "Of course." Not that he knew the name, but that he knew that he must have had another name.
Last week I was on the Internet looking for Joseph Decarie and came upon a website about French military battles in Canada. I found information about the Battle of St. Foye or the Battle for Quebec. I wrote to the webmaster and asked if he had any information about the men who fought in this battle. A few days later he responded and said that he was familiar with the surname Decarie and sent me a link to a book; les familes Descarie, Decarie and Decarrie! Amazing. Now if I just read French.
Last week I was on the Internet looking for Joseph Decarie and came upon a website about French military battles in Canada. I found information about the Battle of St. Foye or the Battle for Quebec. I wrote to the webmaster and asked if he had any information about the men who fought in this battle. A few days later he responded and said that he was familiar with the surname Decarie and sent me a link to a book; les familes Descarie, Decarie and Decarrie! Amazing. Now if I just read French.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Picture of Doty Park
Picture from Doty Island
{Jonathan Carver traveled north of the island on Lake Winnebago and traveled along the Fox River until he came to the southern part of the island, now Doty Park. This is where he met GOM.
More pictures to come!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Dr. Jan Vansina, Doty Island, and the archives at WHS
An amazing trip! I saw the spot where Jean Nicolet first met the Ho-Chunk on the northern part of island now Menasha. There was a stone monument which marked the spot where Jean Nicolet met them. It was given to the city by the Women of Menasha in 1902. I stood on the spot where Jonathan Carver met Glory of the Morning where the Fox River meets Lake Winnebago. The feelings are indescribable, very humbling. I spent 3 days in the WHS archive room pouring over old documents hoping to retrieve information relative to my thesis. They staff were very, very helpful. I actually touched Dr. Kellogg's old notes and saw the original manuscript of The French Regime. Inspiring to say the least. I also held the ledger that recorded the first annuity payments made to the Ho-Chunk or then Winnebago Indians. It was very touching to see my ancestors listed. Lastly, I met with Dr. Jan Vansina, Prof. Emeritus, Department of History, UW-Madison. We met in the History Emeritus staff suite. Not so glamorous accommodations, but the company was awesome. We met for over an hour and he gave me wonderful insights for my thesis, my model of generational oral tradition transmission and said, "You are on the right path in your research." Oooh, now that was so good to hear!
The trip was made all the more special because my best and dearest friend went with me and acted as my "gopher" - my husband Paulo.
Pictures to come soon.
The trip was made all the more special because my best and dearest friend went with me and acted as my "gopher" - my husband Paulo.
Pictures to come soon.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
A splendid trip
I am planning a trip to Wisconsin next week. First stop, the Ho-Chunk Nation to visit with the tribal genealogist and tribal historian. Also to visit with my thesis team member and take her to lunch. Next stop Madison to see the Wisconsin Historical Society! I have hours of work to do in this great place. Archives here I come! I have already been in touch with the archive people and they are ready for me. I am anxious to learn where Louise P. Kellogg found her sources about Sabrevior DeCarrie (Decaris) and Glory of the Morning. She doesn't list them in her articles and I can't navigate the on line archive recesses very well yet. Very frustrating indeed! Then it will be time for a break and I will travel up to Doty Island, present day Neenah and Menasha, to see where GOM and Sabrevior first met. Very exciting! I finish my trip in Wisconsin by conversing with none other than Jan Vasina, the father of oral history. He has agreed to discuss my thesis topic and look at my model of the transmission of generational Ho-Chunk oral tradition. It will be an amazing trip.
My last stop will be at the Shakopee Wacipi in good old Minnesota, where I hope to see family and friends, but also talk with the hereditary chief of the Minnesota Dakota about Indian Heights Park in Rochester. I am still trying to get the park recognized as a burial site. Nothing like putting theories into action when you are still learning about the components of the theories involved. Brutal and harsh realities intertwined with the ideals of of high ideals. Onward!
My last stop will be at the Shakopee Wacipi in good old Minnesota, where I hope to see family and friends, but also talk with the hereditary chief of the Minnesota Dakota about Indian Heights Park in Rochester. I am still trying to get the park recognized as a burial site. Nothing like putting theories into action when you are still learning about the components of the theories involved. Brutal and harsh realities intertwined with the ideals of of high ideals. Onward!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Decolonizing ourselves
I now understand Smith better when she said that it is time for indigenous peoples to stop thinking as the Europeans and colonists did. We need to recapture our history, which is oral history, and put it foremost in our way of thinking going forward. Our little situation with Indian Heights Park has helped me to see that we ourselves as native peoples need to stop limiting ourselves with European ideas. Indian Heights Park was used as a burial site. We have the historical account by the early Rochester paper, the Post Bulletin to thank for that. Now, with our oral history, we can build on that and reclaim Indian Heights Park as a sacred site for the Dakota Nation. We did not put down "roots" as they Europeans or colonists did. We did not construct stone houses. We followed the seasons, the animals and summered and wintered where it would help our people. We did not farm or homestead in the way the Europeans did and we need to stop apologizing for that. Rochester was used as a hunting grounds and burial grounds. It was a place that was within the ancestral lands of the Dakota and a few Ho-Chunk. Enough said. Absolute proof or Rankean order of historical facts does not mean the same to indigenous peoples as it does to the white man or Europeans or colonists. Our history is rich, vibrant and alive. It has been handed down from generation to generation in families and clans and is ours to claim and share.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Rochester heard some real singing last night
Battle River, my brother's drum group sang some great songs last night at Native American Day sponsored by Rochester Public Schools. Rochester had a taste of Native American drum music that it has not heard before. Great attendance though few native students came and not the 61 families we hoped to reach. It will take time. I attribute this to the relatively few indigenous peoples that reside in Rochester and because Rochester does not appreciate the rich Native American heritage that it once had. I guess that will take time too.
Thanks Glory of the Morning. Your history though largely unknown has helped me have courage.
Thanks Glory of the Morning. Your history though largely unknown has helped me have courage.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Celebrate Dakota Week Proclamation
All this in an effort to save Indian Heights Park from being desecrated by people who don't understand why a burial site used by the Dakota should be kept sacred.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Research begins
Just got the okay from the IRB at Lesley University and now my study of GOM can officially begin. I still need to make a few changes to my consent form. I didn't realize that filling out a questionnaire can cause stress in people, but I guess it can. 1/7 questionnaires have already been returned. At this rate it is going to be a LONG process. I am so glad that I began early with the initial okay from the IRB.
Already surfacing from the initial paper on GOM is the need for oral history to take a more prominent role in my research and in research in general, especially when it involves research with indigenous peoples. Very exciting.
While there is no school in the summer, I will be busy researching GOM, treaties, Ho-Chunk history, interviewing people and studying qualitative research methods and ways of knowing. Summer looks to be busy and hopefully productive as well.
Already surfacing from the initial paper on GOM is the need for oral history to take a more prominent role in my research and in research in general, especially when it involves research with indigenous peoples. Very exciting.
While there is no school in the summer, I will be busy researching GOM, treaties, Ho-Chunk history, interviewing people and studying qualitative research methods and ways of knowing. Summer looks to be busy and hopefully productive as well.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Glory of the Morning: With new eyes...
Glory of the Morning: With new eyes...: "Beginning graduate studies to examine GOM's role in Ho-Chunk history has been an awakening. I see things with new eyes. I see how much of ..."
With new eyes...
Beginning graduate studies to examine GOM's role in Ho-Chunk history has been an awakening. I see things with new eyes. I see how much of our history has been colorized by colonialists, imperialists and historians. I see how invisible these people think we were and still are. In fact, I was just reminded of it today in my attendance of the Rochester Park Board's Steering Committee Meeting. There were several caucasian people there, save myself attempting to skirt the real issue of Indian Heights Park; it was once used as a burial site by the Dakota Nation. Plans were being bantered about. Ideas were being created and nurtured along. Sides were being taken and a BIG line was drawn by the City's Park Director and the sports enthusiasts group who are very much ONE. It was as if the Dakota were never in Rochester. It was as if the token Indian on the board was not there. Actually he wasn't, something better to do I expect. It was as if I wasn't there. I wasn't, because I am not officially on the committee. Talk of trails, signs, plants, park hours, verbiage and more verbiage and yet NOT ONE WORD about the native peoples that once used Rochester as its hunting and burial grounds. How sad. It looks like Rochester is just too progressive, too busy, too "white" to acknowledge that a park located on its highest point was once used as an Indian burial site.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Glory of the Morning: Oral history vs. written history
Glory of the Morning: Oral history vs. written history: "Since I began my studies about GOM, I have been redrawn to Native American or American Indian issues. One such issue resurfaced in the..."
Oral history vs. written history
Since I began my studies about GOM, I have been redrawn to Native American or American Indian issues. One such issue resurfaced in the city in which I currently reside, Rochester, MN. There is a park called Indian Heights Park that was once used as a burial site by the Dakota Nation in the 1860's. The park is located at the highest point of the City of Rochester. The local paper The Post Bulletin had printed stories about the Indians who visited the area (Indian Heights) "year after year" and "buried their dead there" around 1925.
As soon as I became aware of the park's identity in 2009, I began an inquiry about the people that were buried there. I contacted the Shakopee Medwakanton Sioux Community and the Prairie Island Sioux Community to see within their oral history if the elders ever knew of such a village and/or burial site. I didn't hear any back from anyone until this year, right in the middle of my studies of GOM. In fact, I heard back from Prairie Island on the day of a meeting that was to be convened by the Park Board Steering Committee wherein they would hear the "Native American perspective" from the Chairman of the Native American Center of SE MN. I went to the meeting as a "concerned citizen" and listened as the Chairman presented the case for "Native American people of the area". I was never consulted. After his presentation the members of the committee all caucasian thanked the token Indian member of the steering committee for the fine presentation.
At the meeting I learned that a grass roots organization was formed in 2010, Friend of Indian Heights to save the park from further development by the Rochester Area Sports Enthusiasts Group who wanted to expand the 37.5 Indian Heights Park to include timed mountain biking. I was astonished to say the least.
To date there have been two meetings per month and various perspectives have been shared. These perspectives have included the Friends of Indian Heights, the Sports group, a world renowned Indian Burial Mound Expert, Dr. Constance Arzigian and soon the group will hear from the State Archeologist. The Prairie Island History Preservation Officer was invited but she has yet to show. She is relatively new at her post and inexperienced per her own admission.
Today the meeting, in my view, took a turn for the worst. You see there is no official declaration that Indian Heights Parks is a sacred site. The State Archeologist needs to declare this and since he hasn't the park can be developed unless an entity, organization or individual suspects or finds human remains in the area. There is some discussion of "legalities" in the matter. Does the City of Rochester have to call for an archeological dig? What constitutes "development"? You see many of the white people on this committee feel the bodies were all blown away in the big tornado. Dr. Arzigian stated that there was no legal responsibility for the city to call for a dig, but if there have been NA ceremonies performed at the site (NAC has done this) then it would be in the City's interest to involved the NA tribes in the area a so called "best practices" effort to show forth a genuine concern for the area. Today the meeting than turned ugly and a discussion relative to ceremonies and burial sites ensued and went something like this:
Caucasian Man (CM): "You don't really know if there were ever any religious ceremonies performed by anyone there."
Token Indian Board member, President of the NAC of SE MN (NAC): "I do. People were buried up there. We have ceremonies that must be performed."
CM: "But you really can't say that a ceremony ever occurred up there. You can't say there, right here is where a ceremony occurred. There is no proof."
NAC: "You have your own documents to show that a burial site was up there. I am telling you that there are ceremonies that must be done to bury the dead. There are traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation that tell us what ceremonies we need to performed. There are some tribes who use the sweat lodge every day. The park is located near water, the site is the highest elevation in the city. There were ceremonies performed up there."
CM: "You have no proof, only oral history."
As I sat there silent (I have to since I am just a member of the community and not on the steering committee), my research of GOM was right before me. Oral history verses the written account of Europeans, immigrants to this land. Oral history was again being called into question. Even with a written account of an event, written by early white settlers of Rochester, the Indian Burial Site was being discounted because there was NO PROOF (actual bodies or artifacts) to show that something actually occurred up at Indian Heights Park.
This is all reminiscent of how the various Nation's had their land taken from them and then they were relegated to poor plots of land that could not possibly sustain them. The written accounts then were treaties. In time even the treaties that were made between various indigenous nations were tossed aside to make way for settlers, businesses, mining, money making ventures and the like.
In Rochester's case, a tiny plot of land (37.5 acres) that was once a burial site for a particular segment of the Dakota Nation, despite oral history and written historical accounts, may be developed for entertainment. A tiny plot of land that represents less than 1 % of all the parks in Rochester likely will be bull-dozed to make way for a particularly influential group in Rochester to conduct timed mountain biking.
Instead of recognizing a unique opportunity to synergistically build on the oral history accounts of the local NA peoples and the past written documentation of early white settlers and preserve a piece of historic land, lines are being drawn in the sand and Indian Heights Park will likely be further desecrated.
As soon as I became aware of the park's identity in 2009, I began an inquiry about the people that were buried there. I contacted the Shakopee Medwakanton Sioux Community and the Prairie Island Sioux Community to see within their oral history if the elders ever knew of such a village and/or burial site. I didn't hear any back from anyone until this year, right in the middle of my studies of GOM. In fact, I heard back from Prairie Island on the day of a meeting that was to be convened by the Park Board Steering Committee wherein they would hear the "Native American perspective" from the Chairman of the Native American Center of SE MN. I went to the meeting as a "concerned citizen" and listened as the Chairman presented the case for "Native American people of the area". I was never consulted. After his presentation the members of the committee all caucasian thanked the token Indian member of the steering committee for the fine presentation.
At the meeting I learned that a grass roots organization was formed in 2010, Friend of Indian Heights to save the park from further development by the Rochester Area Sports Enthusiasts Group who wanted to expand the 37.5 Indian Heights Park to include timed mountain biking. I was astonished to say the least.
To date there have been two meetings per month and various perspectives have been shared. These perspectives have included the Friends of Indian Heights, the Sports group, a world renowned Indian Burial Mound Expert, Dr. Constance Arzigian and soon the group will hear from the State Archeologist. The Prairie Island History Preservation Officer was invited but she has yet to show. She is relatively new at her post and inexperienced per her own admission.
Today the meeting, in my view, took a turn for the worst. You see there is no official declaration that Indian Heights Parks is a sacred site. The State Archeologist needs to declare this and since he hasn't the park can be developed unless an entity, organization or individual suspects or finds human remains in the area. There is some discussion of "legalities" in the matter. Does the City of Rochester have to call for an archeological dig? What constitutes "development"? You see many of the white people on this committee feel the bodies were all blown away in the big tornado. Dr. Arzigian stated that there was no legal responsibility for the city to call for a dig, but if there have been NA ceremonies performed at the site (NAC has done this) then it would be in the City's interest to involved the NA tribes in the area a so called "best practices" effort to show forth a genuine concern for the area. Today the meeting than turned ugly and a discussion relative to ceremonies and burial sites ensued and went something like this:
Caucasian Man (CM): "You don't really know if there were ever any religious ceremonies performed by anyone there."
Token Indian Board member, President of the NAC of SE MN (NAC): "I do. People were buried up there. We have ceremonies that must be performed."
CM: "But you really can't say that a ceremony ever occurred up there. You can't say there, right here is where a ceremony occurred. There is no proof."
NAC: "You have your own documents to show that a burial site was up there. I am telling you that there are ceremonies that must be done to bury the dead. There are traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation that tell us what ceremonies we need to performed. There are some tribes who use the sweat lodge every day. The park is located near water, the site is the highest elevation in the city. There were ceremonies performed up there."
CM: "You have no proof, only oral history."
As I sat there silent (I have to since I am just a member of the community and not on the steering committee), my research of GOM was right before me. Oral history verses the written account of Europeans, immigrants to this land. Oral history was again being called into question. Even with a written account of an event, written by early white settlers of Rochester, the Indian Burial Site was being discounted because there was NO PROOF (actual bodies or artifacts) to show that something actually occurred up at Indian Heights Park.
This is all reminiscent of how the various Nation's had their land taken from them and then they were relegated to poor plots of land that could not possibly sustain them. The written accounts then were treaties. In time even the treaties that were made between various indigenous nations were tossed aside to make way for settlers, businesses, mining, money making ventures and the like.
In Rochester's case, a tiny plot of land (37.5 acres) that was once a burial site for a particular segment of the Dakota Nation, despite oral history and written historical accounts, may be developed for entertainment. A tiny plot of land that represents less than 1 % of all the parks in Rochester likely will be bull-dozed to make way for a particularly influential group in Rochester to conduct timed mountain biking.
Instead of recognizing a unique opportunity to synergistically build on the oral history accounts of the local NA peoples and the past written documentation of early white settlers and preserve a piece of historic land, lines are being drawn in the sand and Indian Heights Park will likely be further desecrated.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Glory of the Morning: Glory of the Morning: Now includes the Bear Clan
Glory of the Morning: Glory of the Morning: Now includes the Bear Clan: "I went to UWL's powwow this weekend and I witnessed something that I hadn't seen before. A group of men from the Bear Clan protected t..."
Glory of the Morning: Now includes the Bear Clan
I went to UWL's powwow this weekend and I witnessed something that I hadn't seen before. A group of men from the Bear Clan protected the grounds of the powwow prior to the start of the festivities. It was a very old tradition dating back beyond GOM's time. The men sang, carried tobacco and blessed the grounds of the powwow. They covered the interior of the field house and also went outside of the field house to protect the grounds as well. The MC explained the tradition before and after they completed their task, unique to the Bear Clan. It seems that the Bear Clan is responsible for the protection of the tribe. I am not sure how men and women's role differ on this point, but it will certainly be a point of inquiry.
Nevertheless, it was reassuring to me to see men, 8 of them caring enough to protect the area where members of the tribes, other tribes and non-natives alike would be gathering. It was a beautiful tradition to behold.
Another point of interest for me is this, the tribal historian said that once GOM married Decaris, her clan and status changed such that the Bear Clan was now a part of her lineage and/or possibly left her posterity clanless. To this I say: good. Change, character, diversity and opposition are all good. They provide opportunities for further development and strengthening of an individual or family or in this case a nation.
Nevertheless, it was reassuring to me to see men, 8 of them caring enough to protect the area where members of the tribes, other tribes and non-natives alike would be gathering. It was a beautiful tradition to behold.
Another point of interest for me is this, the tribal historian said that once GOM married Decaris, her clan and status changed such that the Bear Clan was now a part of her lineage and/or possibly left her posterity clanless. To this I say: good. Change, character, diversity and opposition are all good. They provide opportunities for further development and strengthening of an individual or family or in this case a nation.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Glory of the Morning: Glory of the Morning: A picture of how she might ...
Glory of the Morning: Glory of the Morning: A picture of how she might ...: "This is a picture of my grandfather Henry T. Decorah (little boy on the right without the cradle board) with his mother, Susie (woman on the..."
Glory of the Morning: A picture of how she might have looked...
This is a picture of my grandfather Henry T. Decorah (little boy on the right without the cradle board) with his mother, Susie (woman on the right). My great-aunt Adelia found this picture in the archives at the Wisconsin Historical Society years ago. My grandfather was born in 1899 and so this picture was taken around 1900. Susie is with her sister and cousin. I love this picture!
Interesting enough, a book written by Patty Loew has this exact picture on its cover. Hmm, I wonder how she managed that?
As I look at Susie with her sister and cousin, I see Glory of the Morning. She is in there somewhere and I am honored to be able to research her contribution to Ho-Chunk history.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Glory of the Morning: Another paper completed
Glory of the Morning: Another paper completed: "I have just completed a paper about my findings about GOM in the literature and within the oral history of the Ho-Chunk or Winnebagos.  ..."
Another paper completed
I have just completed a paper about my findings about GOM in the literature and within the oral history of the Ho-Chunk or Winnebagos. It comes down to this: Was GOM a Chieftess or Ho-Chunk woman? The ROL did not flesh out one over arching answer. I am hesitant to say that she was both at this juncture, because I really want to keep an open mind. Learning about her has been very enlightening and has led me to discover new concepts related to history and how it is viewed, written and preserved. I am ready to embark on further studies to learn more about her through the roles and cultural practice of contemporary Ho-Chunk women. I am eager to learn more about Ho-Chunk history especially since once again I will be faced with the conundrum of oral history vs. history that has been written by mainly non-natives. Onward!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Glory of the Morning: Glory of the Morning: From the eyes of Louise Kell...
Glory of the Morning: Glory of the Morning: From the eyes of Louise Kell...: "Louise Kellogg was a prolific historian who I am sure never left the historical society of Wisconsin except to take in the beautiful scenery..."
Glory of the Morning: From the eyes of Louise Kellogg
Louise Kellogg was a prolific historian who I am sure never left the historical society of Wisconsin except to take in the beautiful scenery of an early Madison, Wisconsin, now home to major protests over significant proposed union cuts to public workers. Yikes! I digress.
Louise Kellogg wrote an article about Glory of the Morning which is now housed in the archives at the Wisconsin Historical Society. In her article she described the care free life of a fur trader, enter Sabrevior Decaris. He was a French military officer who gave up his commission to trade furs with the Native American tribes that lived around the waterways of early Wisconsin, enter Glory of the Morning. Kellogg stated that many fur traders were taken in by the "bright eyes" of Indian women and the care free life of a fur trader; oh yes, and the beautiful scenery of early Wisconsin. She added that their union made a smart match. He was a gallant French officer and she was the daughter of a principal chief of the Winnebago or Ho-Chunk Nation. Together they had two sons and a daughter.
When New France and the British went to war, Sabrevior left GOM to resume his post as Quebec had fallen into British hands. He left his sons with GOM to be raised among the Winnebago or Ho-Chunk, but took his daughter with him to Canada. He was wounded in the battle of St. Foye and died from his wounds in 1760 in a hospital in Montreal.
GOM, wrote Kellogg, remained with her people at Doty Island and succeeded her father, Postkawkaw as the Chief of the tribe. She ruled her people in "wisdom and care." She remained Chief until her sons matured and assumed their rightful place as Chiefs.
"...the rest is known only by tradition and the accounts of her descendants" (Kellogg 1912).
Here's to the rest of GOM's story obtained by tradition, through the literature culminating in an account from one of her descendants, me.
Kellogg, L.P. (1912). Glory of the Morning and the Decorah Family. Wisconsin Local History and Biography articles. Wisconsin Historical Society Collections.
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Louise Kellogg wrote an article about Glory of the Morning which is now housed in the archives at the Wisconsin Historical Society. In her article she described the care free life of a fur trader, enter Sabrevior Decaris. He was a French military officer who gave up his commission to trade furs with the Native American tribes that lived around the waterways of early Wisconsin, enter Glory of the Morning. Kellogg stated that many fur traders were taken in by the "bright eyes" of Indian women and the care free life of a fur trader; oh yes, and the beautiful scenery of early Wisconsin. She added that their union made a smart match. He was a gallant French officer and she was the daughter of a principal chief of the Winnebago or Ho-Chunk Nation. Together they had two sons and a daughter.
When New France and the British went to war, Sabrevior left GOM to resume his post as Quebec had fallen into British hands. He left his sons with GOM to be raised among the Winnebago or Ho-Chunk, but took his daughter with him to Canada. He was wounded in the battle of St. Foye and died from his wounds in 1760 in a hospital in Montreal.
GOM, wrote Kellogg, remained with her people at Doty Island and succeeded her father, Postkawkaw as the Chief of the tribe. She ruled her people in "wisdom and care." She remained Chief until her sons matured and assumed their rightful place as Chiefs.
"...the rest is known only by tradition and the accounts of her descendants" (Kellogg 1912).
Here's to the rest of GOM's story obtained by tradition, through the literature culminating in an account from one of her descendants, me.
Kellogg, L.P. (1912). Glory of the Morning and the Decorah Family. Wisconsin Local History and Biography articles. Wisconsin Historical Society Collections.
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Glory of the Morning: From the eyes of Louise Kellogg
Louise Kellogg was a prolific historian who I am sure never left the historical society of Wisconsin except to take in the beautiful scenery of an early Madison, Wisconsin, now home to major protests over significant proposed union cuts to public workers. Yikes! I digress.
Louise Kellogg wrote an article about Glory of the Morning which is now housed in the archives at the Wisconsin Historical Society. In her article she described the care free life of a fur trader, enter Sabrevior Decaris. He was a French military officer who gave up his commission to trade furs with the Native American tribes that lived around the waterways of early Wisconsin, enter Glory of the Morning. Kellogg stated that many fur traders were taken in by the "bright eyes" of Indian women and the care free life of a fur trader; oh yes, and the beautiful scenery of early Wisconsin. She added that their union made a smart match. He was a gallant French officer and she was the daughter of a principal chief of the Winnebago or Ho-Chunk Nation. Together they had two sons and a daughter.
When New France and the British went to war, Sabrevior left GOM to resume his post as Quebec had fallen into British hands. He left his sons with GOM to be raised among the Winnebago or Ho-Chunk, but took his daughter with him to Canada. He was wounded in the battle of St. Foye and died from his wounds in 1760 in a hospital in Montreal.
GOM, wrote Kellogg, remained with her people at Doty Island and succeeded her father, Postkawkaw as the Chief of the tribe. She ruled her people in "wisdom and care." She remained Chief until her sons matured and assumed their rightful place as Chiefs.
"...the rest is known only by tradition and the accounts of her descendants" (Kellogg 1912).
Here's to the rest of GOM's story obtained by tradition, through the literature culminating in an account from one of her descendants, me.
Kellogg, L.P. (1912). Glory of the Morning and the Decorah Family. Wisconsin Local History and Biography articles. Wisconsin Historical Society Collections.
Louise Kellogg wrote an article about Glory of the Morning which is now housed in the archives at the Wisconsin Historical Society. In her article she described the care free life of a fur trader, enter Sabrevior Decaris. He was a French military officer who gave up his commission to trade furs with the Native American tribes that lived around the waterways of early Wisconsin, enter Glory of the Morning. Kellogg stated that many fur traders were taken in by the "bright eyes" of Indian women and the care free life of a fur trader; oh yes, and the beautiful scenery of early Wisconsin. She added that their union made a smart match. He was a gallant French officer and she was the daughter of a principal chief of the Winnebago or Ho-Chunk Nation. Together they had two sons and a daughter.
When New France and the British went to war, Sabrevior left GOM to resume his post as Quebec had fallen into British hands. He left his sons with GOM to be raised among the Winnebago or Ho-Chunk, but took his daughter with him to Canada. He was wounded in the battle of St. Foye and died from his wounds in 1760 in a hospital in Montreal.
GOM, wrote Kellogg, remained with her people at Doty Island and succeeded her father, Postkawkaw as the Chief of the tribe. She ruled her people in "wisdom and care." She remained Chief until her sons matured and assumed their rightful place as Chiefs.
"...the rest is known only by tradition and the accounts of her descendants" (Kellogg 1912).
Here's to the rest of GOM's story obtained by tradition, through the literature culminating in an account from one of her descendants, me.
Kellogg, L.P. (1912). Glory of the Morning and the Decorah Family. Wisconsin Local History and Biography articles. Wisconsin Historical Society Collections.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Glory of the Morning: Glory of the Morning: Roles of women
Glory of the Morning: Glory of the Morning: Roles of women: "There is a bit of a controversy about whether GOM could have been a chieftess and this all has to do with men's roles and women's roles. &nb..."
Glory of the Morning: Roles of women
There is a bit of a controversy about whether GOM could have been a chieftess and this all has to do with men's roles and women's roles. Women historically have been responsible for not only child-bearing but also child rearing/nurturing and maintaining the home. Men historically have been responsible for providing for the family and protecting the home (and family). In GOM's day men's and women's roles were clearly defined within their culture. According to present day Ho-Chunk or Winnebago cultural leaders the role of chief was considered a man's role. There is one written oral history account and several historical writings that consider GOM to be a chieftess or leader of her people. In the present day leadership of the Ho-Chunk Nation there are and have been women legislators, elected leaders in the Ho-Chunk government which is headed by a president of the tribe who has been historically male. There is a hereditary chief of the Ho-Chunk and his surname is Winneshiek. The search continues...
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Glory of the Morning: Glory of the Morning: Her day
Glory of the Morning: Glory of the Morning: Her day: "Whew, lots of reading about GOM. I am trying to understand the conditions of Wisconsin in her day. Wisconsin was a lush, green f..."
Glory of the Morning: Her day
Whew, lots of reading about GOM. I am trying to understand the conditions of Wisconsin in her day. Wisconsin was a lush, green fertile land with waterways and all kinds of animals, namely deer and beaver. The land was flush all manner of edible plants. It sounds like Eden to me.
At any rate, this is the land that GOM grew up in. It is hard to imagine such a place. Her only neighbors were the Fox, Iroquois, Sauk and the occasional Santee Dakota. Overall, they each respected the other's hunting areas, however they weren't perfect. My grandfather called small wars "scrimmages" small tests of strength that his people engaged in to show superiority. GOM's village was near Lake Winnebago and it was named Doty Island.
Archeologist and anthropologist state that Winnebago/HoChunk were perhaps remnants of a pre-history people called the Oneota. Actually history states that Wisconsin was first inhabited by the Paleo-Indians (of the mastodon-type people). There is an actual mastodon kill site in Wisconsin. Wisconsin was inhabited by several pre-history Indians, named after dig sites, time periods and what not: Plano people> Old Copper > Hopewell > woodland people > mound builders > Oneota (not necessarily in order). Amazing!
Needless to say, Wisconsin was always inhabited by a race of "Indian" people and it was no surprise when the first European travelers to this beautiful land along the vast waterways of Wisconsin found the Winnebago/HoChunk people living near Lake Winnebago as they had always lived as told through oral history. The first European traveler to the HoChunk... well that's is my next reading. Some say it was Nicolet, others Brule, still others insist it was the Vikings because these poor pre-historic Indians couldn't have mined, or could have possible molted ore or other metals to make knives or made clay to make pots. Oh boy! Better keep reading!
At any rate, this is the land that GOM grew up in. It is hard to imagine such a place. Her only neighbors were the Fox, Iroquois, Sauk and the occasional Santee Dakota. Overall, they each respected the other's hunting areas, however they weren't perfect. My grandfather called small wars "scrimmages" small tests of strength that his people engaged in to show superiority. GOM's village was near Lake Winnebago and it was named Doty Island.
Archeologist and anthropologist state that Winnebago/HoChunk were perhaps remnants of a pre-history people called the Oneota. Actually history states that Wisconsin was first inhabited by the Paleo-Indians (of the mastodon-type people). There is an actual mastodon kill site in Wisconsin. Wisconsin was inhabited by several pre-history Indians, named after dig sites, time periods and what not: Plano people> Old Copper > Hopewell > woodland people > mound builders > Oneota (not necessarily in order). Amazing!
Needless to say, Wisconsin was always inhabited by a race of "Indian" people and it was no surprise when the first European travelers to this beautiful land along the vast waterways of Wisconsin found the Winnebago/HoChunk people living near Lake Winnebago as they had always lived as told through oral history. The first European traveler to the HoChunk... well that's is my next reading. Some say it was Nicolet, others Brule, still others insist it was the Vikings because these poor pre-historic Indians couldn't have mined, or could have possible molted ore or other metals to make knives or made clay to make pots. Oh boy! Better keep reading!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Glory of the Morning: Refining the study of GOM
Glory of the Morning: Refining the study of GOM: "Participated in a weekend degree planning session to explore our goals and see if our degree plans match those goals. Gruesome and gre..."
Refining the study of GOM
Participated in a weekend degree planning session to explore our goals and see if our degree plans match those goals. Gruesome and great all at the same time. The greatest thing that emerged for me was the creation of my diagram entitled: Diagram of the transmission of historical and cultural information of the Ho Chunk Nation.
You see in my mind the first hand knowledge or Rankean hierarchal order of evidence doesn't rest with the historians or explorers or missionaries of GOM's day, it rests with the Ho Chunk people. Can I have an Ah-ho! The next layer of cultural history of GOM or any tribal history extends from GOM to the families or clans of Ho Chunk people. This is tribal or cultural history that is passed on from generation to generation and from family to family. This information then extends to the next layer which comprises historians (primarily through interpreters), explorers, or missionaries who penned their own individual accounts of what they experienced through their own cultural biases colorized by their own individual pursuits. These pursuits include furs, discovery of the NW passage, lead mining rights and of course land. Can I have another Ah-ho! The next layer represents our day. This information has found its way to our day through the careful and thoughtful preservation by numerous sources both native and non-native. However, for native or Ho Chunk people (such as myself as a descendant of GOM) the cultural history has been free flowing for generations. I first heard the story of GOM from my grandfather born in 1899 in a wigwam in a Ho Chunk village along the Turkey River. A researcher such as myself has the benefit of utilizing both carefully preserved written documents by earlier explorers, historians and missionaries, but more importantly I have historical and cultural information that has been free flowing throughout generations from the Ho Chunk people since GOM's time.
It has been a banner weekend!
You see in my mind the first hand knowledge or Rankean hierarchal order of evidence doesn't rest with the historians or explorers or missionaries of GOM's day, it rests with the Ho Chunk people. Can I have an Ah-ho! The next layer of cultural history of GOM or any tribal history extends from GOM to the families or clans of Ho Chunk people. This is tribal or cultural history that is passed on from generation to generation and from family to family. This information then extends to the next layer which comprises historians (primarily through interpreters), explorers, or missionaries who penned their own individual accounts of what they experienced through their own cultural biases colorized by their own individual pursuits. These pursuits include furs, discovery of the NW passage, lead mining rights and of course land. Can I have another Ah-ho! The next layer represents our day. This information has found its way to our day through the careful and thoughtful preservation by numerous sources both native and non-native. However, for native or Ho Chunk people (such as myself as a descendant of GOM) the cultural history has been free flowing for generations. I first heard the story of GOM from my grandfather born in 1899 in a wigwam in a Ho Chunk village along the Turkey River. A researcher such as myself has the benefit of utilizing both carefully preserved written documents by earlier explorers, historians and missionaries, but more importantly I have historical and cultural information that has been free flowing throughout generations from the Ho Chunk people since GOM's time.
It has been a banner weekend!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Glory of the Morning: Why GOM?
Glory of the Morning: Why GOM?: "The last two days I had to consider why I am going to study GOM and her contribution to Ho Chunk history and actually write a piece about my..."
Why GOM?
The last two days I had to consider why I am going to study GOM and her contribution to Ho Chunk history and actually write a piece about my pursuit for class. So, here is an excerpt:
My interest is to document Native American women's historical stories in an effort to preserve them for the benefit of the rising Native American generation, primarily young Ho Chunk women who continue to be underrepresented in many disciplines, have high high school drop out rates and teen pregnancy rates. These young women are the 5th generation of a people who were assimilated by the then dominant society and have lost or struggle with their cultural identity.
My interest is to document Native American women's historical stories in an effort to preserve them for the benefit of the rising Native American generation, primarily young Ho Chunk women who continue to be underrepresented in many disciplines, have high high school drop out rates and teen pregnancy rates. These young women are the 5th generation of a people who were assimilated by the then dominant society and have lost or struggle with their cultural identity.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Glory of the Morning: Accounts of GOM and the Fur Trade
Glory of the Morning: Accounts of GOM and the Fur Trade: "There are two eye-witness accounts of Glory of the Morning that are considered official or credible and they have been written by two non-In..."
Accounts of GOM and the Fur Trade
There are two eye-witness accounts of Glory of the Morning that are considered official or credible and they have been written by two non-Indians of course. One was written by an explorer named Jonathan Carver and the other was written by Kinzie of Waubun fame. The Carver account is favorable and plants the idea that GOM was indeed a chieftess, namely she would have been a peace chief according to Ho Chunk custom. The other is a less favorable account of GOM written by Kinzie a missionary. She describes GOM (thought controversial) or rather the mother of old Dekaury as an old woman who wanted to view herself in a looking glass. Though there is no clear death date of GOM, Kinzie's account would have put GOM at 100 years of age or more.
These two accounts are the primary accounts of GOM.
There are others that have been written which are primary sources, however there are secondary and other sources that discuss her or the Winnebagos (aka Ho Chunk). Amidst the readings of the Fur Trade, the early French Explorers, early missionaries, and paleo-Indinas I gleaned out several precious sources. One is that Mason describes Doty Island (others have too, Carver and Kinzie) as strategic, meaning that it was located in an area in which the people had protection and their enemies could not surprise them. Another is that the paleo Indians lived around these same places, as early as 500 BC. Very fascinating. The only book that I know that could explain their life would be the Book of Mormon, another Testament of Jesus Christ. Another precious source is that during the uptick of the fur trade, those in the business would enter into marriages in an effort to keep the fur trade open and in their favor. Mason cites that in an effort to obtain trade agreements exclusive some traders married chief's daughters. Very interesting. As the fur trade between the French and Ho Chunk, it became apparent to the Ho Chunk that the fur trade was good. It is not surprising to me that GOM would naturally enter into a marriage that would ensure her village's survival. As the fur trade ensued the Ho Chunk moved from wood and arrows to metal pots and guns almost overnight. Nicolet, a missionary even remarked on how quickly the Winnebagos took to the items of trade, particularly metal and guns. Within 100 years from the earliest contacts with the French (though some say it was with Nicolet or possibly Burle) Wisconsin Indians were predominantly using and had become dependent upon European goods. However, as the businessmen, missionaries and immigrants moved in and the fur trade fell into the hands of the British and then to the Americans just as the beaver population became scarce, the Ho Chunk were being squeezed out with less places to live, less places to hunt and plant food. Treaties with the every growing population of new Americans became a new way to ensure food and a place to live. Fortunately, GOM never lived to see the days of forced removals, land dispossessions and the ravages of alcohol being introduced to her people.
Fascinating!
These two accounts are the primary accounts of GOM.
There are others that have been written which are primary sources, however there are secondary and other sources that discuss her or the Winnebagos (aka Ho Chunk). Amidst the readings of the Fur Trade, the early French Explorers, early missionaries, and paleo-Indinas I gleaned out several precious sources. One is that Mason describes Doty Island (others have too, Carver and Kinzie) as strategic, meaning that it was located in an area in which the people had protection and their enemies could not surprise them. Another is that the paleo Indians lived around these same places, as early as 500 BC. Very fascinating. The only book that I know that could explain their life would be the Book of Mormon, another Testament of Jesus Christ. Another precious source is that during the uptick of the fur trade, those in the business would enter into marriages in an effort to keep the fur trade open and in their favor. Mason cites that in an effort to obtain trade agreements exclusive some traders married chief's daughters. Very interesting. As the fur trade between the French and Ho Chunk, it became apparent to the Ho Chunk that the fur trade was good. It is not surprising to me that GOM would naturally enter into a marriage that would ensure her village's survival. As the fur trade ensued the Ho Chunk moved from wood and arrows to metal pots and guns almost overnight. Nicolet, a missionary even remarked on how quickly the Winnebagos took to the items of trade, particularly metal and guns. Within 100 years from the earliest contacts with the French (though some say it was with Nicolet or possibly Burle) Wisconsin Indians were predominantly using and had become dependent upon European goods. However, as the businessmen, missionaries and immigrants moved in and the fur trade fell into the hands of the British and then to the Americans just as the beaver population became scarce, the Ho Chunk were being squeezed out with less places to live, less places to hunt and plant food. Treaties with the every growing population of new Americans became a new way to ensure food and a place to live. Fortunately, GOM never lived to see the days of forced removals, land dispossessions and the ravages of alcohol being introduced to her people.
Fascinating!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Glory of the Morning: Interview with Spoon Decorah, cousin of Spoon I
Glory of the Morning: Interview with Spoon Decorah, cousin of Spoon I: "I read an amazing account from the cousin of Spoon I, also named Spoon. Spoon I was GOM's grandson who signed the treaty of 1825 and S..."
Interview with Spoon Decorah, cousin of Spoon I
I read an amazing account from the cousin of Spoon I, also named Spoon. Spoon I was GOM's grandson who signed the treaty of 1825 and Spoon was the son of Big Canoe who was GOM's son. Without going into too much detail it was just another witness to me that the Ho Chunk were not a waring nation as a whole. Oral history says they didn't back down from a fight wherein their women and children or hunting grounds were in danger, but they did not seek to fight as some historical accounts indicate. Also there were several villages each with their own chief, peace and war chiefs. Some villages numbered up to 2000 people while others were as few as 20 members of a family. Spoon recounted many wars and he said something amazing. He said that there were certain people that were interested in war and fought with Sacs, with Black Hawk, Red Bird and others, yet each village decided if they were going to be involved in the war or not. Moreover, it seems that if the village/chief did not want the entire village to participate, each person (male) had the choice of fighting with the waring party. It seems the Ho Chunk from this period prior to 1887 respected the individual choice of individuals within their villages and perhaps this translates to GOM who married outside of the tribe.
One historical writer, Kellogg seems to indicate that GOM married Sabrevior to keep peace between the Ho Chunk and the French. The Ho Chunk and the French had established a good relationship before explorers and missionaries came among the Ho Chunk. Other historical writers such as Radin and one other male historical writer which escapes me now seem to indicate that she married Decaris (DeCarrie or Day Korah or DeKaury or Dekauray, Day Kauray and Decorrah) to elevate her station. Anna Funmaker, an anthropologist and a member of my thesis team indicates that she didn't need to elevate her station. GOM was the daughter of a chief and she could do as she liked.
So much information to sift through and it has been enlightening to say the least.
One historical writer, Kellogg seems to indicate that GOM married Sabrevior to keep peace between the Ho Chunk and the French. The Ho Chunk and the French had established a good relationship before explorers and missionaries came among the Ho Chunk. Other historical writers such as Radin and one other male historical writer which escapes me now seem to indicate that she married Decaris (DeCarrie or Day Korah or DeKaury or Dekauray, Day Kauray and Decorrah) to elevate her station. Anna Funmaker, an anthropologist and a member of my thesis team indicates that she didn't need to elevate her station. GOM was the daughter of a chief and she could do as she liked.
So much information to sift through and it has been enlightening to say the least.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Glory of the Morning: Glory of the Morning: history
Glory of the Morning: Glory of the Morning: history: "This week and probably for a while, I will be focusing on locating and reading all of the historical accounts of GOM. I have read a fe..."
Glory of the Morning: history
This week and probably for a while, I will be focusing on locating and reading all of the historical accounts of GOM. I have read a few accounts, but I am still doing a literature review and trying to retrieve all of the original documents about her and so I have not taken too much time to read each account. I did have an interesting discussion with Mr. Edmonds from the Wisconsin Historical Society. He told me that GOM is one of the most researched women and that she is often cited in works related to Wisconsin. How interesting! He was very kind to send me several links that will help me understand GOM's time and info on what they (the historical society) has on her. Wasn't that nice? It was great! Their archives are all on line to boot!
I find the help that the Wisconsin Historical Society has given me to be very interesting because historical societies were responsible for much of the information gathering, documentation, and historical writing about our nation in its early years. Also, Wisconsin was said to have one of the most forward thinking and progressive historical societies of its day (Jameson, 1910) and now, they are helping me to tell the story of GOM in a new light. Very ironic actually.
The gathering continues and I am very excited because the season that I am doing this is in the winter time and according to Ho Chunk tradition, it is the perfect time for gathering stories and recounting history. Amazing!
I find the help that the Wisconsin Historical Society has given me to be very interesting because historical societies were responsible for much of the information gathering, documentation, and historical writing about our nation in its early years. Also, Wisconsin was said to have one of the most forward thinking and progressive historical societies of its day (Jameson, 1910) and now, they are helping me to tell the story of GOM in a new light. Very ironic actually.
The gathering continues and I am very excited because the season that I am doing this is in the winter time and according to Ho Chunk tradition, it is the perfect time for gathering stories and recounting history. Amazing!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Glory of the Morning: Top down, women's history or just GOM?
Glory of the Morning: Top down, women's history or just GOM?: "Finished more of Burke's writings on new perspectives in historical writing. It seems history can be told from the top down (tradition..."
Top down, women's history or just GOM?
Finished more of Burke's writings on new perspectives in historical writing. It seems history can be told from the top down (traditional) or from the bottom up (ordinary citizen experience) and of course there is women's history. Without any preconceived idea, my endeavor to learn about Glory of the Morning encompasses each of these areas. History has largely been recorded from the top down, meaning that great men did something > history > recorded and we the masses (women, Native Americans or other ethnic groups) individually > our stories did not matter. Now I (a bottom dweller of sorts and non-historian) propose to tell the story about Glory of the Morning, daughter of a principal chief or in other words, top down history of GOM's contribution to Ho Chunk history. Yes, but GOM was a woman. By telling her story, some historians would have you and I believe that this is marginalizing history that has been already written by non-native peoples in search of land or other resources. Further, some feminist historians would argue that telling her story would "correct" history. Other historians would laud my tiny efforts by deconstructing her life, the Ho Chunk Nation's history to thereby gain a broader view of GOM and her contribution to history (that has been already written). Yikes!
I had to review my degree plan after I read Burke to reaffirm my educational objectives which are to learn what GOM's role was in Ho Chunk history: Was GOM a leader? a Chieftess? or a Ho Chunk woman? It is my hope that researching GOM will add another dimension to our grand and yet sad history and pave the way for further Ho Chunk women's accounts and thereby "complete" our history not "correct" what has already been written.
I had to review my degree plan after I read Burke to reaffirm my educational objectives which are to learn what GOM's role was in Ho Chunk history: Was GOM a leader? a Chieftess? or a Ho Chunk woman? It is my hope that researching GOM will add another dimension to our grand and yet sad history and pave the way for further Ho Chunk women's accounts and thereby "complete" our history not "correct" what has already been written.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Glory of the Morning: historical writing
Glory of the Morning: historical writing: "Just finished a book written @1914 about the state of historical writing by J. Franklin Jameson. Why? I wanted to have an idea w..."
historical writing
Just finished a book written @1914 about the state of historical writing by J. Franklin Jameson. Why? I wanted to have an idea why people (non-native) wrote what they wrote when they were among the Ho Chunk Nation and its people. Interesting to note that Wisconsin was mentioned by Jameson, et al as being among the most forward thinking historical society/government of its time. Much of our nation's early writings were undertaken by state historical societies and so much of the information that I have about Glory of the Morning comes from the Wisconsin State Historical Society and its collections. Jameson sees this as good and bad. It is good in that after the Revolution we (the country) has numerous historical documents about our nation's history in great detail. It is bad in that much of it is not written on a "scholarly" level. So those persons writing about the Ho Chunk Nation were there commissioned by a historical society of one sort or another or perhaps through a religious mission/society. It will be interesting to sort out the author's and their sponsors. Those from the Eastern Historical Societies were interested in "Indians" as a whole, as with early voyages, first contacts and so forth, but by the 1860's it seems that historians, who were the historical writers of the day soon found that these pieces of history paled in comparison by new industrial machinery and vaccines for feared diseases.
Also trying to understand why someone would put Glory of the Morning's story in the form of a play. Something I discovered while doing my literature review. Jameson et al, says that historical labor, of which I am now a part, has three components: 1) the gathering of and printing of original sources, 2) the reporting on masses of material or on specific topics and 3) historical writing. One and two are evidence of craftsmanship and three, historical writing is an art. Therefore, perhaps the play was a form of historical writing in its Jameson form - art; historical writing.
Also trying to understand why someone would put Glory of the Morning's story in the form of a play. Something I discovered while doing my literature review. Jameson et al, says that historical labor, of which I am now a part, has three components: 1) the gathering of and printing of original sources, 2) the reporting on masses of material or on specific topics and 3) historical writing. One and two are evidence of craftsmanship and three, historical writing is an art. Therefore, perhaps the play was a form of historical writing in its Jameson form - art; historical writing.
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