There is little written about GOM. Carver and Kinzie are the only first-hand accounts in the literature. David Smith wrote about her in his book Folklore of the Winnebago Tribe. He also wrote several articles in the Winnebago Indian News over the past decade about GOM and Ho-Chunk History. The Winnebago Indian News (WIN) is the tribal newspaper from Winnebago, Nebraska. He described in great detail the events that surrounded the Mesquaki War of the 1730s' and Governor Beauharnois of New France. Smith details GOM acting as a peace chief, while married to Joseph Descaris and a mother of two sons and a daughter, during the Meskquaki War.
My continued search of GOM acting in the capacity of a Chieftess has brought me to Canada. I have 74 sources to examine regarding Governor Beauharnois and the Puants. Puant is what the French called the Ho-Chunk. It means 'stinkard'. Not very friendly, but that is what they called us. The marshes where we lived attributed to the name Puant. It will be daunting to go through 74 sources as they are in French. I can get the gist of the meaning of the letters that Beauharnois exchanged between he and his various commanders at a fort near Lake Pepin in which he describes the interaction between the various tribes. The fort in Lake Pepin is one of the forts that Smith describes in some detail. It would be nice if he listed his sources. He doesn't exactly say oral tradition, but I think that is what he is drawing from as well as the documentation in the Wisconsin Historical Society and beyond.
I also received some help from the WHS archive director again. He gave me several links to consider, through he thinks I have exhausted the sources about GOM housed at the WHS. Possibly. At any rate, he said that there were two people that mined info regarding "colonial"history in Wisconsin/US. Wow, the word colonial shook up my brain. Here I am deep in the Fur Trade and Ho-Chunk History and I completely forgot that the time period from 1700 to 1800, is called the colonial period (by non-natives). It was a good place to be.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
A good omen today
I am currently studying Ho-Chunk history, beginning of all things to 1634 to 1900. Too much, I know, but my thesis team members said it was time that I learned about our history. While I considered the voluminous material and resources I felt that there was no way to do it justice. As I finished the beginning to 1634, it dawned on me that my Choka used to talk about what it must have been like to live in the old days. I added his thoughts to the end of the section in narrative form. Suddenly I had an epiphany. Why not do this for each section? So I did. I added the stories and comments and oral history that I have garnered at the end of each time period. It was great!
Later in the day after spending hours on this paper having gotten through the 1700s' to 1800s', I went to pick up Amalia from school. As I traveled down River Road Parkway I saw an eagle. I was traveling west to east and it was traveling south to north. I felt so invigorated at seeing this eagle and grateful that I made a breakthrough in my massive paper, that I rolled down my window and let out a ladies war hoop. The eagle turned 180 degrees and circled so that it was over my car. Seeing that I had its attention I yelled out again. It hovered over me, flapping its enormous wings. I sped along my way and didn't see it again. I felt as if my ancestors were saying something to me. It was as if they were spurning me on.
It was a good day.
Later in the day after spending hours on this paper having gotten through the 1700s' to 1800s', I went to pick up Amalia from school. As I traveled down River Road Parkway I saw an eagle. I was traveling west to east and it was traveling south to north. I felt so invigorated at seeing this eagle and grateful that I made a breakthrough in my massive paper, that I rolled down my window and let out a ladies war hoop. The eagle turned 180 degrees and circled so that it was over my car. Seeing that I had its attention I yelled out again. It hovered over me, flapping its enormous wings. I sped along my way and didn't see it again. I felt as if my ancestors were saying something to me. It was as if they were spurning me on.
It was a good day.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Ho-Chunk History
A wonderful break this semester! I get a chance to explore in depth the history of my people and GOM's people. Oral tradition is at the forefront of my studies and my myopic view has been expanded. My study has been hastened a bit because I have an opportunity to present "The Ho-Chunk Nation in Minnesota: A Historical Perspective" on February 28, 2012. Let's hope I can keep all of my sources, historical facts and oral tradition facts straight.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Dakota Journalist
I am attending a Dakota History Serious of lectures which revisits the Dakota Conflict and the events surround the conflict. The latest lecture I attended was a more spiritual one. It was presented very thoughtfully and brought out several points that were salient to my work on GOM. Glen Wasicuna is the Director of Dakota Studies at a tribal college in Shakopee.
The main points were, first that the Creator gave the Dakota three sacred things: the feather, pipe and language. All were to be used as vehicles to worship Him: one feather, one pipe and the Dakota language. He went on to show how the people have changed these sacred objects. Today people have many feathers and dance for entertainment. He did not elaborate on the pipe, other than to say that the people have strayed from its original purpose. One example he did give was that the pipe was like the Bible, communication from and between God. What if people were to put the pages of the Bible on and dance? OUCH. Lastly, the Dakota language. He said that he used to think it was a difficult language to learn, but now he doesn't think so. Instead he has come to the conclusion that until one reconciles with their own history, individually and collectively, and until one is ready to become clean then the language will be easy to learn. That is to say until the Dakota people are ready to face their brutal history, not find fault but to understand it, and then they will have a desire to learn the language and it will be easy for them to learn it.
This message really hit home. My thesis team members want to me understand Ho-Chunk history first and then get busy and learn the language. Maybe this is what they were telling me...
The last take home point for me was this, Glen thanked people in the audience if they ever wrote about the Dakota people. He said, "Bless you for writing about us. Now it is our turn to write about our history. It is our history to tell." AMEN!!! Haven't I been saying this all along??? I even got so bold and told this to THREE HO-CHUNK ELDERS, in a very respectful way, that we need not ever apologize for our oral tradition and history. It is ours to tell. If we with hold it from the young people ( I am included in this) it will be lost, forever.
Glen felt as I do, that the language, the culture, the people, the traditions will be "all right and they won't be lost" so long there are elders willing to share it and there are young people willing to learn about their history and "become clean" and live as the Creator intended.
The main points were, first that the Creator gave the Dakota three sacred things: the feather, pipe and language. All were to be used as vehicles to worship Him: one feather, one pipe and the Dakota language. He went on to show how the people have changed these sacred objects. Today people have many feathers and dance for entertainment. He did not elaborate on the pipe, other than to say that the people have strayed from its original purpose. One example he did give was that the pipe was like the Bible, communication from and between God. What if people were to put the pages of the Bible on and dance? OUCH. Lastly, the Dakota language. He said that he used to think it was a difficult language to learn, but now he doesn't think so. Instead he has come to the conclusion that until one reconciles with their own history, individually and collectively, and until one is ready to become clean then the language will be easy to learn. That is to say until the Dakota people are ready to face their brutal history, not find fault but to understand it, and then they will have a desire to learn the language and it will be easy for them to learn it.
This message really hit home. My thesis team members want to me understand Ho-Chunk history first and then get busy and learn the language. Maybe this is what they were telling me...
The last take home point for me was this, Glen thanked people in the audience if they ever wrote about the Dakota people. He said, "Bless you for writing about us. Now it is our turn to write about our history. It is our history to tell." AMEN!!! Haven't I been saying this all along??? I even got so bold and told this to THREE HO-CHUNK ELDERS, in a very respectful way, that we need not ever apologize for our oral tradition and history. It is ours to tell. If we with hold it from the young people ( I am included in this) it will be lost, forever.
Glen felt as I do, that the language, the culture, the people, the traditions will be "all right and they won't be lost" so long there are elders willing to share it and there are young people willing to learn about their history and "become clean" and live as the Creator intended.
Dr. John Peacock Lecture
I heard a lecture by Dr. John Peacock about his latest endeavor, the 80 Dakota letters written by the Dakota in Fort McClellan to a Father Riggs. These Dakota were placed in prison just after the Dakota Conflict. He made several salient comments that resonated with my work on GOM. First, marriages between the Dakota and the French were considered alliances between the nations. This is quite true between GOM and Joseph Decaris. Second, written history will trump oral history every time. I whole heartedly disagree with this statement. It will if we let it. There is a magnificent cache of oral tradition that has been stored waiting to emerge. We need to decolonized and deconstruct the methodologies that have kept us and our history suppressed because NO ONE LIKES TO HAVE THE TRUTH THROWN AT THEM. Especially those who have been the suppressors. Third, the history that Dr. Peacock wants to share was at first frowned upon by the Dakota elders whose help he secured. Dr. Peacock wanted to translate the letters in modern day english, imagine. The Dakota elders convinced him to use Dakota English. It it a step between Dakota < Dakota English < English. Actually, it is probably two steps away. The gist of the message isn't lost, but I would have preferred the Dakota translation. The elders know best and this is what I have discovered in my work. If you secure the approval of the elders, even the Nation as I have, it is for the best.
These letters are still being translated and will hopefully be available in book form yet this year, 2012, which marks the 150th anniversary of the Dakota 38. There is no doubt about it, our history is brutal, no matter if you are Ho-Chunk or Dakota.
The elders say that we (Dakota and the Ho-Chunk, perhaps more) were one many, many years ago. I feel that every time I hear a lecture or an elder speak. It brings me back to my childhood when my grandparents would sit in the evening and talk to each other. I was planted in front of the TV, but listening to them speak..."What do you say for sugar? " "Nee-sku" "Isn't that funny we say almost the same thing." They would go on like this for hours; talking about their language and the old times.
These letters are still being translated and will hopefully be available in book form yet this year, 2012, which marks the 150th anniversary of the Dakota 38. There is no doubt about it, our history is brutal, no matter if you are Ho-Chunk or Dakota.
The elders say that we (Dakota and the Ho-Chunk, perhaps more) were one many, many years ago. I feel that every time I hear a lecture or an elder speak. It brings me back to my childhood when my grandparents would sit in the evening and talk to each other. I was planted in front of the TV, but listening to them speak..."What do you say for sugar? " "Nee-sku" "Isn't that funny we say almost the same thing." They would go on like this for hours; talking about their language and the old times.
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.
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