Always a people: oral histories of contemporary Woodland Indians

Always a people: oral histories of contemporary Woodland Indians
ISBN-10
0253332982
ISBN-13
9780253332981
Category
History
Pages
297
Language
English
Published
1997-10-01
Publisher
Indiana University Press
Author
Rita T. Kohn

Description

“The central issue of Always a People deals with uncovering and publicizing the vibrancy of the Woodland People, of the distinctive, related, cohesive, Native American culture with an ancient and important heritage and an equally significant tenacity to endure. They have evolved in part through a rebirth of cultural activities, although most were removed from their ancestral homes and were subjected to government policies designed to destroy their culture. We set out on a journey to make a book that would honor twentieth-century Woodland People. It turns out it is they who honor us with their words, their friendship, their example. For this we say ‘Megwitch,' thank you.” —Rita Kohn, W. Lynwood Montell, from the PrefaceForty-one individuals, from seventeen different tribes, representing eleven nations, tell their stories in Always a People. Like other Native Americans, the Woodland Nations have tenaciously clung to their sense of community despite 150 years of government policies aimed at destroying their culture. As descendants of people who shaped the history of the North American continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, the narrators reveal a close affinity to the land from which most of them have been forcibly removed. The eleven nations represented in this volume are: Miami, Potawatomi, Delaware, Shawnee, Peoria, Oneida, Ottawa, Winnebago, Sac and Fox, Chippewa, and Kickapoo.While all of the tribes have their own particular history, there are shared patterns of experience. The interviewees have a very deep and abiding commitment to their families and speak of great-great grandparents as intimately as they do of their parents. All see themselves as people who do not fit the sterotypes often associated with “Native Americans.” They speak of the urgency for making room for multiple voices drawn from many traditions.“My Lenape heritage isn't something I asked for. I was born with it. It was given me whether I wanted it or not. If I understand what being Lenape is about, that gives me a sense of pride. Then it is my responsibility to keep it alive in my generation, and pass it on. “--Curtis Zunigha“You can paint me under one condition, that you don't paint me as a 1700 or 1800 Indian. You have to paint me as who I am. This is who I am. I am Phil Alexis, a businessman.” —Philip B. Alexis, Potawatomi (Pokagan Band), Executive Director, Confederated Historic Tribes, Inc.

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