This video demonstrates how intergenerational storytelling serves as a vital mechanism for preserving cultural heritage, tribal history, and community values. Through conversations with elders like Arlene Alloway (98 years old), younger generations learn about family legacies, historical experiences including forced relocations and residential schools, and the importance of maintaining cultural identity. The Forest County Potawatomi family exemplifies this through 87 years of continuous service to tribal governance, showing how oral traditions and shared memories help communities navigate modern challenges while honoring their ancestors and maintaining sovereignty.
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98 Years Old | Eldest Forest County Potawatomi Tribal Member | Arlene AllowayAñadido:
Welcome to Journey Together. Today, we're here with Arlene Alloway and her family. Her birthday's coming up on May 12th, so we want to um honor her in a good way. So, we're going to have a conversation with her. And she will be 98 on May 12th of 2026.
Um I want to thank you guys for welcoming in me into your home, and um I'm excited to have this conversation with you guys.
>> Remember who we are through the smoke, through the sound.
Our heartbeat carries on, STANDS TALL.
VOICES RISE from the earth to the sky.
Nishinaabe, Nishinaabe.
Odawa me. We're going to start with introductions. I'll start on this side um with John Alloway.
Can you do an introduction for us?
Hello, I'm John.
My name is Biad No. Wa Gishik.
And glad to be here.
Hello, my name is Arlene Alloway, and I'm the mother of these children, my children here.
And my name is uh Ni Gan Sa Kwe. Leading Lady.
Bozho, my name is Donna Vanzile, and I'm so happy to be here.
My um Indian name are Bobby Wasno Kwen, Indiginous Gaus. And then um And thanks again for this opportunity.
Yeah.
>> [clears throat] >> Uh Bozho, Indiginous Gaus Ka Ke Ni Gishik.
Makto Dem Bodwayotomi Nishinaabe.
Um My name is uh government name, Sam Alloway. Um I'm the youngest, [clears throat] second or second to the last youngest.
So second baby from Neil.
And uh I'm good.
Ah, what do you I am Jamal Jamal Lee Nogan Bee leader of the circle.
I got the name from my grandma.
Mary George Nigan Sagwa uh Wapa Wash day in and it's an honor here to be here with my mom to celebrate her 98th birthday on May 12th and I'm good. You guys grew up in a large family. Can any of you guys tell us what that was like?
Well, I'm [clears throat] the second oldest. Ken um George senior is our oldest brother.
Uh he is late Ken now. Um >> [clears throat] >> I am the second one and there after there's John, Arlen, Rick, Jim, Mike, Sam, and Tim.
That's a pretty big family. So you come from is it seven brothers and then you were the only sister?
Yes.
What was that like in a in a big family?
Like what was the dynamic like that for all those brothers and then you being the only sister? Well, actually it's eight brothers. Um yes. Ken, John, Arlen, Rick, Jim, Mike, Sam, and Tim.
Um it was easy for me because I'm older than all of the my brothers except for Ken.
Um >> [clears throat] >> Ken was 9 years older than me so I had the pleasure of have having his advice uh for 65 years I would say.
Um >> [clears throat] >> And as far as the younger ones, um, every year, I remember when I was a child, I used to kind of wish, you know, "Am I going to get a sister?"
Another boy would come along. Another boy would come along.
>> [laughter] >> So, I By the time that, um, by the time, uh, Sam came along, then I quit wishing.
And, uh, >> [clears throat] >> but in here then here comes Tim. Tim was, um, uh, the youngest and one of the most, uh, amazing amazing, um, challenges our mother went through was, uh, we lost our father uh, in uh, 1968.
Tim was only 2 weeks old.
So, my mom, you know, raised him.
And all of us kind of helped pitch in.
So, that's kind of like our little, um, routine. Pitching in, hauling wood, um, >> [clears throat] >> coming down to get water down here. They They used to call it the crossing, um, and, uh, that's the, you know, where Potawatomi Trail and Niagara Road, um, divide don't you here.
And, uh, those are good times.
Um, hauling wood, um, getting water, no electricity. We had kerosene lamps up until, um, '71, I believe. Yeah.
That's when we moved up here and we had full, um, indoor toilet. But other than that, it was outhouse before that.
These guys, I I think they had a great time because they're continuously playing and scrapping here and there.
But I they would be able to tell, say more about, you know, their times.
Yeah, it was pretty close, all of us guys.
Me being the older of the the crew or the the boys, they used to call us guys back in the day.
Um it was interesting because we'd make up a ball team.
Then all of our friends would come and then the ball team got bigger and we all had more fun and so kind of imagine, you know, seven guys with about just two friends with them, multiply that, you know, here here we are. So, it was good.
You know, it was although we had our ups and downs because of all of us, me being the oldest of the group and kind of had to like, you know, watch over them a little bit, which is kind of tough on me, too. So, but anyway, I survived through it and then I'm grateful for it today cuz I learned a lot during that time.
Um just seeing everybody going off and doing different things, you know, going to school here and there because back in our days, still we were, you know, moved off to um residential schools.
Myself, I went out to Kicking Horse Job Corps out in Montana. Another one went to um Pipestone and uh Ogden, Utah, another one out there and so everybody scattered out and kind of came back home after that, but it was a great time, you know, all of us guys.
Still is today.
You know, you know, we lost some brothers along the way and so that's just the way life is, you know, it's but you live and learn off of those two makes you a lot stronger.
Mhm. So, it's a strong family and and having a, you know, a mom that's always there and she's quite strong.
>> [clears throat] >> So, and getting guidance from her in different areas and so, it was a good time.
And some tough times. Some of the things, you know, moms ask you to do, you know, it's you're like, "Oh, shit."
But, I [cough and clears throat] went through it and it was okay.
So, that's all I have for this round.
Yeah.
Yeah, [clears throat] for me, uh and being second to the youngest, watching everybody grow up and, you know, doing their own things and got to work. Made us work, you know, and splitting wood.
I remember these old guys, uh all the elders before all of us here, they would sit on a wood pile, my grandpa's wood pile here and uh they would uh cut each other's hair with the one razor, you know.
And uh and they would be whittling. They'd whittle like whistles and pipe stems and spiral stems and pretty much doing the culture right on a wood pile from all the wood that they we split up and we stacked and you know, just by looking at them and uh lot of the thunders, you know, and >> [clears throat] >> lot of them would walk by and, you know, we'd greet them and they'd come over, eat and whatever, you know, and man, there's just the history of uh how we grew up here.
You know, when there was just nothing, there was maybe I'm going to say maybe four families here, you know, then extended families that come and go.
Uh Then housing came along and got put into these houses and Yeah, just a lot of lot of memories that I can probably talk about, you know, and but you know, part of my like autobiography here. I don't know, you know, we we struggled a lot of with the alcoholism growing up and kind of learning that way and thinking it was all right, but it wasn't.
>> [clears throat] >> But working hard, used to watch these guys tear apart motors, put them together, putting you know, beefing these motors up, making them fast, you know, and hey, I kind of like this, you know.
So we're like maybe 10, 13 start driving car and you know, they they're not automatics, these are four speeds, you know, these are fast cars, muscle cars, you know, and later on Tuckwell family, you know, they gave us a car, guy named Kelvin Tuckwell.
That car got rolled over and all the transmission fluid came out, so that's the reason why he gave it to us. So but anyway, we had fun with that car and but yeah, there's there's multiple stories, you know, that we can share and um I don't know, I could just probably go on and on and but my life growing up here is a little different. I grew up in the woods.
And uh we used to bang on on these old wash tubs out in the woods, sing Indian songs. We used to hear Billy Daniels and Joe Maga be sing, you know, and and they used to have over by the tribal hall here, that was the only building here.
We'd hear them sing over there and then we'd go out in the woods with that tub, you know, and sing.
And later on we just grew up around the um Devil's Lake area, the lake, that was the main like playground for us.
But yeah, I can just leave off right there. I don't want to take too much time, so.
Well, for me growing up around here is I've seen a lot of a lot of changes and I I was told about it a lot of changes.
Growing up there and going to school there and getting getting criticized for being a Native American at one time I had I don't know what went to Hallwater at the time.
It was all these big old milk cans.
All the way down here to the crossings.
There's an old pump there we we'd just pump water then we'd go down there and we'd go to my grandma's always and get something to eat over there and warm up and and start back up the hill there.
And then one time I was asked my grandma I don't I mean there's a lot of criticism in in school that I get all and knowing even tribal members that come come here to the come here to the council meeting.
And we only had that that there was building there and now now it's a security building and I was telling guys at work I told you I just this used to be my tribal center.
And then I was telling telling them all the different experiences that happened that happened that I witnessed in that building there and a lot of good and bad.
I [clears throat] wanted to know that's my grandma told me how come these people are always criticizing us.
Telling us all all you guys don't got nothing out there and that's all you guys got is that is that drum and and all that talk.
All you don't even got no food or there is all you got to do is live off of deer meat and potatoes and uh wild rice and that and >> [clears throat] >> all the other tribal members that used to come to that general council and used to say that, "Oh, come on. Let's get out of here cuz you these guys don't got nothing around here."
And then >> [clears throat] >> I don't know. I was telling my grandma about that one time and she was looking at me really listening.
And then all of a sudden she sort of laughed. She goes, "You know nothing. These people are going to come back here.
No, they're going to They're going to regret that.
No, they're going to be wanting to wanting to learn. Watch. You'll see.
You'll see. Sure enough, I see that happening around here.
People coming back. Now they're Now they want to know the language and the cultural stuff and Yeah, but I You know, [clears throat] we all had our good times and bad times growing up around here and you know, and I remember uh I remember when we used to get commodities.
And then my mom used to I'd send one of us guys out I'll give you a couple couple cans of vegetables or whatever, a can of beef or a can of chicken and I'll go tell us go over go trade with these other families for food and you know, like Well, like a can of pork for a five eggs.
Or a dozen potatoes or whatever.
And it'd be cold in the winter.
And they would still do that.
Yeah, [clears throat] yeah, but the one time we were sent [snorts] up to Dolly Phillips's house and it was quite a quite a long trip up there.
And I was walking with my brother Rick and was saying, "I know a I know a shorter a shorter way up there and I told him well let's take it then he goes we're going to be going through woods though.
And I told whatever whatever way is shorter then we walked on walked on Yager Road there then we turned off in that little field there's a little field there.
So walking through that field and said crawling up this big hill there and then he says here it's right there.
So yeah and walked over there and we talked to the lady there and we got to do the can of vegetables and and made a trade for her I think it was five potatoes and five potatoes and a bag of rice.
And when she had it and then she went and she wanted to trade with me we traded with her and then walked all the way back home and I cooked up and uh and uh what really got to me one time was when I was growing up I got a got a got a burning one of my mom was sitting sitting at the sitting in the living room she was in there crying there.
And I said mom what are you crying?
He goes your brother had cancer.
Yeah he took off for the war he might never come back she said.
Crying and crying there and I said he'll be coming back don't worry about him now. We don't know what he's doing she said.
Yeah but that at that [clears throat] at that time they went on that war though that war was over and he come back and I told her see why he he was going to come back and he said well he's not the same person same person as he as he was when he left and I told her yeah I know he and always seems a different or especially when there's a bad bad storm or thunderstorm the way the boy was freaking out and the crawling on the cussing away and I want to think about I think about Vietnam and we're still there. He had a Uh yeah, and what time was I was talking This is back in the I want to say the early '80s.
And then I went out the way. He can't even remember what time we uh We had a black with a red Camaro.
And it had white stripes on the front end of it.
And I I said, "What kind of car was that?" He was all, "Manny, you remember that?" And I said, "Yeah, what kind of car was that?"
He said, "Oh, that was a '68 Camaro."
He said, "That wasn't mine. It was a That was a loaner from the airport."
I said, "Yeah, I only seen it about a day or two then I got up next morning and looked outside and you were gone."
He said, "Yeah, I did. Yeah, I come back from um I come back from boot camp and they sent me They sent me to Vietnam the next the next day when I got back over there." He says, "Yeah, and >> [clears throat] >> Yeah, and then he kept on saying, 'Manny, remember that?' And I said, 'Yeah, that was a nice car.' I told him.
And then he started telling me about some some some very gruesome stories that he he went through out there and I said, "Yeah, I don't know, man.
Pretty pretty wild stories you're telling me."
And I I saw my old friend Daniels and I I told him, "Oh, Frankie, you used to you used to tell me some stories there, too." And he goes, "Yeah, well Well, we were the first to go in first to go." He said, "And He said, "No."
He said, "Who about that?" He said, "When that starts flying over there, you see.
You got to take care of yourself and your and your crew, you see.
And and a lot of a lot of stuff I remember about when guys come back and and all they all they were at the time and and mom here, she was kind of kind of kind of on her edge because >> [clears throat] >> they don't want them no can turn on no can turn on a mistake. I guess we're dukes.
The gooks were all sleeping crawling around here and I was like she can get up and tell them Hey, you're not there anymore.
We're not there anymore.
I had a lot of a lot of tribal elders that I that I talked to when I was growing up here and they all passed away now and and mom here, she's a she laugh last one here.
All right. I think about that from time to time what I was told and and I'll try to try to carry on what I was told here and how to do things in a certain way.
And but Yeah, I think we had a good life.
Having mom as a single parent and you know, we'd all pull each other as much as we could and and did our part.
The only thing I didn't like about it growing up is going to the bathroom.
On the old outhouse and it was cold as hell but 20 or 30 below out there sitting on it and sitting in the pot out there trying to take a crap.
Yeah, but it was it was quite experience hauling water and coal and then coming down the hill and and go right back up the hill hauling water and Yeah, I remember that. I remember that one time I was living with my grandma.
My grandma watched the enter Mary Georgia and and told my grandpa he got a deer.
He got a deer then we went out and also your grandma had a deer laying on her kitchen floor.
She really really quartering it up right there.
So I went over to her and said, "Grandma, where did where did you get the deer?"
And he said, "Your grandpa got that this morning."
And she always used to ask She was always used to ask ask the older ones for help and uh quartering up that deer.
And uh I don't know. There's a lot of There's a lot of stuff that I I remember and I think back back on and you know, it's the same man we we've come a long way and with with all that and much and uh but we had one another here.
And that's all I got to say and I'll be glitch.
And thank you for sharing all those sto- stories. It was really good to hear like where how you guys were brought up and that family um togetherness and how united you guys were and how you relied on each other.
Um I was talking to Arlene a little uh few back few months back and we were talking about the train that came through here.
Um you touched on some of the boarding school stuff and how we used to have a school back here too um and I had no clue that there was a train that came through here. Do you guys remember that or recall that it came from um Devil's Lake Road through Yaeger?
>> [clears throat] >> I don't know too much about that.
I just heard the elders talk about it.
I think John could probably share more cuz through planning he was able to you know look at maps and you know some tribal documents where that was where it ran.
I don't know a lot of like mostly stories of what went on.
Like there was he um Mr. Train went up through by a Devil's Lake.
If you take that Devil's Lake Road all the way to the end, a part of that is that train track.
And then it came came beside the house here then down.
And I heard this this one cuz Lawrence Daniels, he's called Scabby, he told me that story.
He said a long time ago a lot of the the tribal members back then were let off of that train.
And start building their their houses along the way.
But they weren't really you know houses that we see today. They were mostly like like thatched [snorts] houses, shacks and stuff like that. And what was really bad back in them days, he was saying.
And then um Highway 8 used to run through here down towards Johnny's Resort and on.
So to me that was the crossing.
Way back when them guys were first here, they said well this is where the train and the road crossed. and that's where we got let off here."
Cuz it was mostly during the [clears throat] days of of the relocation forced march and all of that where we became who we are just based on how we got to this point. It was interesting how when they did that that was at the trail of death part from the part one of these out of Chicago down into the Oklahoma and and how certain members back of the tribe back then didn't want to go so they scattered into the woods and with other people up here and and we're brought back together later on.
I think that was a something with one of the governors or some some or somebody in the political realm said to bring us get us together and bring them here and got this land here.
And what was funny, too, is because that's after everybody logged it all off. There was nothing because they said, "Oh, there's just rock and clay there. Let them Indians go stay there now." So, they brought us here. I think it was La Follette or somebody like that that helped get us this property here and then we just built off of that. That's why it was so darn hard on the families because it was you know, nothing. Just rock and clay and everybody did the best they can to live on it.
So, yeah, that train.
So, it was interesting. That's all I know about that one just from the story I I heard. Some of the stories too, >> [clears throat] >> you know, that we grew up with um that we learned from our mother and um I have to say too, Mike, um the other brother, right now he must be helping his daughter or he's doing something for somebody in the community.
Um otherwise he would be here and he would be able to really elaborate specifically about our culture, our language, our um our forced removal, um where we are now, and then the stories that we have that we grew up with coming from our grandfather when his um his mother and his sisters and his brother um the his own father went on up into Canada when everybody was getting, you know, chased around to get caught.
Well, the um Ojibwe band in Od- Odana was the ones that hid um my grandfather's family. And then our other relative up in Canada, we have and Mike has, you know, our um history in a beautiful tree, family tree.
Um part of that came from our um cousins up in Canada. So, we were able to link how our grandfather came and then all the brothers and then um there again, all brothers.
Um >> [clears throat] >> and my grandpa always used to want to go back and find and find his um brothers. He's He knew that there was one still living and the one that um was living, um his son is who came and found us here.
And that was I think it was in 1989.
And now they were up in Michigan area.
And so we were able to hear that portion of the story that mal- matched right with our grandpa's story.
Um you know, hiding and traveling along the Ford River.
Traveling at night. Um to They said, "That was the second time he said you guys were coming back up." And cuz we were you know, hunters, fishers, gatherers.
And we, you know, had all of this area.
Um one of the coolest thing too, you know, going back Jimbo brought up a um one of our relatives and um and then he also talked about um Ken.
Ken has a significant story that he put in the Traveling Times because of, you know, his war experience. He served two tours in Vietnam. And you know, one of the blessings is they all came back.
And then um cuz my grandmother um sent me up up to uh your grandpa's.
To um take tobacco and when he had a chance to come down cuz she wanted to request that ceremony for them.
Um >> [clears throat] >> Now another goofy and Sam mentioned um Tuckwops, you know, that's our cousins across the road here that lived in the old Kokomo school.
Um they had lots of horses and that was one of our greatest pastimes, you know, riding horses and no saddles, just riding them. Then when they did acquire saddles, we were able to take different tours on on a um trail ride. And that place where Calvin had his horse stable is still down there. Dennis Shepherd expanded upon that stable. But that was the original stable that we had and we used to take the horses back to Ami Yego road that field on it for grazing.
And uh John and Arland and myself, we were trail riders.
That's so cool. And we inherited that, you know, love of horses from our mother cuz that's what she used to do.
Wow.
So that's one of the things I want to make sure that, you know, got mentioned.
Yeah.
Uh another thing too or in regards to Ken, um he went back to Vietnam and went, you know, he took his camera down there and went to all those various places and said his prison gave forgiveness, he says.
Mhm.
Wow.
That's such a good Mhm. Thanks for sharing that. Yeah.
Yeah, one [clears throat] of the things I remember, I can relate to a lot of these stories here, you know, growing up the train. I heard a train that came here only came for the logs. They logged us off and that train shipped them out of here.
And uh >> [clears throat] >> back in the woods, uh my grandpa would take me back there hunting.
I was a young boy and um >> [clears throat] >> he always took off. I always knew when he would go hunting, he would get his gun and start cleaning it up and, you know, putting shells away and stuff like that and and uh I wanted really wanted to go with him.
And he said, "No, no, I'm going fire this time." He said, "You got to stay here."
All right, then. He left.
>> [clears throat] >> And so I I seen him doing that again, getting all ready and I knew where he was going, you know, that old that uh train that [clears throat] grade that ran through here, that that was the trail that he would take.
And so I knew that trail that goes to Devil's Lake, I I took that trail. I went all the way up there, way up there.
And I waited for my grandpa.
And I was thinking, man, this guy is not coming, you know.
But then I can hear him kind of walking and and he knew I was there for some reason.
You know, he looked at me and said, "No, you you got to go back home."
So, but eventually I just went along with him. And we [clears throat] go way back there by uh where your relatives lived, Billy Jim.
He showed me them areas in there Yeah, he showed me some boundary some poles out there at the time, but as when I grew up um I noticed they were um monuments, land monuments that are in the woods that mark every, you know, every mile. So.
Excuse that.
That's your stomach?
>> [laughter] [laughter] [clears throat] >> Yeah, so anyway, um growing up being hunting, you know, and stuff like that, I learned how to do all that through him.
And uh I would run into uh some of the Thunder boys out in the woods sometimes and same trail, you know, Ben Thunder, Tommy Thunder, Jim Thunder. They would just be out there walking doing what I was doing, you know. She grew up back there in the woods next to Billy Jim as a young girl, you know, way back there in uh by Riley Lake and Wabegon Lake and and uh that's where my grandpa would take me and my mom, she would that's where she grew up as a little girl.
She told me stories about um uh Johnny's Resort how she wanted money, you know, my grandpa put her to work.
And uh she as she said uh I just want to get tired and that's what she got out of it.
And uh but [clears throat] as when I grew up, um they used to do a lot of logging, peeling pulp and I used to do a lot of that, you know, at a young age and um my sister Donna's um husband at the time, you know, I um I went to work with him out there in the woods.
>> [clears throat] >> And he asked me, he said, "What do you want?" I said, "Well, all I want is a bike."
All right, we'll get you a bike.
You know, he got me a bike, but it didn't last long.
My brothers there broke it on me.
>> [laughter] >> So, there's a lot of stories I can relate to, so I neglected Yeah.
Those are such good stories. I just enjoy hearing everyone's contributions and stories. Um one one monument and um one place that we talked about previously was like the tower and um the dream of having a sledding hill. And then now now we actually have that sledding hill and they just opened it up over the winter and it's it's pretty good it's pretty awesome to see that dream come true. How is that for you guys to know that your mom had that dream and then it comes to fruition, you know, that's a good feeling. How do you guys um feel about those things coming through and I think it's pretty exciting.
Um >> [clears throat] >> just to, you know, see that.
However, when we used to go down there, we were on the opposite side.
And we used to have some wooden skis and go try them out over there.
Um then uh later on um start to build um fires over there and once these my mom or my grandma found out, you know, we're building fires uh-uh, you know.
>> [laughter] >> Cuz [clears throat] there's no well, who's the adults there? That's my grandma talking.
Well, who are the Who are they? I said, just us.
>> [laughter] >> And >> [clears throat] >> I had to, you know, tell her what we were doing up there.
And she was, "How How did you girls get up there?" Because there was um Joanne um >> [clears throat] >> Joanne, Daniel's, and myself.
And uh the second time was uh the three of us. There was uh Sonya, Abram, and myself, and Joanne.
And we [clears throat] had a good time.
But as far as, you know, the excitement of the sledding hill, it's pretty good.
However, you know, there I think that there ought to be a couple of speed bumps so that the kids aren't zooming right straight down and hitting that big thing down there because my granddaughter, Aliza, and you know, she has paralysis from the waist down, and she, you know, she still tries to do everything, which is really good and all that. And so they all got her all tucked in because, you know, they want to go down this new sledding hill.
So they videoed themselves going down the hill.
And uh >> [laughter] >> they had a like a crazy time, and they're laughing.
And then when by the time they took a picture, here's her face was just full of snow cuz she flipped.
Yeah, and then Lily is still our um like other granddaughter, Lily, was still hanging on to her.
Oh my goodness, some girls. I I tell you. They had a They had a good time.
And then I saw one of the guys in the community going, "Did you go down that hill yet?"
>> [laughter] >> "Not yet. Not yet." You know.
Yeah.
But yeah, that's pretty good. Plus she had couple other dreams, you know, that she's um mentioned that she would like to see come to fruition. One already Two Two them have already, and that's the sea store.
And with gas pumps.
Uh and the third is a travel school.
And um looking towards the uh um hoping for the development of the community center to take on that.
Cuz it I know I remember the design. Um the architectural design of the whole place including fields. So, I told her there it's in the it's in the drawings.
It just has to be, you know, brought forward.
And made a priority, you know.
And that's one of one of her main things is, you know, education.
Yeah. These guys were daredevils. Oh.
Their age group.
My mom, Mary Daniels, Billy Daniels.
Um Willie Jackson.
That age group.
Donna was talking about them guys getting scared going down the hill that they just Try going down towards the west. That was straight down into the swamp. And these guys were going down that hill on toboggans and whatever and crashing up and this and that and crying and blah blah blah and going back up go do it again.
Yeah, cuz she was telling me stories about that.
And we were when we were kids, we went up there and we tried to slide down that hill. No. That was That was like like get enough speed up and go down and then there's a bunch of trees down there and then there's that swamp.
And you're carrying a lot of speed going there.
But you never made it down there because you crashed before you got there.
But it was okay. And then I was thinking that these mom and them guys were used to go down this hill and on skis and it was just rough. And I said, "Man, them guys were tough."
>> [laughter] >> And then she tell us stories about, you know, their what they did up there. And that was pretty cool.
But, yeah.
Seeing that that hill on the way it was was built. It was It was good. I enjoyed it.
Yeah, cuz when we were doing the planning phase way back when we kind of looked at it because she would always bring it up. We got to get that skilled.
And I was like, "It's too darn crazy on that part there." We can't. And I said, "Let's look to the north of it." I said.
I said, "Maybe we could just do a snowboarding place, you know, put a school bus up there and some of these jumps and blah blah other stuff you can go through and have fun on." And but back in them days it was just, you know, dreaming of what you can do and but then when I heard, "Oh, they cleaned out that side of the hill and now they got this going on over there." And I'm like, "Oh, you got to go up there." I says, "Yeah, I'll go up take a look at it." And I went up there and looked. I says, "Wow, that is pretty cool." I said, "It's Well, it's not as dangerous as the other side, that's for sure." [laughter] But I know, these guys they had their time up there, you know.
Gosh, back in the 50s and yeah, they were kids and then here's all us guys in the what, the 90s and 2000s and told different picture.
Riding down the hill with your smartphone. Yeah.
>> [laughter] >> That's all they got.
One of One [clears throat] of the coolest things too is that um um Whoops, were you going to say something?
I lost my train of thought here.
Go ahead.
>> [laughter] [clears throat] >> Well, it's like the storytelling, you know, and it's good that that we have these stories, you know. We used to always have these when we were growing up with the older ones.
But [clears throat] my my sledding experience, you know, when I seen this the sledding hill, I looked out and I looked straight right straight across and the first thing that come in my mind was my grandpa and uh Billy Jim.
Those ones that live back there in the woods is just straight right across. You look at it, you you'll see that there.
And then it's Wabikon Lake on the other side.
>> [clears throat] >> Yeah, it brought a lot of memories back and how we used to we grew up hunting there.
But my sledding experience was uh Stone Lake Hill. They call it Snake Hill.
I watched these guys, you know, on their little iron sleds with the two runners.
They'd go flying down that hill, you know.
If there was a car coming, it didn't matter, you know. They'd still go.
>> [clears throat] >> So, they were like going around. You can see them, you know, would be like on top each other and you know, doubled up on it going down and at the end of the hill, there was some blacktop down there and they'd hit that.
Bunch of sparks fly up all around. That was real cool, you know.
And then they started getting creative.
They'd slide sideways on them and then roll off and >> [laughter] >> Yeah, they they started doing it up by Sugar Bush Hill there, too. So, on that hill was but that wasn't fast enough on that road.
So.
Yeah, that's my my thoughts on that.
Okay.
Yeah, the the thought I was going to share was uh um Mom and her cousins, they used to have their own native band, country band.
That was, you know, one of the nice and funny stories that, you know, of their little escapades and their little gigs here and there.
And then [clears throat] so, once in a while when the kids have parties over at the church for the use of the uh kitchen area.
Um she'll go off and go play the piano.
And then uh last year I pulled out her guitar, her accordion. I said, "Come on, Mom, let's play."
And cuz I think us older ones, maybe Jimbo did too, I don't know. Um taught us She taught us how to chord.
And then the other ones could pick up, you know.
Um and then your grandma used to ask my mom or ask, "And how come none of your boys >> [laughter] >> didn't carry on with the band?"
She said, "Oh, girls got in the way."
>> [laughter] [laughter] >> Yeah, getting back to that sliding hill there, I I was really I was really uh thankful and thinking about that hill when I was standing out there and I said, "Yeah, they did a pretty good job up here."
>> [clears throat] >> I wanted to I seen that other that other opening at the bottom of the hill.
Going Bradley Lake road there.
And and I was taking the ride down there and I I said, "Well, I'll go check out that bottom half." And and I was going [clears throat] down the road and I stopped at the man I remember years ago years ago when we used to hunt this land.
My grandpa used to show me the he he used to show me this marker tree.
Or that somebody made made a long, long time ago. They uh It it was on a popple.
Probably back in them days it I know they're more easy to bend.
I don't know probably which my uh I don't know what you call that old rope they used to use on the hay bales.
The old hay bale rope.
Yeah, [clears throat] yeah, they must have tied it tied it together.
I don't know unless maybe when I went up there tree so there and I was going on that road and I stopped and I saw there it is right there.
You know, it's a bigger tree now.
I don't know I called my brother Mike.
And I told Sam about it.
I told him yeah, there's a marker tree on it.
It's still still intact there.
I don't know I don't know if anybody if anybody nowadays knows about these marker these marker trees that these guys used to make years ago and and tell you which way to go and how far to how far it's going to take in order to get get to wherever they're going, but I mean, you know it's that stuff on the woods where you could see a a tree that was growing that is growing different and it's got a different shape to it and you know you know you know that I don't know what man says has made them but made them back in the day in order to to tell them where to go.
Yeah, but if you ever take a right down there, you'll probably spot it on what's on your right hand side.
I don't know, but that that's pretty good about that slide there. I like I really like that and >> [clears throat] >> I don't know what the lady made put on there for night nice lighting.
I thought that was pretty good.
The only thing I The only thing that I was I was questioning about it. There was different different families and they were sliding up there. You know, they used to have to make a make one of them uh uh what do you call it? Escalator or whatever you know, to take you back up the hill so we don't have to walk back up that hill and then come back down.
>> [laughter] >> Yeah, but that's all I got to say about that hill and fire tower lane. Yeah.
I actually did have a a question about um Arlene Arlene Allaway Lane and um the tournament that we have annually and um the honor that we have for that and the remembrance and that that type of um discussion is kind of what I wanted to discuss.
I uh his name was uh not quite easy to get.
You know, Arlene.
He used to call himself Noon Man.
>> [laughter] [clears throat and cough] >> Noon Man? Yeah. Cuz it's you know, it's the afternoon. No, quiet. No, quiet.
Noon.
No.
Easy to be.
Arlene Allaway pond.
Um there was a restoration of a wetland.
Um >> [clears throat] >> and uh ball field because he was one of the star players.
Um >> [clears throat] >> Yeah, these guys we our first field was where the old tribal center is.
Uh that's where we used to play ball and John I talking about, you know, us being a whole team practically.
Um >> [clears throat] >> I believe and I'm not I may you may have to double check on that because uh um Arlen Allaway Ballfield was uh a result of um uh Eugene Shannon Jr. and Richard Mexico.
Cuz they all played on the same team and they wanted to give honor to him.
And so that's how that baseball field was named and I really we really appreciate, you know, that kind of um honoring.
Um that's outstanding.
And uh as far as the [clears throat] restoration of the pond, I'm not too sure who is, you know, really um behind a lot of that and I have suspicions that may be Skub Gish and Tony. I don't know, but may want to check with them to to do that. Um that was just because I think it was together down there. Yeah. Yeah, and uh cuz um that their family and our family um especially, you know, Joanne, you know, is my best buddy. I still see her every now and then.
Um there's uh um a lot of connections between like because we're all almost the same age in the same age groups.
>> [clears throat] >> But yeah, um my mom always always kind of um took favor with them cuz they'd always want to stay overnight longer than, you know, overnight.
>> [laughter] [clears throat] >> But anyways, did you have anything to say, you know, about the um pond or the um ballfield?
When they named uh the first um after he the first game after that they opened up the ball field down there.
I had to throw the first ball.
>> [laughter] >> I had to uh No, it was uh Yeah, I had to throw it to Linda. She was at the bat.
Well, she instead she went like that, you know, she actually pitched the ball.
And it's you You got to go on this side, Grandma. She was >> [laughter] >> That part and I don't know I was really uh honored.
They asked me to come out on the field to the first first pitch.
You remember when Arlene used to used to go play baseball and Richard Maxwell, he used to he used to come pick him up.
Some You know, and I was with Arlene.
On On a one evening they're getting ready getting his baseball stuff together and >> [clears throat] >> Well, Arlene, I said, "Where's the game at tonight?" And you know, I thought it was going to be somewhere out there at the residence and he goes, "No, it's going to be down by Hoover Dome."
I said, "Hoover Dome?" And I said, "Where's that at?"
He said, "Down the hill here."
Of course, Hoover Thunder he used to he used to stay right across the road there on a little trailer house him and um him and George Jim and Joe Boyd and Lou and Agnes and Chuck uh Lou and Agnes Thunder he used to stay in the little house next door and Arlene used to call that Hoover Dome.
>> [laughter] >> And so that's what I remember.
I remember about that fuel.
No, he he called it overdome.
>> [laughter] >> I haven't heard that one before. That's pretty pretty cool. Yeah, over thunder the walls. Mhm.
Um one thing that you mentioned a couple of times is the connection that we have with our families that were around the area and um one thing that me and Arlene talk about quite often is the friendship that you had with my grandma Mary Daniels.
Um how did that friendship impact your life?
I didn't have no sisters or brothers.
And uh we got together and I got to know each other at the powwow.
And that's when I got to play with Mary.
And then we we all stuck together after that.
She'd come over by We didn't We just lived not too far from them.
And then our mothers, you know, used to uh trade uh um that garden stuff.
And then uh that Mrs. Billy Jim, she uh liked the um wild meat.
And my mother always had that, you know, hanging up in that little cellar out there.
That her brother built.
It's a kind of a hole in the ground like. Mhm.
Yeah.
So, she kept all the garden stuff in there, too.
You know, when she came, she had uh her her carrots in there, beans.
And uh other vegetables like peas.
>> [clears throat] >> So, when they go hungry over there at their home, they would send her over.
And then she sent the American two big bags.
>> [laughter] >> See them going down the hill there?
With the the in the burlap sack like that, taking it home.
My mother used to send quite a bit to them.
And she always uh returned back to us.
Oh, no, my mother told us, "That's for you."
So, that's how we got to be friends, Mary and I.
And uh she used to tell me different stories about Indian stories way back.
It's how I learned.
Yeah, from then on, we were so close together. Just like our sisters.
Yeah, I was laughing at somebody. You know, she sees some somebody doing funny uh jokes or something.
I always wondered, you know, how I should have mentioned it that time.
When she went to school, her and Bill, they uh so they could uh um begin that uh dictionary.
They They're the ones that started it.
>> [clears throat] >> And then when Jim Thunder came along, he finished it.
So, that kind of just fell in place, you know, for the council.
Yeah.
My daddy was really uh happy about He told Billy Billy Danielson that she I forgot you said your kids are killing me.
You focus on the history he said.
Some days when you get old you you can talk to your grandchildren about that he said.
>> [snorts] >> You started this.
No bill was as happy as you.
And they did lots to the and they should be recognized too.
You carried on the the Indian way.
My dad used to say our way.
Mhm.
I used to tell them when he used to tell them old guys talking by the wood pile out there.
Every time them guys used to come down look for mail.
They'd come over there and talk with my dad and he'd tell them well you carry on with the culture.
You teach your children to carry it on.
And when you leave here they you still have that going here.
He said me I only got one daughter he said.
I'm going to I'm [clears throat] going to teach her the government tribal government.
And hand in hand I said that we walk and talk walk and talk together.
And the next >> [laughter] >> generation he said.
That was good.
It still was the first uh community health representative.
But she know how to uh talk to the uh elders here, you know, in in the Indian language.
You know, make sure that they have uh medicine, what they needed.
They all liked her.
The office is there. Some of them don't use them because they're like a feast is the one I go over.
>> [laughter] >> Why you why nurse? That's all.
Yeah, she said.
>> [laughter] >> So, how long were you guys in the band?
Oh, it's like 10 years.
I was about 17. Mary told me, "So, how come your voice isn't too big up one day?" She said.
Uh then we're busy chasing girls or something.
>> [laughter] >> Who who's going to sit on start practicing an instrument?
>> [laughter] >> I think what you did teach us, you know, as far as music, we each have a a bit of it. Yeah, Rick and Tim could play piano.
Rick used to record with me.
When I was over by church, I played the piano and he'd go sit down over there, but he wouldn't let me wait. I showed him how to chord.
I don't even need the the melody, but it just change your hands here back and forth.
I think my best memory of that is when we played chopsticks.
>> [laughter] >> A a more um a little more peppy tune.
>> [laughter] >> I was trying to teach her and she was What was that now?
Um Mary had a little lamb. Yeah, Mary had a little lamb.
I said, "You feel these keys here?" She says, "Uh-huh."
I said, "There you go."
Mary had a little little lamb. Little lamb.
I said, "You can you feel them now?" She says, "Yeah."
Okay, try the first three, I tell her.
She did pretty good.
I couldn't hardly what you call miss them keys cuz I I started singing.
And this just occurred.
I would say within the last what?
3 4 years?
And um Eliza, she said, "Grandma." She goes, "Don't you think that's really something? Like grandma's just now getting arthritic." She said, "Most people are they're feeling that arthritis in their 30s, 40s."
And I said, "Oh my gosh." I said, "Yeah." And I think about it, I said, "It is."
So, mom represents an era of you know, good health based upon our old diets that we always we always still maintain.
Yeah, pretty good.
Mary D, I love her.
She uh she said, "I heard you, Deeds."
And that's Oh, I said, "That's mom's name."
>> [laughter] >> I said, "What did you hear?" She said, And uh she was, "I heard you talking over there. I was playing bingo in Mole Lake." She said, "They're asking you, can you get me a duck, too?"
She says, "You hunt?"
I I "Yeah."
And she goes, "Oh, what else do you do?"
Um fish?
She said, "Yeah.
Can you bring me some fish?"
I said, "Sure. I'll I'll bring you fish."
And uh then the fall time came, brought her some wild rice.
And uh she always liked that. And then that one time George made some smoked fish.
He said, "Here, go take that to the old Mary D over there."
What do you mean old Mary D? He goes, "She She's calling me Nuggins."
>> [laughter] >> I said, "Geez."
He said, "Maybe I should quit."
>> [laughter] >> Oh my gosh, I packaged it all cute for her and and took her. I said, "Here." I said, "This is from George." And then right away she said, you know, she said that.
>> [laughter] >> I start laughing. I said, "Well, I said uh uh she said, "I'll be thinking about you. What's his Indian name?" And then I told him the guy to come in.
He goes, "Is it yours?" I said, "Is it Bobby Wasnoquey?"
Okay, I'm going to be thinking about him. Be eating saying your names and >> [clears throat] >> and sit there and visit for a little bit. You know, I really like those times because I took a couple of dreams I had to her.
And I had needed that kind of um view.
That kind of you know, old way knowledge.
Cuz my own grandmother, you know, she had already gone.
And then uh I told mom, she goes, "Don't you go see Mary D. Go take her something." I said, "Okay." So, I took off, went up there.
And uh Lizzie woke her up. And he he's like, "Go." Cuz she was sleeping this good on that couch. And then she grabbed her by the arm. And then she pops like little Weebles Wobbles.
>> [laughter] >> And she goes, "Get up." He said, "Deeds is here."
I started laughing at her. And I go, "Are you awake?" I said, "Is it okay?"
"Yeah, come in." She said.
Uh, then uh, you know, cuz there's just, you know, we use our language back and forth as we can.
And then uh, >> [clears throat] >> or I should say as I can.
Um, but anyways, we're talking there and um, then Lizzie was, you know, telling stories. She was cut such a comic. I just loved, you know, to go visit them because there'd always be something silly.
And I was telling your mom, too. I said, "It's good to hear." I said, "That good old humor as you inherited from your mom."
>> [laughter] >> I could see her in the shop. Mhm.
>> [laughter] >> And then I remember one time Mary Eder she's imitating this one guy and oh, cuz she used to she used to like to imitate people.
>> [laughter] >> And we were going to this one pole somewhere. I forget where it was and after that pole was over I went to a visit Johnny Bullis still staying with his mom up there. I'm not sure.
>> [clears throat] >> I went out and I walked in there and Mary she had a her pole music playing there and then her aunt said, "Hey, did you see that one guy over the weekend?" And you know, he didn't he don't know that he didn't have no regalia or none of you did I was all he had was army blanket. And a big old stick when you know, he looked like he just cut that out of wood, you know, it was just and first he cut cut stick there Oh, yeah, I remember and then she goes outside and then she comes comes back inside with a big old stick like that and then she put that army blanket over her shoulder and you know, she wanted to turn on her pole music.
She started dancing around like that.
>> [laughter] >> That's your [clears throat] laugh.
That's all all the crazy imitating that guy.
>> [laughter] >> Yeah, yeah. Yeah, he didn't have any regalia. All he had was army blanket and big old stick.
>> [laughter] >> We were dancing too and uh he's watching to watching this one old guy. His name was Joe Jack.
And he he when he dances he go Like that.
Then Mary was beside me and then she was gone. [clears throat] All of a sudden she pops up from from where I was.
Just left me dancing by myself.
>> [laughter] >> Then she was about walking behind that old guy. They were both >> [laughter] >> I told that old guy he was going to turn around and kiss you, Michael.
>> [laughter] >> Oh, I couldn't stop laughing.
Those are some really good memories.
Thank you guys for sharing and thanks for being there for Grandma Mary, too, back in the day, you guys.
Um helped her out a lot and showed her some companionship, so I really appreciate that.
Our pleasure.
>> [laughter] >> Um and thanks for putting up with my mom, too.
>> [laughter] [sighs] >> So, some of the things that we've been researching is like your family history and how many people in your family have been a part of the executive council or executive leadership within our tribe.
Um it goes way back from the beginning.
Um I have Isaac George, your father, as secretary, vice chair, chairman, and then treasurer.
All between the years of 1937 to 1974.
Um it was just amazing to see all those different years of his service throughout the tribe. That was so amazing to see that. And then um Arlene Alloway um chair council member from 1975 to 1977.
And then you went straight into your tribal treasurer career from 1977 um all the way through 2000.
So that was um when you retired at age 72 years old.
What an honor.
Then it goes even further after your years of service, Ken George Sr. was tribal secretary, vice chair, and chairman between um Ken George Sr. from 1974 to 1985.
Um then John Alloway Sr. was vice chair from 1958 to 1962. And then he went into that secretary role from 1964 to 1966.
And then John Alloway Jr. had um some leadership in there too as vice chair.
And then he went into a council member position between 1987 and 1992.
And then we had Donna Benzile as treasurer.
Excuse me, sorry.
As um vice chair. You started out as vice chair from 1987 to 1990.
And then you went into your um council member role from 1991 to 1992. So, that was so amazing to see.
Um then, we have your daughter, Ayanna Vanzile. She served as secretary from 2022 from 2024.
And then now, you have um two seated positions. Um Destiny Alloway, your um grandchild as council member from 2021 to present. And then, Ken Jourdain Jr.
as tribal vice chair from 2024 until present.
Um so, that is a long history of standing council members within the tribe. And your family represents a total of 87 years of service to the tribe across multiple generations.
It's an honor to be able to dig up all this information and let you know that 87 years is such an accomplishment to hear all those years of service to the tribe.
Um how does this shared legacy of working and serving the tribe, how does that impact your family and what does that mean to you as a family to this Forest County Potawatomi tribe?
Well, >> [clears throat] >> to me, I'm uh I'm very proud.
Proud of each and every one of them.
Cuz they've accomplished, you know, what they need to know.
And we we owe that all to uh our grandparents before us.
And that was nice All all the the hard times you know what the tribe went through.
We had some really bad times.
Then we also usually had good times afterwards, too.
But the good thing we hung together.
Which is good.
It really reflects back on what you were saying about our two families going forward together with that governance side and that cultural side and pushing the tribe forward to where we are right now.
80 7 Yeah, that was about the needs.
towards the people here.
housing All those old government houses were becoming becoming to broke kind of rotting away.
No sellers to them.
or basements to call. No no decent And how do you call them seller?
No sellers.
root seller Yeah, I remember grandma used to send me down there down there in root seller.
I would go get some of my canned canned vegetables because she did her own canning. Here I went down there she had she had a bunch of holes in the on the dirt.
She had all them jars different jars of food all all stored in there.
That root cellar she called it. I called it a No, it was a dirt wall where she dug big holes out and then start stuffing her stuffing her can cans in there or jars.
Yeah, and then she'll sit there and say, "Man, you God, there's some of this stuff I had to throw away. Throw away on her because I brought them up and go, "Grandma, you got to get rid of this."
Or a bunch of moss moss and it growing in there growing in there with that jar.
And she'd look at I would throw that away in >> [laughter] >> It still goes on today. We get our fridges cleaned out cuz we have expiration dates.
>> [laughter] >> Man, Stacy, you you really um uh um I'm just uh I have such a like a um grateful movement.
uh You know, to um bring honor as a result of, you know, my mother and my grandparents and my father and you know, our family in terms of the leadership and the commitment and the loyalty and then to be able to hear those many years being presented that way.
It it hits hits real Oh.
It hits >> [gasps] >> real um heartfelt. It's like there's no words that can really describe that.
And first something to be, you know, that's like a special unique gift that anyone can receive with that many money years attached.
You know, um the things that we were taught and the ones that would had potential or um the unique gifts each one of us has that was groomed in terms of knowledge, understanding, wisdom.
And then the prayers that went along with it, the ceremonials um the ceremonious ceremonies ceremonies and the ceremonial ways that we've we went through in order to make sure that we do what we were told in terms of looking out for our people.
And above anything we're, you know, we were strictly um advised to uphold our sovereignty.
And to make sure that, you know, we give all our credit to our creator because had it not been part of his will for our life to be in this these kinds of positions that um if it wasn't his will we wouldn't we wouldn't be. We would be doing something else probably.
But I'm I'm I'm just grateful and uh that was, you know, something my grandfather was always stressing to make sure that um we uphold that, we protect it, and fight for it.
And you know, fighting those good fights in terms of getting to know what's what's there helping to be a part of correcting, not scolding, being a part of the, you know, the corrective um ways of handling um our our ways, our behaviors, our you know, regulating the beha- regulating, you know, in a way that um you know, these are these are um smoke mon words.
We we've learned to adapt a lot of that language. However, we are still be uh being reminded of who we are.
And then my mom, that's one of her major legacies here as far as, you know, establishing education in a manner of um all kinds of things. She mentioned certificates, seminars, workshops, um higher education. And it's not always necessary to have letters behind your name if you don't know what you're doing for your people. And if you're not doing it for everybody, then be careful because we'll have to learn a lesson.
And a lot of us, we don't want any more any more lessons. We've been through a lot of different things. We've been through so many so many trials. We've been through, you know, loss of life.
We've been through car accidents.
We've been through every type of addiction that may be out there.
It was experienced.
And um came through that. Um prison, jail.
And yet constantly looking up and saying being able to say thank you to our creator for allowing us to do what we did, but to bring us back home.
And to bring us back to who we are as a people and as an individual.
So, that's, you know, there's so much that goes into that 87 years that just causes all kinds of thoughts and all kinds of, you know, great gratitude, you know, towards our tribe, towards people who were here before us, and then the ones that, you know, walked on.
And then also, you know, to the ones that are here today because mom is always constantly reminding, you know, reminding our people, reminding, you know, each one of us that we have to maintain who we are and why we're, you know, to protect what we have.
Because, you know, we don't want to lose that.
And then right now, this generation is is um different. Everything is high-tech.
Um different levels.
They they are more exposed to um um things that are on TV, where we didn't see that. Things that shocked my mom didn't really shock me, didn't you know, that keeps on things in the world become normalized, and we need to It's not in us as as natives to allow certain normalities what society may say is, but we're still to maintain who we are as, you know, natives.
Um I really appreciate this.
You know what? You know, it's a lot.
And yeah, and it's all about mom and all about, you know, her day and commemorating.
And I'm so grateful that, you know, this was made an opportunity so that, you know, she could be able to say and share from her own heart.
And it's different when it comes from the person who's, you know, who's experiencing went through that. And rather than, you know, having her kids try to portray what they what we heard.
But when it comes from her, she has that that feeling in it, deep. The the um you know, the the silliness of their fun times.
Yeah.
Okay. I It's too bad that that I can't go back to the first one.
Oh, yeah. And we tell her to have to pass.
All right. Or it passed.
It [snorts] just kissed your heart.
Yeah, and I think that needs to keep on being celebrated because, you know, she is a warrior of her time.
So, we'll be celebrating your 98th birthday May 12th this year. Mhm.
Um we're going to have a big party for you.
And then what would you like us to celebrate um this year and then the continuous years after that cuz we have that dedicated day that we're going to be the whole entire community are going to come together to honor you that day.
How would you like us to see take your memory forward in your legacy?
Well, encourage our young people to keep on going to school.
Learning, you know, cuz they're good they're our next generation.
They're going to be running the tribe.
Now, if they don't want to go to school, you know what's going to happen?
Well, I can encourage them.
Or some I help them in some areas where they're kind of weak and they like to learn something.
Maybe get the teacher or some someone to come in and help them with whatever they like to do. And encourage that. That that could be a a sign of a of a talent that they need to do.
That way they wouldn't feel so, you know, out of place.
Why they be a part of their work.
I was so proud of Tim too.
That one lady, we went to go visit the museum down in Wausau.
They had his uh painting She said she was telling that lady told me, "That is so detailed."
You look at every one of those little dots in that that picture that he did.
She said he he he his mind is so talented, but you know who is who is guiding that mind.
Not to her.
I understand what you're talking about.
I said that and most of most of the boys are artists.
I said he didn't have to go to school today.
>> [clears throat] >> So, next year, say next year or say this year >> [laughter] >> for sure.
Um your day your day is going to be a day of celebration for the tribe every year.
Mhm.
And then how do you want that celebrated?
Oh, like we usually celebrate.
Feast and Feast, fire, and singing. Okay.
>> [laughter] >> Peace, fire, and singing. All right.
Yeah, I know them young people that's graduating.
You know.
Two months a day.
Commemorated with a naming everybody who acquired some kind of form of education, whether it's a completion of a workshop, whether it's a completion of a seminar that brought something back [clears throat] to the tribe and it and it's it it was made reality.
>> [clears throat] >> Um, yeah.
Look at Look at how how our Jim's kids are and Mike's.
They them they brought their kids up in a good way.
Mhm.
Yeah, I never thought I'd have kids in this lifetime and I never thought I'd see grandkids in this lifetime, but I do know.
I have a son and a daughter and a grandson and a granddaughter.
The little one I know now she's so tiny and she's walking.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, >> [laughter] >> actually only 14 months and she's walking now.
She is so sweet and so smart. One day I had him birthday party over to church there that evening.
She was looking at this kids running by.
All of a sudden she got up.
Jim says, "Mom, I said, "Look at Here she comes to walk. She's trying to go faster than them kids.
>> [laughter] >> And looks so cute.
Just tiny walking around.
And then he can sing now happy birthday in Potawatomi.
Yeah. Really? Yeah.
After Brian's birthday.
I told Brian, "Brian, what?" He said.
"Come over here once. He said.
Can you sing happy birthday to my mom?
Mhm. He said.
>> [laughter] >> And then he goes over by the table. Be quiet everybody.
>> [laughter] >> He starts singing.
That was so cute.
Yeah, so we went through a lot of amazing stories and family history and tribal history and um is there anything else that you guys want to talk about that we haven't yet?
Or anything that you want to discuss before we Um.
>> [clears throat] >> Well, I don't know what's Well, what do you got? Yeah.
>> [laughter] >> Yeah, this is your This is your meeting.
>> [laughter] >> No, I think it's covered pretty everything.
You heard from all the kids.
>> [laughter] >> I wish Mike would have would have been have got more >> he has a lot. He's got more input in on a cultural and For sure. I totally agree because um Mike in particular has been blessed with all kinds of mentors.
And um he's speaks with good articulation.
He also speaks the language which he he um is very modest about.
And um he's advanced and then you know, he's had the He brought all his mentors together to celebrate the um Jim Thunder's books, the Potawatomi dictionary, and it gave credit to all all of those ones that had anything and everything to do with our language.
And um even [clears throat] if you you know participated for one session, you know, their name is there.
And you know, that that's what we like to make sure that we're not forgetting anyone. But Mike can speak with quite um um accuracy in terms of our history.
Um and when I look at I'm very grateful that that Trail [clears throat] of Tears or the walk of death is within the old audi- not old, the auditorium in the executive building because we can fit our stories in that timelines. And we can tell what we can say. However, there's other families within our tribe here who can speak with their own clarity about about their time where where they at in that piece of history.
So, we all have this piece of the big puzzle of who we are as Potawatomi people.
And hopefully they'll be one of one of the themes or one of the not themes, but one of the topics that'll be discussed at our Potawatomi gathering, you know, this this um coming up in July.
And um we hope to have a general assembly so that everybody can hear the same thing at the same time and we're not you know, no one's going to be sectioned off and just talk over there and not everybody well, what is that all about?
When it's we're you know, it's food for and it's nurturing everybody's knowledge.
Yeah, I think um when you when you start um you know, looking for those um stories with um dates and times and places, um the video that share on that because human Jim Thunder also did a PBS um um video about you know, just a portion of what they know.
Yeah, and uh they know the lands.
Um and we've all walked our own lands. We all know where different things are because that was a part of, you know, our upbringing. You have to know. You have to know what kind of, you know, trees there are, what kind of plants there are, where, you know, where the hills are, where the buffer zones are, you know, all those things, you know, inherent knowledge that get keeps on getting passed down.
And that's what Mom said we need to keep on reminding our kids about.
>> [sighs] >> Well, that's all I had for the interview and the time that I had with you guys. I really appreciate all the stories and all the history and it was very good to hear and feel the love in this room. So, I appreciate everything that you guys do for our community.
Um the years of service, the dedication to all our families and all that love. I definitely appreciate it and thank you for your time and thank you for journeying journeying together with us.
Yeah.
>> [clears throat] >> Um which Mhm.
Mhm.
Cheyenne which Cheyenne which Yeah. Yeah.
Listen now, baby.
Oh, they want to mean this now, baby.
From the fire, from the drum, we remember who we are. Through the smoke, through the sound, our heartbeat carries on. Stand strong. Voices rise from the earth to the sky.
Anishinaabe, Anishinaabe, Bodéwadmi, Anishinaabe.
>> [music] >> We are still here.
>> [music] >> We rise, we stand.
>> [music] >> Bodéwadmi.
From the north wind blowing, from the lakes and trees, our songs are moving across generations.
Bodéwadmi.
Heartbeat echoing [music] in the night.
Anishinaabe, still we stand. Bodéwadmi, we remember.
>> [music] [music] >> Anishinaabe.
Anishinaabe.
Anishinaabe.
We are Bodéwadmi. [screaming] We are Bodéwadmi.
>> Mhm.
>> Mhm.
>> Where we lived?
Yeah, right across this here our house is on a little hill.
And you go down, there's a road goes through there, Route 1, you can see Column.
And then up you go up on the hill there used to be a trail to the shortcut to over this way.
And then There's big rock that goes up there.
I don't know what they say Sam and them back there doing hunting season.
And they told me that rock is kind of sinking in the ground now.
And then but he said he could still see the deer trail beside that rock. Mhm.
You got to go there. Trail is over there.
I like to go up there and see what it looks like.
So we went back there one day in the truck.
It was Jim's truck, wasn't it? Yeah.
Yeah, that We used to call it What was that name of that? Mhm.
That you Your first truck? You bought that Blazer?
>> Yeah.
Jumbo big wrecker. Oh, yeah.
>> [laughter] >> Jumbo big wrecker.
He He took us back there.
We went up the hill.
And then uh I There's a a gap goes down and like a little trail goes up alongside that rock is right in the rock there. Mhm.
And that's where I crawled up through down in the You can see the window I could make from there. Mhm.
And uh I sat up there for a long time and looked down and I could you know, in my mind I could see our old house down there.
And uh I said I told my mom one time I said I said I was up there. She said must have been before we moved here. It was up there, she said.
And then uh And then one time we were My dad used to work at the Connor Connor lumber camp in uh Leona.
He used to stay out there at the camp.
And he used to come home on Friday nights.
Then he'd go back on Sunday.
Back to work out there.
And then we were waiting for him one night to come home.
And we used to have a police dog.
Oh, not a German Shepherd dog. We used to call it police dog at the time, you know.
And uh her name was Mimi.
She was a female.
And she was laying on the porch there.
And my mother used to play a mouth organ.
She was playing away there and then and I was listening to her, you know.
All of a sudden the dog put his hair up, you know.
Looking around like it sensed something.
Then my mother quit playing the playing organ.
Then we looked up on top of the hill.
It looked just like a house up there with that you know, window with a light in [snorts] there, a light.
And then she said, "We better go inside then."
And Dad become quite slow today.
But then we seen him coming down the road.
He must have borrowed a one of them lanterns, you know, with the handle on it. Now at the time we used to use them.
And he had a gunny sack full of groceries on his back.
And then I our dog there she put her hair up and must have smelled and took a jump jump off of the porch.
and then down.
Go medium.
And she's walking up the road. That's them. That muscle.
And that And then she started telling them that about the rock up there.
He he I think he's seen things. He told her, you know, you just believe her.
And then that Then that next day grandpa, the old old the one I was showing you that picture that with the uh this is the guy we got. Mhm.
Squiggy. Mhm.
He uh >> [clears throat] >> come out there.
Took He used to take him all day to get out to her house.
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