S2, E17: The History of Riverside Indian School, Wares Chapel, O Ho Mah, Hog Creek

05/08/22 • 65 min

I stopped by Riverside Indian School in my hometown, Anadarko, Oklahoma last summer to hang out with my friend, Terry Ware and what a great conversation we had! This is a must-listen, dear listeners as you’ll have the pleasure of hearing: • Terry singing a Kiowa hymn and the happy birthday song in Kiowa • About Riverside Indian School’s upcoming 150-year celebration in May of 2022! • The history of Riverside including about the feral hogs that used to come around (until a fence was put up) • How Terry is a coach at Riverside, but before that, he was my dad’s student there at the school • How he’s a legacy student at Riverside, as his grandmother, mom, daughter and grandson attended • About his family’s church - Wares Chapel - in Hog Creek where we grew up, and where my sister got married. And about the Chapel’s inception in the 1800s and gathering of and transporting stones from Chickasha to Hog Creek. • About the Kiowa tail bustle and the history from the Omaha tribe in Nebraska to the Cheyenne to the Kiowa • What his research on the Carlisle Indian School Journals uncovered • Why the O Ho Mah hid their drums and pipes in the caves in Ridge Stone, west of Hog Creek • His love of singing and drumming in the O Ho Mah Lodge Singers group • His ancestors’ names, such as “The Day the Sun Died” because his great great grandmother was born during the eclipse • About the Fort Sill vs Riverside rivalry (know what I’m talkin’ about, Braves?) 😉 • That “Indian perfume”, which comes out with the full moon in June, is what I should include with my eagle feathers to decrease the strong smell • And – we discuss the serious topic of our mutual adoration of Sonic drinks Yakoke, Terry for your time and for sharing so much with myself and my listeners. Blessings to you! All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/ Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast

Previous Episode

S2, E16: Coach James Nells (Navajo) on Growing Up On the Reservation

There was something comforting about the familiar scent of cedar that permeated from the wood burning stove inside the hogan each evening (“hogan” being the traditional home for the Navajo, in this case built of wood, with a dirt floor). The stove had 3 vents. And little sleepy James would watch the shadows from the vents on the walls, like fire dancing. As his heavy eyelids would slowly cover his eyes (despite trying to keep them open), he felt a sense of security as he couldn’t help but listen to his family members all snug inside talking about the day, the sounds and smells lulling him to sleep. It was years later when James realized the significance of being surrounded by multiple Code Talkers as he was growing up (including his grandfather, Lemuel Yazzie) as they would all sit around talking about their time as Code Talkers. Even the Medicine Man who spoke many prayers for James was a Code Talker. In Winslow, Arizona sits the Navajo Reservation, where my guest, Coach James Nells – Navajo, Salt Clan born for Under his Cover Clan – was born and raised. Life on the Reservation wasn’t always easy. Despite no electricity, herding sheep and hauling water, being surrounded by familiar centuries-old traditions and culture, somehow nearly kept intact despite the force of time and assimilation, was always “home”. Coach Nells speak in his Navajo language and shares his inspirational story from reservation to foster care, to boarding school, to champion runner. FYI, Coach Nells talks about the Navajo’s traditional squaw dance. This is a traditional term the Navajo called these dances and still call them to this day. I think it’s important that we respect their tradition and their right to call it what they do. Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/

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S2, E18, P1: A Fascinating New Look at Our Choctaw History by the Decade: Megan Baker

Most people have heard about the Trail of Tears, or what’s called the “Removal”, in which our Indigenous people were removed from their lands starting in the early 1800s and were relocated to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). The Choctaw were the very first to make the trek from Mississippi to their new home. The journey was deadly for some. Many of our people passed away due to harsh weather conditions, illness, starvation, and even at the hands of the soldiers who were transporting them. But what happened next, once the Choctaw arrived in Indian Territory? And what came of the Choctaws who refused to be removed and to those who ran away into the swamps to hide? These questions have come to my mind over the years, and I’ve found answers here and there, but I needed to learn more. And not only that, I’ve probably pondered 100 other unanswered questions too. Enter Megan Baker. Megan is a Research Assistant for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma’s Historic Preservation department and is currently working on her PhD in Anthropology from UCLA. Her masters is in American Indian Studies from UCLA and she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnicity and Race Studies from Columbia University. I’ve eagerly followed Megan’s monthly series in the “Iti Fabvssa”, a column in our Choctaw Nation’s Biskinik paper for quite a while, soaking in our history that she has tirelessly broken out by decades. But not only that. She has studied thousands of original documents, records and accounts by the Choctaw themselves (not just the history books) to bring us a very different viewpoint than what we’ve heard before. So it was an honor when she agreed to join me in this special 2-part Native ChocTalk episode. So please join Megan and me in this journey through each decade with the story of the Choctaws after their removal to Indian Territory. And yakoke to Megan for her hundreds of hours of research that came in handy when I asked hundreds of questions – keep up that great work for our tribe and for future generations to come! Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/