Dear Family, Friends and Everyone reading this blog,
Hello!
I hope this finds all well. More vaccines for Covid-19 are available! People are getting their shots! My husband and I saw my mother for the first time in over a year, yesterday, at the nursing home she resides at. Though we have had both our covid-19 vaccines, we still had to social distance and wear a mask, during our 30 minute visit. It was wonderful to see her and talk. We even hugged each other. Seeing family after this pandemic hit us last year, I see a light at the end of the tunnel! Below is a photo of my mom, Maxine, lower left. My brother, Andy, Sister in law Linda and Sister in law Bette, are in the back. I was selling my book, Sky Woman Lives in Me, at Indian Summer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a few years ago. They all helped me with my book and I sincerely thank them.
My sincerest congratulations to Deb Haaland for becoming the first Indigenous person to become the Interior Secretary of the United States! When my great grandmother was at the Carlisle Indian Boarding School in 1891, John Willock Noble, a Republican, was the Interior Secretary under former President Benjamin Harrison. Wow! Have times changed! It is wonderful to have a Native American Indian as our Secretary of Interior! My deceased ancestors are cheering from the Heavens, as is Our Creator. Thank you President Biden for nominating Deb Haaland for Interior Secretary.
It is my sincere hope that Leonard Peltier gets released from prison. He has been in prison for over forty years now. He has served enough time, don’t you think? Many people share how they would love to see Leonard Peltier freed from prison. I pray he is released soon.
A friend of mine recently wrote a children’s book about an Indian Boarding School in Lac du Flambeau, WI. Her book is called, Remembering Green. Lisa Gammon Olson researched and interviewed Chippewa Indians on the Lac du Flambeau Reservation for true historical facts for this book. Here is a picture of what her book cover looks like. I have read this book. It is wonderful and educational for all children. As a colonized Oneida, I sure wish I had read this book when I was child, to learn more about my Indigenous culture that was taken away from me. Many of us Indigenous people were assimilated to be white and only speak English. Lisa’s book is an excellent story about this.
I have always wanted to meet my Oneida ancestors. I have photos of them. I wanted to share an animated photo of my Great Grandmother, Sophia Huff Powless, in her Carlisle Indian Industrial Boarding School uniform, taken in 1891. Click on the white triangle for animation of this photo or click on https link to see animated photo of Sophia at 14 years old.
My book, Sky Woman Lives in Me, shares Sophia Huff’s story at the turn of the century. Below is a photo of the cover of my book. Thank you for reading my blog. Stay safe and may Our Creator, God, bless all of us.
Sky Woman Lives in Me 