July 25, 2020
Hello to Everyone reading my blog! I hope all are having a good weekend!
This summer is going by so rapidly! I continue to talk about my book, Sky Woman Lives in Me. I asked myself, “Why am I sharing family history that happened at the turn of the century, about an Indian Boarding school on the east coast, that my dead relatives attended?” Well, even though my story talks about the past, it really is still the present. Yes, my Great grandmother Sophia and her sister, Lily, have long passed away. Yes, most of the Carlisle Indian Industrial Boarding School, where they were forced to attend (to become assimilated Euro-white), no longer stands, except a cemetery where Indian students were buried who died at the school. But, other remnants also remain from when the Indian children attended this school from 1879 until 1918. I also want to mention Barb Landis, who now works at Dickinson College as part of their grant team, visiting Native American Communities. She continues to work on the Carlisle Indian School programming. She has much knowledge about the history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial Boarding school. When I met her years ago, she showed me the Carlisle Indian School campus, remaining buildings and shared a lot of history to me and my husband. Because of her help I was able to write my book, Sky Woman Lives in Me. 
Barb Landis is an excellent addition to the Dickinson College. She is a wonderful, kind, knowledgeable person. She has helped many Indigenous people like myself. Here is a photo taken at Carlisle at a Symposium Barb set up. She brought all these wonderful people in this photo, together. As a result, the Symposium was great! We learned and shared a lot! I love this photo and everyone’s smiles. Barb is in the second row, third from the left. God, Our Creator Bless all of these people and Barb Landis especially!
This year 2020 still has racism rampant in our country. People of color like my grandmothers in my book, still are looked upon as less than. Lily and Sophia were considered savages and inhuman. The government wanted these two girls to become Euro-white and Christianized so they would be better citizens. If they have English names and dress in European clothes, that would make them more human. The hair was to be worn like Euro-white women, not like traditional indigenous women. And our government forbid Sophia and Lily to speak their Oneida Language. Their Oneida names were forbidden and the government gave them English names. To the government, we savages had to be colonized white. So, here it is the year 2020 and guess what, racism is alive and well. Sad. The government experiment of trying to assimilate Sophia and Lily into the Euro white culture was not successful. But, many of us current indigenous people know nothing about our indigenous culture and language. But, we are still here and never left. Sophia and Lily never lost their culture and language. Thank God! Sophia is standing on the left, Lily sitting in a photo taken in July, 1891 when they first arrived at Carlisle Indian Industrial Boarding School.
Through my 15-year research to write this book I learned Sophia and Lily were Christianized, Episcopal, as infants. They were taught to cook, do chores around the house and wear traditional Oneida clothing. They even went to school! If they weren’t allowed to speak Oneida, if they had to change to Euro-white, then who were they? Forbidden to have their own culture, Oneida names and language, who were they? Why couldn’t they be allowed to be Oneida? How come they were forbidden to teach other generations of Oneidas, like me, the Oneida Culture and Language that is a part of me and my relatives? Many of us were denied to learn about our Indigenous selves! Below is a photo of a painting done by Dave Faddon. I love this artwork because it shows what the Indian students at a boarding school, such as Carlisle, would have looked like in their traditional indigenous clothes on the right. On the left of the painting shows the children in their required Boarding School attire. This is excellent artwork by Dave Faddon and speaks volumes! This artwork is based on Dave seeing a photo of students at a boarding school, like the one his grandmother was sent to, to be assimilated. She lost her knowledge of her Indigenous language as a result. Dave’s artwork shows the true feelings of sadness, grey by the students on the left, compared to the free, indigenous, colorful children’s happiness on the right. 
Here it is the year 2020. We have the Covid-19 Pandemic, there is rioting in cities. Indigenous people on the reservations aren’t receiving medical help to combat this virus. Our government says to wash your hands, but on some reservations there still is no running water! So, how can Indigenous people stay safe from this disease? Black, Brown, Red, Yellow lives are being mistreated and abused. They have been for decades. To all of you reading this, stay safe, wear a mask and be kind to one another. Not one person is better than another no matter what race, color or creed! We are all human and we all bleed red. All Lives Matter! Lastly, please vote November 3, 2020 as if your Democracy, your lives depend on it! Thank you for reading my blog and may God, Our Creator, Bless everyone! Got to go have some coffee now! Sincerely, Roberta Capasso, Author of: Sky Woman Lives in Me
![gladiolusrainbowmix[1] (400x400)](https://skywomanlivesinme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/gladiolusrainbowmix1-400x400.jpg?w=300)
Sky Woman Lives in Me 