SWEET GRASSLives of Contemporary Native Women of the Northeast
Introduction We have a saying in Indian Country: "Knowledge is passed down to the next seven generations ahead." In 1985 I initiated a process that led to my writing short auto- biographical sketches of contemporary Indian women; in 1997 1 have completed it. I started by jotting down notes of childhood experiences that I remembered during a stressful period of my life. Those memories unfolded in graphic pictures, almost as if I were looking through a kaleidoscope. Whether or not I had the technical ability to "write" was of no consequence. I just did. In 1987 1 graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in social science. Several years later I submitted an application to Mel King, Director of the Urban Community Fellowship Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I was accepted into the program. While at M.I.T as a Community Fellow, I embarked on several projects. One was to research my ancestry and the history of the Ojibway tribe, of which I am a member. That same year I interviewed "Rita" (whose story is in this book) and became acutely aware that information about Native American women-particularly those of the Northeast-was scarce and hard to locate. There was a time during the writing of this book when I felt I could not go on. I was about to give up the idea completely. I had begun writing without ever contemplating what the end result would be. I was using writing as a therapeutic device. At one point, I hoped writing my story would give my daughter more understanding of her Indian mother. My early efforts were written in a random and disorganized fashion, and, since I did not have the experience to rearrange it, the thought of completing the book was overwhelming to me. I contemplated this problem as I sat on a park bench, or watched TV, or walked about the city. I began to question the project's validity and whether I could finish it. "Why must I do it?" I asked myself. "What value is there in writing about Indian women's lives?" No answer. Time passed. Eventually I made a decision. I would finish what I started. Why not? Perhaps I could document life experiences as other writers had for Jewish women immigrants and the women of Appalachian Virginia and Tennessee. I devoured their stories and felt greatly empowered by the strength such women evoked. I determined to continue, therefore, documenting what contemporary life was like for Native American women. It was at this time that I met Richard Carlson, who assured me he would work with me in editing the stories. In mid-life, out of necessity, I developed new skills. I tell in the following pages of practicing typing and the effort it took. Typing was a challenge, and I realize now that if I hadn't made that effort I would not have had the ability to follow through with other interests I later developed. I have also learned to use a computer as a word processor but only because at the first class I attended at Massachusetts Institute of Technology the instructor asked if everyone was computer literate. Since I was not, the "Green Room" (a room designated for computer practice) and tutors were made available to me as a Community Fellow. I was afraid of computers and remained freaked out the few times I summoned up enough courage to make it to the room. I was fearful of coming into contact with all the "brainy" people I might meet there. What would they think of me, an elder entering their ivory tower? Weeks passed before I got up courage to go in; even then, I just went several times and only because my instructor prodded me weekly. Needless to say, the young men and women I met there were kind and considerate, and I realize now that having that experience has helped me immensely in developing my skills as a writer. The first part of this book-"Sweet Grass"-is my own story. The second part consists of briefly told lives of five Native American women-three Micmacs, one Mohawk, and one Wampanoag. Some of those stories have been fictionalized; others are presented as interviews which I conducted with them. Sweet grass Sweet grass is a tall, wild grass, growing in areas of the U.S. northwest and southern Canada. It has long been a sacred plant for Native Americans. The dried leaves and flowers are woven into baskets, and the long, sweet-musty scented leaves are braided and burned in purification ceremonies. The smoke from sweet grass encourages positive influences and carries prayers up to the Creator. Once common, sweet grass has become rare due to development, cattle-grazing, and wheat growing. Native Americans in the northern plains have tried to protect remaining fields.
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PAGE 10B NEWS FROM INDIAN COUNTRY: THE NATIONS NATIVE JOURNAL BOOK
REVIEW______________________________________________________________________ Canada. Sweetgrass, following in the steps of other
traditional writers, like Ella Deloria and others, is an important contribution to Native
women's writings. Anne's story is born from this experience. Banished from her
reserve, a result of her brother's killing of a young Indian woman, Anne and her husband
find themselves on the streets of Boston, living beneath the expressway, at the shelter,
at the Boston Indian Council, and at the whim of social service agents. Sharing meager
portions of box lunches and tea bags, they survive as best as they can. Anne eventually
moved into an apartment in Dorchester and was there for five years before she returned to
her reserve in Canada. Morris died on the streets of Boston three years after he arrived
in the city. |
