REFLECTIONS/Jonathan Gramling
Explore Native Heritage
I have to admit that my exposure to Indigenous people, culture and history was rather limited and filled with stereotypes growing up. There were those John Wayne western movies that filled the small screen every Saturday afternoon. I don’t think there was anything real about those movies and they were definitely a negative. I know too many grew up believing — and probably believe today — that all Indigenous people were Plains Indians who rode horseback and slaughtered buffalo when they weren’t busy harassing the “poor, innocent white settlers.”
With all of the massacres of Indigenous people that I have read about over the years, perhaps psychologically speaking, the qualities of many of the settlers were projected onto the Native people, using these depictions to wreak even more brutality on Native people as their land and resources were taken from the — treaty or no treaty.
My father, bless his heart, would religiously give donations to the Indian missions in South Dakota each month. I don’t know if those religious institutions did more good than harm or the other way around. But my father felt some kind of responsibility there and his intentions were well-meaning.
I remember a trip up to Northern Wisconsin with my family. I don’t know how we packed close to eight people and all of our food and gear into a station wagon. I remember driving through one of Wisconsin’s reservations — it must have been Oneida or Menominee — and being hit by how destitute the people and buildings looked.
Probably my big awareness came when I took a course on Native American history and one of the class books was ‘Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” by Dee Brown. That book and class were real eye openers. And shortly after that, I was part of a group of students who went out to Poplar, Montana and stayed on the Ft. Peck Reservation for a week helping to repair a church that stood lonely in the plains of the Missouri River valley.
That was how my mind became open, little bit by little bit, over the years. And then when I became editor of The Madison Times and later for The Capital City Hues, I felt somewhat empowered — or at least had a reason to be there as a reporter — to go to pow wows and other Native gatherings. And during those days, I made friends with Art Shegonee, George Swamp and the incomparable Ada Deer. Through osmosis, you could say, those friendships were important to me to gain a greater understanding of Native culture and the Indian human condition.
Twenty some years ago, I felt pretty self-conscious going to the pow wows and felt like I was glued to the wall, fearful I would do something that would be offensive. But over time, I adjusted and maybe people adjusted to me. And the Native world really began to open before my eyes in all of its complexity and diversity, feeling the vibrancy beyond the pow wows and trying to emulate the Native relationship with Mother Earth as a lifestyle and philosophy. That is so important to the world today.
Putting this paper together was both a challenge and a pleasure. I drove up to Black River Falls to interview Chief Tribal Court Judge Jo Deen Lowe and Senior Tribal Counsel Wendi Huling. We conducted the interview in the space where the Ho-Chunk’s traditional court meets. It was an honor to meet them and a drive while the autumn colors were in force was an added bonus.
Being a journalist is hard work — I’ve been up for a while and I am hitting up against my press time — but it is truly a blessing for I get to meet so many wonderful and fascinating people who pull the veils of ignorance off of my eyes so that I can understand and appreciate the complexity of Mother Earth and her people.
Thank you everyone! Celebrate Native American Heritage Month!