We Will Always Be Here, livre ebook

The history of Native Americans in the U.S. South is a turbulent one, rife with conflict and inequality. Since the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in the fifteenth century, Native peoples have struggled to maintain their land, cultures, and ways of life. In We Will Always Be Here, contemporary tribal leaders, educators, and activists speak about their own experiences fighting for Indian identity, self-determination, cultural survival, and community development. This valuable collection portrays the lives of today’s Southern Indians in their own words.

Reflecting on such issues as poverty, education, racism, cultural preservation, and tribal sovereignty, the contributors to this volume offer a glimpse into the historical struggles of southern Native peoples, examine their present-day efforts, and share their hopes for the future. They also share examples of cultural practices that have either endured or been revitalized. In a country that still faces challenges to civil rights and misconceptions about Indian identity and tribal sovereignty, this timely book builds a deeper understanding of modern Native peoples within a region where they are often overlooked.

Introduction

Part 1. Growing Up Indian in a Southern Context

The Ballad of the Choctawhatchee River: Ripples from Our Past
Nanette Sconiers Pupalaikis

Muscogee Lifeways in Central Georgia
Stan Cartwright

My Family’s Legacy
Patricia Easterwood

Hiding My Indian Identity
Wanda Light Tully

Growing up MOWA Choctaw
Framon Weaver

The Sacrifices We Made for Our Education
Kenneth Adams

Showdown at Bayou Pointe-aux-Chien
Charles “Chuckie” Verdin

Racism in New Brockton, Alabama
Nancy Wright Carnley

One Poarch Creek Family’s Educational Journey over Three Generations
Otha, Marie, Pauline, Nathan, Karla, and Kaci Martin

We Will Forever Remain Coushatta and We Will Always Be Here
Ernest Sickey

Part 2. The Politics of History and Identity

A Rebirth on the Chowan
Marvin T. Jones

Speaking for My Ancestors
Shoshone Peguese-Elmardi

From Cherokee to Chowanoke: Discovering the North Carolina Algonquians
Lars Adams

The Chowanoke Indian Resurgence
Doug Patterson

Jamestown 2007: A Native American Perspective
Kenneth Adams

Eastern Creeks and the Persistence of Identity
Hodalee Scott Sewell

To Be or Not to Be a “Wannabe”
Tony Mack McClure

Jim Crowfeather in Indian Country
Cedric Sunray

Part 3. Cultural Grounding

In My Mother’s Hands
Brooke Bauer

Nerataya: Spirit of the Deer and Passing the Gifts of the Tunica-Biloxi
Donna Pierite, Jean-Luc Pierite, and Elisabeth Pierite-Mora

Reawakening Our Warrior Tradition
Harold Comby

Te-lah-nay’s Wall
Tom Hendrix

In the Eye of Isaac
Michael “T. Mayheart” Dardar

Being the Indians We Were Made to Be
Marcus Briggs-Cloud

Generations within the Circle
Marvin “Marty” Richardson

Putting the “Community” Back into My Jena Choctaw Community
Dana Chapman Masters

Finding My Sense of Place in My Ancestral Homeland
Robert Jumper

Native People Should Tell Their Own Stories
Robert Caldwell

Vpuecetv (To Dream): My Journey to Becoming Tribal Royalty
Megan Young

At War with Herself: Artistic Reflections of Culture and Identity
Jessica Osceola

Part 4. Moving Forward

A Reflection on a Lifetime of Leadership
Ernest Sickey

Initiating Intertribal Efforts in Louisiana
Jeanette Alcon

The Oil Companies Stole Our Land
Charles “Chuckie” Verdin

Finishing What I Started
Framon Weaver

Looking South
Michael “T. Mayheart” Dardar

Inauguration Speech, First Woman Chief of the Mississippi Choctaw
Phyliss J. Anderson

Building an Entrepreneurial Spirit within Tribal Nations
David Sickey

Seeking Prosperity and Self-Determination
Stephanie Bryan

Defining Moments
Malinda Maynor Lowery

Working Toward a Healthy Future for the Cherokee Nation
Ahli-sha Stephens

Native Youth in Agriculture
Elliott Nichols

Notes

Bibliography

Index