Though he lives in Ignacio Colorado, Russell Blackbird is a member of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska. In his conversation with Bird Red, Russell recounts one of his proudest moments in life–the day Russell’s father invited him home to pass along some spiritual responsibilities. Pictured above: Russell Blackbird performs the Eagle Dance as a teenager.
“You get to a point where you think you’re invincible…”
Muz Pinnecoose talked for more than an hour with his grandson, Ethan. It was a heartfelt and emotional conversation, with many stories, life lessons and tidbits of grandfatherly advice. In this excerpt we hear about Muz’s lifelong struggle with alcohol. Muz Pinnecoose and Ethan Casias are members of the Southern Ute Tribe. Pictured above: Muz Pinnecoose and his grandson Ethan …
“She would bring pickles…so delicious!”
As a young girl, Betty Howe looked up to her sister, Emma Jean Howe. Emma left the family at the age of 9 to live with Christian missionaries who took her in and taught her English. As Betty remembers it, her sister Emma was the first Ute Mountain Ute tribal member to graduate from a public school. In this excerpt …
“At a Sundance they prayed for me…”
It’s been decades since Floyd Morris narrowly survived a car accident on the Navajo Reservation. For weeks afterwards, he was heavily medicated and hospitalized. Friends helped Floyd through the worst of the ordeal and gave him the support he needed to recover. In an interview with Kaldurion Pinnecoose, Floyd Morris describes the accident and his time in the hospital. Pictured …
“My dad had a partner…he looked just like Roy Rogers…”
Betty Howe grew up mostly in Towaoc, Colorado. But her earliest memories take her back to living at her father’s livestock camp in Mancos Creek near the New Mexico border. The camp was a world Betty left behind when she moved to Towaoc to start school. But even now, she can offer impressionistic details of daily life, from morning rituals …
“I had a younger brother and I loved him dearly…”
Colleen Cuthair-Root remembers her younger brother and best friend, Brainard Alvin Cuthair, who passed away in 2015. In this conversation with Trenity Tillahash, Colleen talks about how her brother Brainard made her laugh, and how he helped her through difficult times. It’s a conversation that explores gratitude, grief, and in the Ute tradition, the care one takes when remembering a …
“Do those braids make you Ute?”
As a young man, Matthew received guidance and wisdom while spending time with his grandfather, Eddie Box senior. Eddie Box senior, also know as Red Ute, was spiritual leader for the Southern Ute Tribe, and he led Sun Dance and Bear Dance ceremonies for many years. In this excerpt, Matthew Box recalls one mind-opening conversation he had with his grandfather. …
“One night they heard somebody by the door…”
Most Ute kids grow up hearing legend stories. Kathryn Jacket remembers the stories her grandmother used to tell her at night before bedtime. “It was like a storybook, and I would fall asleep halfway through and the next night we would pick up again,” she tells her granddaughter. Now Kathryn Jacket is a grandmother herself. When she sat down for …
“Worship songs are some of the oldest ceremonies the Ute people have.”
Kathryn Jacket and her granddaughter Jeralyne Arnold are close. They spend most evenings together watching their favorite shows and talking on the living room couch. So when they sat down for an interview, Kathryn and Jeralyne were very much at ease with one another. In this excerpt of their conversation, Kathryn sings a Ute worship song and talks about the …
“I never had new clothes. Everything was from Goodwill.”
Evelyn Edd grew up on the Navajo Reservation at Blackhouse Mesa. In this conversation with her granddaughter Santana, Evelyn looks back on a childhood with little money or material possessions. “I slept on sheepskin and I never had a bed,” she says in this interview. She remembers walking more than a mile to the bus stop in rain and snow, …