Indigenous Echoes

The Inuit people can't be imagined without their signature parkas, fashioned from fur and hide of the local wildlife. One of the many reasons why early European voyages into the Arctic circle failed is because they were underprepared for the extreme weather conditions of the north. They wore wool clothing, which kept them hot on the inside, but made them sweat a lot, which made their clothing freeze in the extreme temperatures. The Inuit never faced this problem, as they have been making their parkas from caribou deer or seal hide from as early as 22,000 BC (Siberia). The production of these parkas took weeks, and the tradition of making them was passed down from mother to daughter, taking years to master. Depending on the geographical location of the tribes, the design of the parkas varied according to the types of animals available. Beadwork, fringes and pendants frequently decorated the clothing. Roald Amundsen was the first explorer who outfitted his crew with Inuit clothing, which enabled him to successfully circumvent the North-West Passage in 1906. In the 20th century the use of traditional Inuit clothing declined, but it has seen a recent resurgence, as the Inuit strive to preserve their culture.

This is Jim Thorpe. If you look closely at the photo, you can see he's wearing different socks and shoes.

This was no fashion statement.

It was the 1912 Olympics and Jim, a Native American from Oklahoma was representing the U.S. in track and field. On the morning of one of his competitions, his shoes were stolen.

Luckily, Jim was able to find two shoes in a garbage bin. That's the pair he's wearing in the photo. But one of the shoes was too big, so he had to wear an extra sock on that foot.

Jim won a gold medal in the decathlon wearing these shoes.

Chief Oshkosh (1795-1858) was the chief of the Menominee tribe from 1827 until his death. He played a key role in treaty negotiations as the Menominee tried to protect their lands in Wisconsin from being granted to Oneida and other tribes from New York state and European-American pioneers.
Chief Oshkosh and his grand children.

Famous As: Native American Leader, Shawnee chief
Born On: 1768
Died On: October 5, 1813
Born In: Ohio, United States
Died At Age: 45
Tecumseh was a Native American Shawnee chief and warrior. He was the one who opposed the white settlement in the United States. In the early years of the nineteenth century, Tecumseh became the main leader of a multi-tribal confederacy. He made attempts to organize a union of tribes to combat early white settlement. Tecumseh also worked with the British in ‘The Canadas’ to defy the swift growth of white settlement in the West. The noble efforts by the great chieftain to protect his tribes and their rights on the Native American soil were crushed by the white settlers and Tecumseh was eventually killed at the ‘Battle of the Thames’. However, Tecumseh’s name went down in the annals of history as a courageous and brave fighter who fought with perseverance in order to protect his people

Spotted Tail (Siŋté Glešká) ("Jumping Buffalo"); born c. 1823–died August 5, 1881 was a Brulé Lakota tribal chief. Although a great warrior in his youth, and having taken part in the Grattan massacre, he declined to participate in Red Cloud's War. He had become convinced of the futility of opposing the white incursions into his homeland; he became a statesman, speaking for peace and defending the rights of his tribe. He made several trips to Washington, D.C. in the 1870s to represent his people, and was noted for his interest in bringing education to his people.

The young man took his warrior name, Spotted Tail, after receiving a gift of a raccoon tail from a white trapper; he sometimes wore a raccoon tail in his war bonnet. He took part in the Grattan Massacre.

Two of his sisters, Iron Between Horns and Kills Enemy, were married to the elder Crazy Horse, in what was traditional practice for elite men. Spotted Tail may have been the maternal uncle of the famous warrior Crazy Horse, which meant he was a relative of the notable Touch the Clouds as well.

On August 5, 1881, after a long simmering feud, Crow Dog, a Brulé Lakota shot and killed Chief Spotted Tail on the Rosebud Indian Reservation for reasons that have been disputed. Crow Dog was arrested and tried in a territorial court in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, and found guilty of murder and sentenced to hang. In the case of Ex parte Crow Dog the United States Supreme Court overturned the verdict because the Deadwood Court had no jurisdiction in a case of one Native killing another on reservation lands. Crow Dog was released and returned to the Rosebud.

Sisters: Iron Between Horns and Kills Enemy

Children: Ah-ho-appa (Fallen Leaf)

Father: Cunka or Tangle Hair Mother: Walks with the Pip

Thomas Little Shell III (1830-1901) known as "Little Shell" or "Little Clam" but recorded as Ase-anse or Es-sence, was a chief of a band of the Ojibwa (Chippewa) tribe in the second half of the nineteenth century, when the Anishinaabeg (Ojibwa peoples) had a vast territory ranging from southwestern Canada into the northern tier of the United States, from the Dakotas and into Montana. During the 1850s, the United States began to negotiate with the Anishinaabeg of North Dakota to get them to cede their land in exchange for payment and settlement on a reservation. Little Shell was one of the Anishinaabe signatories of the 1863 Treaty of Old Crossing, which ceded Anishinaabe land in Minnesota and North Dakota. In 1864 he refused to negotiate with the United States further about ceding more land. For almost another 30 years, Little Shell refused to negotiate with the United States over land. Together the Anishinaabeg occupied an area of over 63,000,000 acres. Much of that land was in North Dakota and South Dakota, but also included Pembina land in Montana, which may have reached all the way to the Rocky Mountains. Around 1880, Little Shell moved his band from southern Canada to the Turtle Mountains of north-central North Dakota, where he protested encroachment by Americans and the government's lack of concern for Chippewa land title. Because of persistent food shortages, he and his band hunted buffalo as far as Montana and southern Saskatchewan during the late 1880s. When they returned to the Turtle Mountains in the early 1890s, they faced a series of events that led to the exile of Little Shell's and other Chippewa people from the Dakotas.

In 1892 Little Shell met with American representatives and attempted to reach an agreement about ceding his people's remaining land. European-American immigrants did not wait for treaties but squatted on Native lands in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Little Shell attempted to sell his remaining lands for $1.00 per acre and be allowed to have at least 10,000,000 acres of remaining lands in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota set aside as a Reservation. The Americans offered to pay 10 cents an acre (which became known as the infamous "Ten-Cent Treaty") and refused to set aside the 10,000,000 acres reservation. No agreement was reached.

Thomas Little Shell, 1892

When an elder passes they take all their knowledge of life, sacred teachings, songs, language, culture. Volumes of history, family geanology, stories are all gone. Be safe with this sickness coming its not going to get better until it gets worse. Call and check on them. Make sure they have food to eat, necessities they need. Cherish them. I miss my unci more then anything and i would give anything to spend another day with her. We have many unci and kaka here with us. Protect them the best you can.

If you forgot who you are, remember it's never too late to come home. Home is your heart and who you really are, your nagi your spirit, that small child inside that is close to tunkasila!
These drugs, alcohol and messed up teachings lead you away from who you really are.
I see who you are deep down beneath the fake facade! You had to be someone else to survive and i get it. But you forgot to come home, its time to come home! You need you now more then ever, we need you now more then ever!

Wakinyan Ohank'o (1839-1914) Fast Thunder.
I've read and heard alot about grandpa Fast Thunder over these past few years. He counted coup several times and gave accounts of each time. He pierced many dancers at the Mniconjou sundance in 1877 held below Spotted Tail agency to honor Crazy Horse. He went to Washington DC 4 times to advocate on behalf of our Lakota Oyate.
At the request of Old Man Afraid of his Horse he became head security at Pine Ridge agency society named Wiciska.
He was a yuwipi man that helped Crazy Horse and his warrior society with medicine to win in battle.
He grew medicines and knew where to pick them, he was called upon to heal the sick in the community before there were doctors or IHS.
It was told he was given Crazy Horses medicine bundle to look after, which he passed on to his daughter and son in law. George Means and Fannie Fast Thunder.
My grandma told me he stitched up wounded and near dying that made it to his home between Wounded Knee and Manderson the night of the Wounded Knee massacre. Some even stayed with him there for some time after.
He was said to have the brand 707 because he raised that many head of horses.
He also served as tribal judge for some years.

My grandma Estella King/Apples mother was named Stella FastThunder/King, her dad is Fast Thunder. This is how im a decendant.