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Some Kids I Have Known
White Eagle Campground, 1945


The ground every where was packed and without vegetation so much so  a dusty place prevailed.  Families walked across this hard surface  and children played on it.  Off setting the starkness of this floor were the beautiful old large trees covering the area. It was right they should be there because at a very short distance a river  ran through.

At this time during the early afternoon the noisy play of children could be heard as they slipped in and out of the water of the river as easily as young otters.

The two children who had arrived upon this scene with their parents were in awe of this new experience. There was no readily available place on the prairie for them to swim from where they came.  This seemed like such a wonderful place to live.

Mostly,  there were army like tents where people were living. However, in the background a few of the old time tepees could be seen.  Strands of ropes were stretched from the corners of the tents and attached to the trunks of a tree.  On some of these ropes laundry was hung to dry.

Their mother led them to her Uncle Alfred No Ear's tent. She was instructing them as to their behavior all the while they were walking. “Do not ask rude questions.”  “Speak pleasantly when you are greeted.” “My Uncle is Alfred No Ear, his wife is Nora Crazy Bear and his children are: Wilfred, Robert and Rosie No Ear.”  “Uncle Alfred is the son of my mother's sister, Creth Little Cook, No Ear. Mrs Jack No Ear.” “Robert is your age.”

So began the children's respect for knowing the family as well as their lineage.

Uncle Alfred was sitting in a fold up chair in front of one of the tents. He had his legs crossed and he leaned over,  resting one elbow on one knee. In his hand he held the half smoked cigarette he had not completely finished.   On his face was a pleasant expression and he was first interested in knowing the children.  He caught the attention of his youngest niece and was engaging her in conversation by joking with her.

The young girl glanced toward her mother and Mother nodded her head. “It is okay.”  “It is our way, Uncle will joke with his niece.”  With her mother's approval the girl warmed up to the jesting coming from this new Uncle. Native relationship is different. Since he was the son of their Mother's aunt, forever after all the aunt's descendants would also be an aunt or an uncle to the sister's line. This was told to her after they left.

Robert took them under his arm and with his generous hospitality they were able to dart in and about the area. The tents were open at the front and Robert was taking them through this one and that one of someone who was a friend of his. Some of the floors of the tents were simply earthen.  Others had wooden board floors set into the bottom of the tent This along with a wood stove setting inside gave the tents a very homey feeling. The beds were neat and tightly made. Sometimes, there was only a bed setting in the middle of the tent. Other times the beds were smaller and lined the two sides. It was all such a new wonderland of a world.  The simplicity of this life style was incredible and the children  were totally interested and overjoyed with the freedom of it.

Why they were given this brief view of the life style of their mother's people was never known.  She may have been delivering a message for her own mother. The families owned land together and too, because of their relationship other events in the family had to be shared. At any rate, it was a wonderful memory and it gave the children  an opportunity to look beyond this place to a time before when the ancestors of these people lived so very close to their mother, the earth. That would have been a time when a travois could have easily moved their belongings since they were so few.


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