Our TDG constitution requires the executive committee to meet with a group of nine wise elders four times a year, once for each season. This was our way of young people demonstrating respect to our elders.The elders speak, we listen. Except these meetings haven't worked out well.
The elders just don't get this TDG thing. They don't like young people in any decision-making role. Usually only one or two elders show up for the meeting—even when we offer them rides. In the past year, only one or two of our executive committee have been attending. The elders who do show up are mostly complaining about the Tribal Council or the wild young people in our community or the white people running the USA.
Len has been strongly urging us to obey our TDG laws--and something good is bound to happen. So we have been organizing these elder meetings for several years, but without much heart.
Tonight, four out of the nine showed up. Is Thelma's spirit working for us? Thankfully, three members of the executive committee--Sally, Sky, and--attended to provide a reasonable audience.
Paul Weasel, an uncle of mine, admonished us for not getting after the Tribal Council for doing some things he thought it should do. I need to have a talk with him someday to tell him how the TDG should work.
One elder, Emmy Littlechild, hadn't shown up for a couple of years. She told us stories of when she was a little girl on the reservation--and how these stories are relevant to where she is today. Not really political, but there was something useful for the three of us to consider.
Nancy Heartis a member of the Whitewood clan, which used to be the hereditary chiefdom of Tankosin. She spoke about the old ways, when the Whitewoods selected the chief for all of us. She thought we needed to go back to those times. I'll bring up her talk at the next executive committee meeting.
And last, there was Delores Big Horn. She said she was too busy raising her 12 kids to get involved in alcohol in her younger days. Lots of good stories. Her husband, now deceased, was on the Tribal Council and was instrumental in getting The Farm set up for youth employment. She felt our addiction center was not doing a good job.
We just listened. It took about an hour for all four to make the point they wanted to make.
There are six clans of Tankosin:Arrow, Bearwalker, Beaver, Big Stone, Star, and Whitewood. Both Sky and I are from the Bearwalker clan. We are second cousins.
But the past few generations have seen a lot of marriages and affairs between clan members. I think everyone of us has DNA from all six clans. Yet we still cling to one clan as part of our identity. Some take this identity more seriously than other--and it causes a little disunity in our community.
