In his later years, I sat with Grandpa for hours listening to his stories about growing up in Indian Territory and aunts, uncles, and cousins that I would never otherwise have gotten to know. Later, this led me to write the story Chi Pisa La Chike: An Irishman’s Promise. You can read more about that story on the “Books” page. That story was written in 2013, and ever since then, I’ve wanted to turn it into a full-length novel. The big question is, what do I know about that period in history? The answer is, nothing. So I researched, and researched, and researched until I fell in love with that time.
The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was signed in 1830, and America had only 24 states. It was the opinion of all 24 states that there would never be a reason to settle west of the Mississippi River. Electricity was still 30 years away, and an entire nation was moved over 500 miles. I’m not saying the move was anything less than deplorable. What I am saying is, the Choctaw Nation not only survived, but fourteen-years-later raised $170 ($6,000 today) to help support starving people during the Irish Potato Famine.
Grandpa would often tell me about his great-grandmother, whom he called Grandmother Harriett. She was the family healer. After Aunt Liza “tripped me. I fell into a ditch on the way home from school, next thing I knew, I couldn’t move my arm. Grandmother Harriett took one look at me and said, ‘hold him down,’ and after that, I had my first taste of whiskey.” Grandpa smiled slightly and added, “I’ve been using it medicinally ever since,” and winked.
I had the privilege of going to the first 5 Civilized Tribes Storytellers’ Convention hearing Greg Rogers tell a story of his 4th great-grandfather’s (Joel) walk on the Trail of Tears and how it was up to Joel’s mother and sister to keep him safe on the walk. Soldiers complained he was too slow and made more than one attempt to kill the 4-year-old. I spoke to Greg between stories, and after comparing the facts we knew, Joel’s sister was my Grandmother Harriett. I exchanged a few emails with Greg, and he helped some while I was researching Chi Pisa La Chike, but he passed away before I was able to send him a copy of my story.
Grandmother Harriett was not only the family healer and protector but, from what I have found at the Oklahoma Historical Society, well known for spinning and weaving, too. Think about her life for a moment. This woman gave birth to 12 children, 5 reached adulthood, withstood racism and sexism, and through all of that, Grandpa said he only heard her laugh and saw her smile.
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