Native American Biography, Aza Erdrich Abe. painter, Louise Erdrich daughter

 Aza Erdrich Abe is an accomplished artist.  On her mother's side she is of Ojibwa descent, Anishinaabe.  She also is of mixed white descent.  Her visual art is deeply rooted in Anishinaabe aesthetics and sensibilities, featuring intricate line work and woodcut-style aesthetics. She focuses on Anishinabee identity through her family life and personal growth.  

Aza Abe paints for the covers of her mother's books.  Her mother is the accomplished author Louis Aldrich.  

Asa and her mother

self portrait beadwork

Woman of the West: Calamity Jane

 Calamity Jane, born Martha Jane Canary, was a figure of the old west.  She lived in Deadwood, South Dakota.  She was a larger than life figure, mostly because of her self promotion.  She was gender nonconforming, wearing men's clothing and doing men's jobs.  She was a noted marksman and traveled with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show as a marksman, rider and storyteller.  She dictated a book of her autobiography.  This is regarded as highly exaggerated by Calamity Jane was noted for being courageous and brave.  She was the oldest and when her parents died when she was 14 she raised her siblings.  When a stage driver was shot and killed she took over the reins and drove the passengers to safety.  She was acquainted with Wild Bill Hickok saying he was the only man she ever loved.  She was buried by him after she died.  She said they had been married but there is no record of this.  A movie starring Doris Day was made about her time in Deadwood; although this was a fictionalized version.  

 

Magazine Article Review: Forging a Faith, Nebraska Life

 Forging a Faith by Matt Masich, photographs by Christopher Amundson, Nebraska Life, January/February 2024, pp 40-45.

In the late summer of 1846 Mormon pioneers, fleeing persecution in Illinois established the first town in Nebraska.  The had been four months crossing Iowa, a journey they expected to make in three weeks.  But the rain and the muddy conditions lead to a very hard pull across the territory.  Arriving on the western edge of Iowa, Brigham Young negotiated with Peter Sarpy, who had a post in Bellevue on on the opposite side in Iowa and a ferry crossing, for ferrying across the river.  There was no way for him to ferry the thousands wanting to cross, so the Mormons made there own ferry.  After crossing they were for a brief time in Cutler Park where they established a government, but the Otoe thought it was too far (The Omaha were OK with the location) from the river so they moved east three miles and established Winter Quarters on the Missouri River.  The Nebraska side of the River was Indian territory at the time.  

Thomas Kane was a friend of the Mormons.  His father was a friend of President Polk.  Using his influence with his father he asked the president if there was any way the government could help the Mormons.  The agreement was that the Mormons could raise a militia to serve in the Mexican American War and they would allow the Mormons to stay in Indian territory.  The Mormon Battalion brought countless benefits: The land deal gave the Saints a place to stay; serving the nation in time of war was great for public relations; the Army, instead of hindering the emigration, was now paying Church soldiers to go west; and much of the soldiers’ pay could be funneled back to their families to buy provisions.  The enlistments took place in Iowa in what was known as Kanesville.  Thomas Kane visited with the recruitment and became ill and was laid up for a month.  

Brigham Young was anxious to be on the west side of the river so they could leave earlier in the spring and avoid flooding on the Missouri River.  Starting in August the Saints began to harvest local grasses.  They put away 2000 tons for the animals.  The Saints erected crude log cabins in which to stay, and a few sod houses.  That winter there were 3500 people in Winter Quarters with 538 log cabins and 83 sod houses.  The population would reach a high of 4000 with 800 homes.  They were able to get supplies shipped up from St. Louis.

Many died.  Death had begun to show its face crossing Iowa due to disease.  Disease (diphtheria, typhoid, scurvy, malaria) also haunted the Saints in Winter Quarters, and as winter come on there was less disease but more death due to cold and malnutrition.  About 600 died while they were at Winter Quarters, half babies and infants. The cemetery was west of town, at the top of the hill.  At times there were so many deaths the grave diggers were overwhelmed.  Sometimes a corpse would lie in the home for a couple deaths before collected and buried.  

Brigham Young lead the first group in the Spring.  They traveled west and eventually ended up in Utah.  Huge number of Saints followed.  By the late 1860s 70,000 Saints had been through the area.

The Saints abandoned Winter quarters within a couple years as promised.  There still was Mormon settlement on the Iowa side of the river.  The property was inhabited in 1854 for the Florence Land Company.  James C. Mitchell named the town Florence after a child, niece or granddaughter.  

The Mormons abandoned the area and nothing of the original settlement is left today except for the pioneer cemetery and the Mormon or Florence Mill.  There is now a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the cemetery property.  

Echo Canyon Breastworks

We traveled through Echo canyon on the Echo Canyon Road which parallels the I80 freeway.  This is where Great Great Grandfather Isaac helped build and man breastworks made of stones while defending Salt Lake from the federals who were coming as part of the Utah War.  It is hard to see the breatworks from below, but they are there someplace.  

Book Review: A Braid of Lives: Native American Childhood

A Braid of Lives: Native American Childhood edited by Neil Philip, Clarion Books, New York, The Albion Press 2000.

A common theme of childhood Native American is the desire to be an adult.  This is seen over and o ver again in the stories included in the book.  Also of concern is childhood is development of a spiritual self.  This book includes the stories about 50 Native Americans looking back at their childhoods.  There are girl wanting to be like their mothers, and boys playing at war.  There was being forced to get up early and running and swimming so as to be able to withstand the pressures of war.  There are also stories of people form many different tribes.  A Lakota boy at age nine pierced his sister's  ears who was four.  This is usually done by a medicine person with a bone and a giveaway and with songs.  As this was lacking father did a big giveaway and gave the son's horse away.  There were lots of sports and games, such as games like hockey of shooting arrows at hoops.  Some girls enjoyed dolls, and others not so much.  There were a few stories about Indian school and being forced to talk English and cut their hair.  

Henry O. Flipper: First Black Graduate of West Point

 In 1877 Henry Ossian Flipper became the first African American to graduate from United States Military Academy at West Point.  He had been born into slavery in 1856.  He received a commission and served as an officer of Buffalo Soldiers in the 10th Calvary.  He had an eye for the captain's daughter at Camp Davis in Texas.  Because of this he was framed for embezzlement.  He was found not guilty of embezzlement but was found guilty of conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman.  He was dishonorable discharged.  He was unable to clear his name during his life.  However he was cleared after his death. in 1976 his discharge was changed to a good conduct discharge.  In 1999 President Bill Clinton granted a full pardon.  He was also an engineer.  At Fort Sill in Oklahoma he designed a system to drain a swamp which was leading to malaria.  Known as Flipper's Ditch the system is still used today.  

Historical Bulletins, East Bellevue: Rifle Range, Peter Sarpy Trading Post, Presbyterian Mission

 The Rifle Range and the Peter Sarpy bulletin ar both at College Heights Park off of Mary Mallory Kountze Memorial Drive.

The memorial to the Presbyterian Mission is further south and is in someone's yard on Warren street.