Ancestor Approved
Page 20
“WARRIORS OF FORGIVENESS” BY TIM TINGLE
Choctaw glossary
pashofa (pa-SHO-fa): traditional and still popular Choctaw corn chowder, a thick soup served as an appetizer or main dish
yakoke (ya-ko-KE): thank you
halito (ha-li-TO): hello
hoke (ho-KE): all right, okay
luksi (LUK-si): turtle
achukma (a-CHUK-ma): good
Luksi Achukma (LUK-si a-CHUK-ma): Good Turtle, a traditional Choctaw name
“BROTHERS” BY DAVID A. ROBERTSON
Cree glossary
tansi (TAHN-sih): hello
“SECRETS AND SURPRISES” BY TRACI SORELL
Ojibwe glossary. Readers can go to this site for pronunciation guidelines: www.ojibwe.lib.umn.edu.
nimaamaa (nee-mah-mah): mother
imbaabaa (em-bah-bah): father
makwa (muh-KWAH): bear
makoons (mah-coonz): bear cub
nizigos (nee-zee-goos): paternal aunt
nookomis (no-koo-miss): my grandmother
boozhoo (boo-jhew): hello
aanii (ah-nee): greetings, hello, hi
mikinaak mnishenh (mee-kee-nak me-neeshen): Mackinac Island
noozhishenh (noo-zhah-shen): my grandchild
niibin (nee-bin): summer
nimishoome (nim-shwhoa-may): paternal uncle
miigwech (mee-gwetch): thank you
Gchi-Manidoo (gitch-chee mahn-eh-doo): the Creator
“WENDIGOS DON’T DANCE” BY ART COULSON
Cherokee glossary. Cherokee phonetics don’t generally use uppercase letters. Cherokee sentences also rarely use punctuation, since a native speaker will know when the thought is complete.
ᎭᏩ (hawa, ha-WAH): a common exclamation meaning “okay” or “all right!”
skoden: a shortened version of “let’s go, then,” an expression used by Native people of many tribal nations
ᎣᏏᏲ (osiyo, oh-SEE-yoh): hello, often shortened to “siyo” in informal conversation
ᏙᏧᏩ (totsuwa, toh-JOO-hwa): redbird or cardinal
ᎡᎵᏏ (elisi, ay-LEE-see): my grandmother
ᎠᏧᏣ (atsutsa, ah-JOO-jah): boy or young man, often shortened to “chooch” or “choogie” as a nickname
ᎬᎵ (gvli, GUH-lee): raccoon
ᎥᎥ (vv, unh-unh): yes
ᎭᎵᏍᏕᎳ (halisdela, hals-DAY-la): help!
“INDIAN PRICE” BY ERIC GANSWORTH
Tuscarora/Haudenosaunee glossary. The six Haudenosaunee languages have no written versions of our languages, beyond linguistic diacritical symbols. “Nyah-wheh” is one phrase consistent among the six. The spelling here is my invention, an attempt to make pronunciation easy. The first syllable is tough. English does not seem to have the sound “nyah” as it is used here. It is close to the Russian word for “no” (nyet), with the end sound of “law” instead. For the second syllable, the sound is like the word “when” but with no hard “n” at the end. It is more like the word trails off: “when . . .”
nyah-wheh: thank you
“SENECAVAJO: ALAN’S STORY” AND “SQUASH BLOSSOM BRACELET: KEVIN’S STORY” BY BRIAN YOUNG
Navajo glossary
shiyazhi (she-YAZH-ih): my little one
ndaa’ (IN-daw): Enemy Way Ceremony
ye’ii bichei (YEH-ee bih-CHAY): literally “maternal grandfather of the Holy Beings.” In context of this story, refers to the Night Chant Ceremony.
Cherokee glossary
ᎡᎵᏏ (elisi, ay-LEE-see): my grandmother
“JOEY READS THE SKY” BY DAWN QUIGLEY
Ojibwe glossary. Readers can go to this site for pronunciation guidelines: www.ojibwe.lib.umn.edu.
eya (EE-yuh): yes
gaawiin (GAH-ween): no
miigwech (mee-GWECH): thank you
makwa (muh-KWAH): bear
mikwam (mi-KWUM): ice
mikwamiikaa (mi-kwum-EE-kah): hail
wese’an (way-say-UN): tornado
“THE BALLAD OF MAGGIE WILSON” BY ANDREA L. ROGERS
Cherokee glossary
ᎣᏏᏲ (osiyo, oh-SEE-yoh): hello, often shortened to “siyo” in informal conversation
Choctaw glossary
achukma (a-CHUK-ma): good
amafo (a-MA-fo): grandfather
“BAD DOG” BY JOSEPH BRUCHAC
Abenaki glossary
alnoba (AHL-no-bah): a person
kagwi (kah-GWEE): that
kia (kee-YAH): you
ktsi (ket-SEE): big
mdawela (me-DAH-wi-HLAH): loon
n’mahom (UN-ma-hom): my grandfather
nda (un-DAH): no
nda kagwi (un-DAH kah-GWEE): literally “not that”; used to mean “don’t mention it” or “you’re welcome”
ndeliwizi (in-de-LEE-wee-zee): I am called
nidoba (nee-dun-ba): my friend
nosis (no-SES): my grandchild
ôhô (unh-hunh): yes
paakwenogwesian (paA-ha-KWI-nun-GWE-see-AN): You appear new to me
ta (dah): and
wliwini (Oo-lee-oo-NEE): thanks (literally, “good returning”)
“BETWEEN THE LINES” BY CYNTHIA LEITICH SMITH
Cherokee glossary
ᏩᏙ (wado, wa-do): thank you
“CIRCLES” BY CAROLE LINDSTROM
Cree Glossary
kokum (kôhkom, KOOH-gom): grandmother
Notes and Acknowledgments
“WHAT IS A POWWOW?” AND “FLYING TOGETHER” BY KIM ROGERS
I am honored to be a part of this groundbreaking anthology alongside amazing authors and friends. Cynthia Leitich Smith, I am forever grateful for your mentorship and friendship. Your kindness and generosity never cease to amaze me. You’ve paved the way for many of us. Kris Kuykendall, Nalini Krishnankutty, and Christine Evans, I truly appreciate your thoughtful critiques. You’ve helped me become a better writer. Rosemary Brosnan, I’m thrilled to work with you and am excited about my debut picture book coming soon with Heartdrum/HarperCollins. Tricia Lawrence, I’m so happy you are my agent and friend. My husband and children, I couldn’t have followed my dreams without your love and support. My gratitude to those who’ve served, including family members. So:ti:c?a to you all!
“FANCY DANCER” BY MONIQUE GRAY SMITH
This story is dedicated to all the children and young people who are learning about their ancestry and culture. May you be watched over, guided, and protected. May you be kept safe from inner and outer harm, and may you know immense joy and pride. And may you always remember to be kind, especially to yourselves.
I’d like to thank Cynthia Leitich Smith. This story would not be what it is without your questions, curiosity, and feedback. I raise my hands to you out of respect and gratitude.
“WARRIORS OF FORGIVENESS” BY TIM TINGLE
Hollywood movies would have you think that every Native man was a “warrior,” one who chased wagon trains and engaged in battle whenever possible. In this story I would like to socially redefine the word. In addition to our highly respected professional Native soldiers and veterans, we also have citizens who fight to preserve our traditional human values in day-to-day life. As demonstrated in the narrative, these values include forgiveness—thus “Warriors of Forgiveness.”
I send my immense gratitude to Choctaw friends Susan Feller and Jay MacAlvain, whose helpful spirits are honored in “Warriors of Forgiveness.”
“REZ DOG RULES” BY REBECCA ROANHORSE
Thanks to Pernell Begay for suggesting Ancestor Approved as a T-shirt, and to all the many Rez dogs I’ve known throughout my life for the inspiration. May we all strive to be as free.
“SECRETS AND SURPRISES” BY TRACI SORELL
This story could not have been written without the aid of others. I want to acknowledge those who educated me about the University of Michigan’s powwow, its present and past, especially Hector Galvan, Program Manager, Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives; and Gabrielle May and Maitland Bowen, both w
ith the Native American Student Association; as well as Native UM law school alumnae Cami Fraser, Kirsten Carlson, and Elise McGowan-Cuellar. Angeline Boulley, Colleen Medicine, Debra-Ann Pine, and Melissa Montoya Isaac offered invaluable feedback on the story, Jingle Dress dancing, and the Ojibwe culture and language. Dr. Margaret Noodin also helped me with the Ojibwe language. Miigwech to all for the assistance they provided. All errors in the story or Ojibwe language usage are mine alone. I dedicate this story to my longtime friends in the Turtle Mountains and the Soo, two of my favorite places in Indian Country.
“INDIAN PRICE” BY ERIC GANSWORTH
Nyah-wheh, thank you to Cynthia Leitich Smith for her Jedi Council–like passionate and organized support of Indigenous writers in myriad fun and interesting ways, and to Rosemary Brosnan, for recognizing the necessity of such a volume and committing to its success. Thanks to my friend Graham Stowe for clarifying some organizational nuances I didn’t understand. In particular, nyah-wheh/miigwech to my niece, Kristi Leora Gansworth, for sharing her experiences from the powwow vendor circuit to help me get some things right to the best of my abilities. All mistakes my own, as always.
“JOEY READS THE SKY” BY DAWN QUIGLEY
I taught English/reading in seventh through ninth grades for most of my teaching career. I saw kids who “failed” in standardized reading tests—and these students are the ones who stole my heart. One of my earliest memories is of being teased for not knowing how to read. I know this pain of not being “smart.” Yet, like my Joey character, these students of mine brilliantly “read” in other realms. “Joey Reads the Sky” was inspired by one student in particular, who struggled to “read” English texts, but each week would regale us with stories of “reading nature” (e.g., when the Minnesota lakes would be safe to walk on in the winter, when deer would look for mates and mark trees as they scraped trunks in the process). He taught us how to read nature.
I have issues with the tumult of testing in our P–12 schools. This story is my introverted activist way to say: I’m grateful to be able to honor them here, the ones who can read the world in ways that are not respected—the ways we desperately need of “knowing” in this world.
“WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT GLACIERS” BY CHRISTINE DAY
Brooke’s lesson about glaciers being like mothers comes from an ancestral teaching described in Salish Blankets: Robes of Protection and Transformation, Symbols of Wealth (University of Nebraska Press), written by Leslie H. Tepper, Chief Janice George, and Willard Joseph. This teaching was attributed to Chief Ian Campbell of the Squamish Nation, who says, “I’ve heard of our glaciers being referred to as big blankets that are also sacred because the waters that flow from them are like a mother nursing a child.” These words were the inspiration behind this short story.
I’d like to dedicate “What We Know About Glaciers” to my sister, who is best known as “Miss Jen” to her preschool students.
“THE BALLAD OF MAGGIE WILSON” BY ANDREA L. ROGERS
Though I loved The Outsiders as a twelve-year-old in 1981, I always wondered where the Indians were. The book’s take on history, gender roles, class, representation, and language about Native people would not resonate with Maggie. There are better books for girls, Native people, and other outsiders. “The Ballad of Maggie Wilson” is written in honor of my father and my uncles. My dad’s eldest brother died a lineman. My uncle Roy took me to my first powwow when I was a kid and my first Stomp as an adult. Thanks to Alice Barrientez, who gave my daughters and me guidance regarding powwow etiquette and reentering the circle after the death of my father. Wado to my critique group, Native Writes, for putting eyes on this, especially Ruby Hansen Murray, Traci Sorell, Erika T. Wurth, and Stacy Wells. Also, Rebecca Roanhorse, Dawn Quigley, Art Coulson, and Stephen Graham Jones generously answered random questions. Thank you, Rosemary Brosnan, for liking my story. Additional thanks to Cynthia Leitich Smith, who never fails to encourage me. Wado to Cherokee Nation and their fantastic employees, who always support my attempts to get things right. Finally, wado to my family for making my life and writing better and real.
“BETWEEN THE LINES” BY CYNTHIA LEITICH SMITH
The characters Ray and Grampa Halfmoon first appeared in my book Indian Shoes. I’m a Muscogee Creek citizen, and I’m also a Cherokee descendent and have beloved family members who are citizens of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. The Halfmoon family stories are a sort of wink and love letter to them, especially Cousin Elizabeth. I originally conceived of Ray and Grampa in my early days as a children’s writer, living in Chicago. My time in the Great Lakes also included a few years in Ann Arbor, where I earned a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. Mvto (thank you) to Joe Bruchac for his permission to mention his books Skeleton Man and The Return of Skeleton Man.
“CIRCLES” BY CAROLE LINDSTROM
I would like to say aaniin to Cynthia for asking me to be part of this anthology. And to Dan and Sam, my constant lights. And to all ancestors who have gone before me who are part of my eternal circle. Aapiji go miigwech.
Editor’s Acknowledgments
A shout-out to the Native students—past, present, and future—at the University of Michigan. As a graduate of the law school, I feel compelled to say, “Go Blue!”
My thanks to the wonderful contributors of artwork, stories, and poems to this anthology. Both individually and as a collective, I appreciate your skill, professionalism, generosity, and cooperation in crafting this book. I’m especially grateful to Traci Sorell for compiling and sharing information crucial to our world-building efforts. We all owe a debt to the many U of M folks (listed in her note) who graciously responded to Traci’s thoughtful queries.
Thanks also to our Heartdrum editor, Rosemary Brosnan, and my agent, Ginger Knowlton, for their faith, brilliance, expertise, and guidance.
About the Contributors
An enrolled member of the Nulhegan Abenaki Nation, JOSEPH BRUCHAC has been attending, performing at, vending at, and even putting on powwows for over forty years. Author of over 170 books, his newest titles are Peacemaker (Dial), a novel about an Onondaga boy’s encounter with the founder of the Iroquois League of Peace; One Real American (Abrams), a biography of Ely Parker, a Seneca “Grand Sachem” and Union general in the Civil War; and The Powwow Dog (Reycraft), a contemporary graphic novel illustrated by Dale DeForest.
ART COULSON is Cherokee from Oklahoma and comes from a family of storytellers. Some of his earliest memories are of listening to stories on his grandmother’s lap. He has been a writer his whole life and published his first two books in elementary school (he was a self-publishing early adopter). Art served as the first executive director of the Wilma Mankiller Foundation in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma after a twenty-five-year career in journalism. Art is the author of The Creator’s Game (Minnesota Historical Society Press), Unstoppable (Capstone), and The Reluctant Storyteller (Benchmark). He lives in Minneapolis.
CHRISTINE DAY (Upper Skagit) is the author of I Can Make This Promise and The Sea in Winter. I Can Make This Promise was an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book, a Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book, and a best book of the year from Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, NPR, and the Chicago Public Library. Christine lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family.
ERIC GANSWORTH, S▼ha-weñ na-sae (enrolled Onondaga), writer and visual artist, was raised at the Tuscarora Nation. He is Lowery Writer-in-Residence at Canisius College. His most recent book is Apple: Skin to the Core, a memoir in words and images. His YA novels include Give Me Some Truth (Whippoorwill Award) and If I Ever Get Out of Here (YALSA Best Fiction for YA, AILA Honor Award), for both of which he also recorded audiobook performances. His others include Extra Indians (American Book Award) and Mending Skins (PEN Oakland Award). He’s had numerous visual art shows, and his work has been widely published.
CAROLE LINDSTROM is an Anishinaabe/Métis author, and an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe Indians. She writes books for children and
young adults. Her debut picture book, Girls Dance, Boys Fiddle, based on Métis culture, was published by Pemmican Publishers. “Drops of Gratitude” is included in the anthology Thank U: Poems of Gratitude (Lerner/Millbrook), edited by Miranda Paul and illustrated by Marlena Myles. We Are Water Protectors, inspired by Standing Rock as well as the fight of all Indigenous peoples for clean water, was illustrated by Michaela Goade and published by Roaring Brook Press. Carole lives with her family in Maryland.
NICOLE NEIDHARDT (cover illustration) is Diné (Navajo) of Kiiyaa’áanii clan on her mother’s side and a blend of European ancestry on her father’s side, and is from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has a bachelor of fine arts from the University of Victoria and is currently working on her master of fine arts at OCAD University in Toronto, Ontario. Nicole’s Diné identity is the heart of her practice, which encompasses Mylar stenciling, installation, digital art, painting, illustration, and large-scale murals.
DAWN QUIGLEY, PhD, is a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe and an assistant professor of education. She taught English and reading for eighteen years in K–12 schools along with being an Indian Education program codirector. In addition to her coming-of-age novel, Apple in the Middle (NDSU Press), and nonfiction picture book, Native American Heroes (Scholastic Press), she has a Native American chapter book series with Heartdrum/HarperCollins about lovable and quirky Ojibwe first grader Jo Jo Makoons. Quigley also has published more than twenty-eight articles, essays, and poems. She lives in Minnesota with her family.
REBECCA ROANHORSE is a speculative fiction writer of Black and Indigenous (Ohkay Owingeh) descent. She is a New York Times best-selling author and has won multiple awards, including the Nebula, Hugo, and Locus Awards. Her middle grade work includes Race to the Sun and a short story in the Star Wars: Clone Wars anthology. Her adult novels include Trail of Lightning, Storm of Locusts, Star Wars: Resistance Reborn, and Black Sun. She lives with her husband and daughter in northern New Mexico.
DAVID A. ROBERTSON is the author of numerous books for young readers, including When We Were Alone, which won the Governor General’s Literary Award and was nominated for the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Strangers, the first book in his Reckoner trilogy, a young adult supernatural mystery series, won the Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction (Manitoba Book Awards). A sought-after speaker and educator, Dave is a member of the Norway House Cree Nation and currently lives in Winnipeg.