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Libby
Libby
When we first arrived in Menominee, and the bus stopped to let Mr. Grignon on, I was pleasantly surprised by the way he told us the story of his people. Mr. Grignon was patient and kind. Anyway, their history had resided always in Wisconsin; from the time his people were created by the bear and mighty thunderbird to the present. This was new information to me, because before I was under the impression that the Menominee were from New York. Apparently, I was wrong. Mr. Grignon also told us that other tribes forced westward by white settlers had shared land with the Menominee, when I thought the Menominee were relocated to other tribal lands. Another new thing that Mr. Grignon shared with us was the legend of the serpent and thunderbird and their fight at the Wolf River Dells. When we visited the Wolf River Dells, I was surprised to learn that the tracks from the thunderbird’s talons are still etched into the rock today. Another interesting thing about the legend was how symbolic it was, the serpent representing evil and the thunderbird, good. All the while, when Mr. Grignon was talking, I couldn’t help thinking of how many times the legends must have been told over the years and all the different evils that the serpent could represent; assimilation, land cessions, unbeneficial treaties, stolen tribal status, maybe even poverty. It was interesting to think about. One thing I noticed through the legend though, was how the thunderbird, (the Menominee people) was able to triumph over all evil. I believe hat the legend is a reflection of real life occurrences, as the Menominee are now supporting themselves stably.
When Mr. Grignon proudly told us about the Menominee hospital, court system, college, and school system, I couldn’t help feeling proud, myself. These people were able to play the “white man’s” game and bring great benefits to the tribe as a whole. Improved healthcare, law and order, and great teachers really helped to get them back on their feet, not to mention the amount of good that their largest industries have brought them, logging and gaming.
My first class, the customs class, I found to be extremely interesting. When the teacher explained to us the male and female “coming of age” customs, I was literally shocked. I couldn’t imagine having to undergo those experiences as a testimony of my adulthood. Another thing I learned in the customs class was this; kids are the same everywhere. This was understood when I observed the kids in that class. You have the “trouble-makers”, you have the “smart kids”, and you have the dreaded “popular kids”, same as we do at our school. It was strange to be traveling to a place where you had warned us we would be feeling uncomfortable and self-conscious half the time, and end up hanging out with kids with similar interests and senses of humor as we do. I even heard that some, select few students in our class received phone numbers from girls they had known after a mere five minutes. Yes, kids are the same everywhere.