Choteau Creek, a Sioux Reminiscence

by Joseph Iron Eye Dudley

A Review by Faith L. Bicknell

Wild Child Publishing.com © 2004

Joseph Iron Eye Dudley reflects upon his childhood in his novel, Choteau Creek, a Sioux Reminiscence. Raised by his grandparents on the Yankton Sioux Reservation during the mid 1900s, Joseph learned the values of life that remain with him to this day. Although the Bourissau's were incredibly poor, his grandmother's Dakota culture influenced every aspect of their lives, providing riches beyond anything materialistic. The Bourissau family practiced values that everyone should apply to his or her life, for we are all relative.

Although his grandmother, Bessie, was Dakota Sioux, she had many ties to the Lakota culture. Episcopalian by faith, William and Bessie Bourissau exercised syncretism through blending their native traditions into an integral part of their religion. To William and Bessie, family incorporated everyone, regardless if he or she was related by blood or not; all people were relatives. The elderly were Joseph's grandparents; other adults were aunts and uncles and so on.

The Bourissau's believed that God and Wakan Tanka were one entity. Joseph's grandparents regarded animals and Grandmother Earth as extensions of God, exercising the utmost respect when dealing with nature. Bessie told Joseph stories of her younger days in an attempt to preserve the Dakota's traditional practices. She spoke of mystical experiences such as the yuwipi shaman of the Lakota, and the one time she witnessed the ghost dance and a large whirlwind that exited the Tipi of the Dead. She also relayed how deceased relatives often visit their loved ones.

Dakota social practices riddled the novel. Based on current studies and the novel reading, the Dakota ways seem very similar to the Lakota. One small example is that the Dakota refrain from eye contact when first meeting a person; it is a sign of respect to the Dakota People. Star quilts were used as burial shrouds, and ceramic bowls placed upon graves were later given to those who most resembled the deceased in some way.

Material that corroborates the cultural practices such as the yuwipi shaman can be found in Black Elk, Holy Man of the Oglala. Black Elk said that the yuwipi was similar to the white man's magicians, however, Bessie Bourissau and her Dakota and Lakota family truly believed in the powers of the yuwipi man. Another good reference discusses the Sioux's family unity regardless of blood ties.

The Modern Sioux, edited by Ethel Nurge, revealed that even during contemporary times the Sioux tribes still possess socially strong Indian traditions such as were described by Joseph Iron Eye Dudley in his nostalgic novel. Nurge speaks of Indians aiding one another in finding work outside the reservations, the meeting places to commune, and how if someone doesn't truly attempt to better themselves, then they aren't ready for help after all. Luther Standing Bear's recollection of his family in My People the Sioux gives a strong sense of familial ties similar in ways to Dudley's relationship with his grandparents. Standing Bear speaks of the special unity his family enjoyed. Joseph Dudley's fondest memories of his grandparents were simple quiet moments.

The novel by Joseph Iron Eye Dudley prompted many memories of when I grew up as an only child. Choteau Creek impressed me with the similarities between Joseph's little family and my relationship with my parents. The Bourissau's were a close and loving family; I am blessed with a great relationship with my parents as well. However, in today's society, a disheartening number of people grow up in unhappy households, enduring terrible childhoods. Are wonderful familial relationships such as the Bourissau's, and my own, truly rare nowadays? It's a sad dilemma which disturbs me. William and Bessie Bourissau resided in a tiny house just fifty yards from the reservation's eastern boundary. Joseph Dudley spoke of walking to church, strenuous farm work, and the hardships they endured that made them stronger and appreciative of their blessings. The Bourissau's believed that history and family are one and the same. These things I identified with, intensifying my sense of history (I am a direct Nutter Fort descendent), and stirring memories that I often tell my children so that they can one day pass them on to their offspring.

The author lived on a reservation several miles away from the nearest neighbor, in a small clapboard house desperately needing repairs. To stay warm during the winters, they used a wood burner and stuffed rags into the cracks around doors and windows, but by morning, the wash basins and water buckets wore mantles of ice. Their dinnerware consisted of mismatched plates, and often, food was stretched so that they wouldn't starve.

In comparison, I resided on a twenty-three-acre farm, surrounded on three sides by Wayne National Forest; our closest neighbor lived three miles away. We had only one vehicle, so when Dad worked out of town, Mom and I often walked the two miles to church. We lived in a time-worn house trailer, and during the cold months, we stuffed newspapers into windows, then nailed blankets up to keep out the wind's icy fingers. Often, it grew so cold that ice formed on the walls of the hallway. We never had a matching set of plates or glasses because my mother has an uncanny ability for breaking dishes. During the 1970s recession, grocery money was scarce. I recall eating a lot of squirrel, rabbit and grouse, and Mom always had a large stock of egg noodles and tomato juice. To this day, I can't stand the smell, nor can I eat, egg noodles cooked in tomato juice!

Joseph's granddad shares some of my father's qualities, prompting both tears and laughter from me as I read Dudley's novel. One such scene involved Joseph's sudden lonesomeness when his siblings went to the city to live with their father. He wandered around for a while, feeling lost, trying not to cry, and wondering why he felt so sorrowful when he no longer had to compete for his grandparentsâ undivided attention. His Granddad William, a man of few words, large rough hands and a big voice, looked up from his favorite chair when Joseph finally came inside. William asked him if he was all right, then held out his arms. Running to his grandfather, eight-year-old Joseph sat upon his lap and sobbed while wrapped in William's embrace.

I did the same thing so many times when I was a child! My father is a large man with big callused hands and possesses an enormous voice. Dad never says a lot, but as his only child, he knows when something troubles me. As I grew up, there were many times that he gathered me upon his lap, holding me while I cried. I'm thirty-five years old now, and Dad will still pull me into a bear hug, patting me on the back with those big paws of his, ready to do battle for me if I just say the word.

Bessie Bourissau's story telling reminded me of my mother. The contents of a large trunk would sometimes aid Bessie in her reminisces. She kept various articles in it passed down from family and friends, and items that she retained from her youth. She would sometimes open the trunk and show Joseph the treasures inside, making her historic tales more realistic.

My mother has told me so many family stories that I struggle to keep track of the people, dates, and experiences. Since I tell my own children about my childhood and things that Mom has relayed to me, it reinforces the role of women orally passing down history. Mom had a large, heavy cedar chest that protected my grandmother's favorite dress, her good shoes, various jewelry items and a plethora of photos. Mom's most prized memorabilia is an empty glass vial of sapphire blue that once held a now obsolete perfume called Evening in Paris; it was my grandmother's favorite scent and the aroma still lingers, stirring memories that only Mom can appreciate. Now, I own the cedar chest to pass down to one of my daughters.

Our history needs to be preserved in every possible manner. Regardless of where our roots are, no matter what religion we come from, I feel that we are all interconnected, thus, I can identify with the different aspects of "we are relative".

I recommend Choteau Creek, a Sioux Reminiscence for anyone who appreciates their family and for all who desire a glimpse of what God intended familial relationships to be.

Bibliography

Nurge, Ethel, The Modern Sioux, Social Systems and Reservation Culture. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1970.

Standing Bear, Luther. My People the Sioux. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1975.

Steltenkamp, Michael F. Black Elk, Holy Man of the Oglala. Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1993.