A Mother's Walk
A Tribute To My Mother - Mary LaVerne Shillingstad

10/23/31 - 02/24/02

The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is this the long way?" she asked. And the guide said: "Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning." But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them, and the young mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."

Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come." And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary. But at all times she said to the children, "A little patience and we are there."

So the children climbed, and when they reached the top they said, "Mother, we would not have done it without you." And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the stars and said, "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today I have given them strength."

And the next day came strange clouds, which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light." And the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the darkness. And that night the Mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. And mother said: "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them."

And the children said, " You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates." And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said: "We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence."

Your Mother is always with you. She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street, she's the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks, she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well. Your Mother lives inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every teardrop. She's the place you came from, your first home; And she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space ... not even death!
                                                                      ~ Original Poem by Pearl Temple Bailey ~

Who were the Powhatan?

When the first 104 English colonists landed on Jamestown Island on May 14th, 1607, they imagined themselves the first civilized men in a wild and savage environment. In truth, the region of present-day Virginia in which the settlers arrived had long been home to some thirty Native American tribes, organized into what is known as the Powhatan Confederacy. The English traded with, learned from and waged war with the Powhatan. With the legendary Pocahontas as ambassador, these people played perhaps the most pivotal role in the fate of the first English settlement in America. Who were the Powhatan?

John Smith was a soldier who joined the Virginia Colony. He stayed in Virginia from April 1607 until October 1609, when he left the colony with a bad injury. While in Virginia he traded with the Powhatans and met Chief Powhatan and Pocahontas. He explored and mapped out many of the rivers and the Bay. Smith eventually became president of the colony. The books about his adventures are a source of information about Virginia's history.
The name "Powhatan" refers to the Algonquian-speaking tribes of the Virginia tidewater or coastal plain. By 1607 many of the villages in this area were brought under one rule by the powerful "werowance" or chief, Wahunsunacock, to form the Powhatan empire. This paramount chief came from the town of Powhatan, near the falls of the James River and he used his hometown name to refer to himself and his chiefdom. At the time of English contact the native Tidewater population numbered around 14,000. There were hundreds of settled towns and satellite villages built near the Chesapeake Bay or in the inlets and rivers which flow into it. These towns and villages were placed along points or other sites that allowed a commanding view of the water and the people, especially enemies, traveling on it. Waterways were the central avenues of transportation and a major source of food. Because of the abundant source of fish, oysters, clams and waterfowl, the Powhatans did not have to move around as much as tribes further inland. Over the centuries they settled into agricultural communities, growing corn and other vegetables to supplement the fishing, hunting and foraging of plants for food and medicines.

After a decade of intermittent warfare the English colony had grown to about 8,000 while the Powhatan population had fallen to 5,000. In addition to the killing there were devastating diseases and displacement of tribes as the English pushed further inland seeking more land for the cash crop tobacco. Opechancanough launched another fierce raid in April 1644. His warriors killed hundreds of settlers, but the English were so numerous by then they were able to retaliate quickly. After two years of brutal raids, the Powhatans were unable to hold the English off and Opechancanough was captured and taken to Jamestown. A proud old man of eighty, he refused to admit defeat and sign a treaty. While still a prisoner, he was shot in the back by an English guard. With his death the Powhatan chiefdom came to an end.

From that time on, the Powhatans and other coastal tribes steadily lost control of their lands and traditional ways of life. The colonial government allowed many tribes to keep certain areas of land, but none of these "reservations" were large enough to sustain the traditional ways of hunting and gathering. Because of this, Indians were unable to sustain their independence by farming only and many were forced to work for the English as servants, guides or even as slaves. Settlers continued to encroach on Indian lands, thus shrinking reservations until the Indians were forced off the land altogether. Many tribes disintegrated or merged with other tribes. Some Indians chose to assimilate into white society and others joined free black communities. By the end of the 18th century only two tribes, the Pamunkey and the Accomac, still had land and were officially recognized as Indians. In 1787 Thomas Jefferson observed in his book Notes on the State of Virginia that "the Pamunkies are reduced to about 10 or 12 men ... The older ones among them preserve their language in a small degree, which are the last vestiges on earth, as far as we know, of the Powhatan language."

The Powhatan language may have disappeared but the descendants of these proud people did not. Even though they seemed invisible to most Virginians, Powhatan tribes have kept their identity and ties with each other. The Pamunkeys succeeded in maintaining some of their ancestral lands, though it was divided in two parts in the 18th century. Those living along the Mattaponi River formed a separate tribe called the Mattaponis and they were later recognized by the state as such. In 1901 a tribe called the Chickahominy formed from Indians living off reservations and in 1925 a splinter group, the Eastern Chickahominy, was organized. Three other tribes - the Nansemond, the Rappahonnock and the Upper Mattaponi - came into being, but none of these non-landed tribes were officially recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia until the 1980's. Inspired by the success of the Powhatan tribes, an ancient enemy, the Monacans of the Piedmont and the Blue Ridge, gained official status as a tribe in 1989. Most of its 700 members live in Amherst County and the Lynchburg area.

United Native America was formed in 1993 as a nation wide grass roots movement to bring about a federal national holiday for Native Americans.

The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma fully supports this issue with resolution 91-93. United Native America resolution 1-1 calls on the federal government to stop using our tax dollars to pay for Columbus Day. Columbus does not rate a federal tax paid holiday in this country.

We are standing up against the racial exclusion of Native Americans in our society to include these industries, national television stations, movie industries, national sports industries, national news media and music industries. Bringing about these changes have to take place before America can say it represents all its people equally.

The American Indians helped give birth to this country and helped form the government we have today, this is the true beginning history of America. This contribution and many more are noted in the American Indian heritage month of November resolution passed each year by the United States Senate and signed by the president, please join us in the struggle in the spirit of Crazy Horse, Tecumseh and countless others to live in peace on our land.

To:  All people of the world

Congress of the United States
Senate of the United States
President of the United States


We the undersigned come together before you to request that each of these governing bodies take all necessary action to bring about a Federal Holiday for Native American Elected Leaders, To include Congressional hearings on the racial exclusion of Native Americans in movies,television,sports advertising,music companies,etc.

With the special government to government relationship between the Indian Government of America and the Federal Government it is fitting for the Federal Government to enact this holiday, and conduct Congressional hearings.

Indian governments and the people they represent our requesting that the federal government bring about a National Holiday for Native Americans to be celebrated by all citizens of America and people around the world.

This holiday would pay tribute to Indian tribal leaders to include Alaskan Nation leaders, Hawaiian Nation leaders and Taino Nation leaders of Puerto Rico (All US territory tribal Nation leaders indigenous to that land). This holiday also should pay tribute to those that endured the worlds longest holocaust and most costly in human lives.

It is further stated that no Indian Government nor its people find reason to celebrate and pay for Columbus Day. Seventeen states do not recognize Columbus Day. The state of South Dakota has changed Columbus day to Native American Day.

Therefore be it resolved that the Federal Government should reevaluate Columbus Day by moving it back to its original day the second Wednesday of October and not be a tax paid holiday as is St. Patrick's Day and Octoberfest, and make the second Monday of October a Federal holiday for Native Americans.

The polls we conducted across the country show that the vast majority of Americans prefer changing Columbus Day as to creating a whole new holiday.

It is inappropriate for Indian children and children of America to celebrate Columbus discovering a nation of people and not having a holiday paying tribute to the people of those nations.

Sincerely,
The Undersigned

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