12.07.2015 Views

Cherokee Art Market - Native American Times

Cherokee Art Market - Native American Times

Cherokee Art Market - Native American Times

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

20 NATIVE OKLAHOMA • OCTOBER 2013NATIVE OKLAHOMA • OCTOBER 2013 21R RA Choctaw Story:Long Journey to Okla HommaBy STELLA LONGChoctawLong before Eskunolubee, a medicineman, went away to spirit land, he hadpredicted a time when his children wouldbe forced to leave their homeland.Years later, his prediction came true.Eskunolubee’s descendants left their landand traveled, weary and despondentthrough foreign land.Finally, they carefully crossed theblue waters of the Mountain Fork River.They stood in awe of the beauty of thisnew land. Each family hurriedly built afire to warm before the sun went to theother side.The long journey had ended butthey were sad for leaving their homesin Mississippi. Sorrow filled theirhearts for those who were left behindwithout a descent burial in unmarkedgraves somewhere along the trail. Butthe children of Eskunolubee didn’t lookback very long in this new land of OklaHomma “Red People.”The Choctaw people gathered inprayer for having survived the difficultjourney. They gathered for their worshipservice led by an elder of the group. Asthe sun was sinking fast behind themountains, they blended their voicesin harmony above the sounds of theroaring river.When darkness came, the owl peoplelooked down wondering, “Whoo, Whoo,are these people?” They scolded thepeople for bringing fire into the forest.Maestro Cricket lifted his baton andhis orchestra of insects accompaniedthe Choctaw people with their finemusic. Following many songs, the elderdismissed them in prayer, but not a singleperson moved. They sat quietly in theirown thoughts.Out of respect to the people, the maestrohushed his orchestra.A lone white wolf, a protector and healerto those who believe, sat atop a distantridge and howled long and mournfully.A mysterious fog emerged in thedarkness of the night from between thetall pines and came upon the people likea soothing salve. The healing had begun.Their sadness and apprehension slowlyleft their wounded spirits and replacedwith a peace that passed understanding.My father Dixon was a descendantof Eskunolubee and was born near theMountain Fork River near Eagletown.Stella (Fichek) writeschildren’s stories,getting her ideas fromthe animals and birds.I am the great, great, great granddaughterof Eskunolubee.I am of the Wolf Clan.This story is a blend of history and fiction,based on Stella’s ancestor Eskunolubee andthe time in which he lived.Stella’s (Fichek is her Choctaw name;Estella is the English name she likes best)mountain path was one of beauty as shewalked alone at the age of six, talking withher friends, the creatures of the wild inthe Choctaw language. The mountain washer playground. There were times whenshe’d forget to go home until the nightmusicians, the insects, began tuning theirinstruments.Her life made a sudden change when atthe age of ten years old, she was sent awayto an orphanage. She lived there for sevenyears until she became ill with pulmonarytuberculosis and was hospitalized for fiveyears. Stella tells of how she coped withhaving to watch her friends die fromthe disease or from the complicationsof surgery. There was a time when shewanted to die rather than to watch herfriends being carried out of the hospitalto the funeral home. She describes theemotions, fear, hope and thoughts of thepatients.Stella (Fichek) writes children’s stories,getting her ideas from the animals andbirds as she sits for hours in the solitaryquietness of the lakeside observinganimal behavior. She weaves a partof her life into these stories combinedwith Choctaw songs and sounds of theflute. Before she leaves the lakeside, thecreatures are honored with a specialmelody from the flute for their help withthe stories.When it is convenient, she likesinvolving the audience at the end ofher session with the Choctaw SnakeDance. She has performed at festivals,powwows, churches, schools, universities,various <strong>Native</strong> <strong>American</strong> functions andat the <strong>Native</strong> <strong>American</strong> Museum at theSmithsonian in Washington, D.C.She trained in the art of storytellingas a student in Oral Literature throughthe University of Oklahoma’s ContinuingEducation, Summers in Santa Fe.She was awarded ContemporaryStoryteller of the Year 2002 by WordcraftCircle of <strong>Native</strong> Writers & Storytellers.Wordcraft is a national organization thatpromotes the works of <strong>Native</strong> <strong>American</strong>authors.For more about Stella, visit her website,http://www.stellalong.com or you maycontact Stella via e-mail at longstella@sbcglobal.net.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!