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WoLakota Project & Teachings of Our Elders

Dust Whirlwind with Demus McDonald

Explore Dust Whirlwind with Demus McDonald with available transcripts, learning questions and source alignments in the South Dakota and North Dakota Elder archive.

Interview · North Dakota · Demus McDonald · NDNAEU 2

Themes: Education & learning, Economy & livelihoods, Children & young people

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Learn About questions

Why was Demus named Maka Nahomni? Why did his grandma name him instead of his mom? Why did Demus and his wife take in foster children over the years?

Learn From questions

How did I get my name? Who named me? How has my name shaped the person I have become? Are there difficult things from my life that I have turned into positives?  What are they?

Transcripts

Dust Whirlwind with Demus Mcdonald NDNAEU 2

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So you go to a little orphan take his hand and say you what he get you says you come on to my house she told me to say that so that’s what I was before my wife then we’re into foster parents because of my teachings from Grandma because that’s what our she said nobody wants the ones nobody wants so that kind of reminded me of be my mom said here can I have this little boy my grandma told me that so she gave me that Indian name Mikado only means a little duster what she said when after my mom brought me one morning she said there was dust where one was coming I came to the door her log house and just quick right there she said when you see dust whirlwinds in summer those are spirits well know little money be to their spirits around going around those world those are spirits and wintertime you see snow whirlwind that spirits too so she said when I was a little baby the spirit came to me and just stayed there servus how she gave me that name Makana homely and dust whirlwind

Resource text

NDNAEU Alignment:

Affiliation sources

NDNAEU document credits: Demus McDonald — Spirit Lake (Dakota).

Source materials

Supplied transcript documents. Text and transcription uncertainties are preserved as supplied.