Interview · South Dakota · Vernon Ashley · OSEU 6
Themes: Land & stewardship, Kinship & family, Storytelling & oral tradition, Education & learning, Values & generosity, Listening & observation, Children & young people, Intergenerational learning
Learn About questions
1. What was school like in the 1920s?
2. What was the Palmer Method in handwriting?
3. Why were there only schools through 8th grade on the reservations?
4. Where is Flandreau Indian School?
5. What was transportation like in the 1920’s and 1930’s?
6. What were the 1930’s like? (The Dirty 30’s)
7. What is a drought? Why did it cause people to have to sell off their livestock?
8. What is the WPA? CCC? And how did President Roosevelt use them to help the nation in the 30’s and 40’s?
9. What are examples of these work program projects in SD?
Learn From questions
1. What do I know about my grandparents’ time in school? How was it different and how was it the same as what I experience in school today?
2. How have things like communication, travel, and technology changed since my grandparents were little?
3. Have I ever experienced a time without current technology as part of my life? (ex: cell phones, computers, etc.)
4. What is an example of a hard time I or my family has been through? What did I or we do to make it through the difficulties?
Transcripts
Life in the 1930s - Vernon Ashley - OSEU #6
Watch this interview on YouTubeSchooling on a reservation, at that time they had these little red school houses that you hear a story about. And that's what we had, all grades in one building. And of course the student's body wasn't big, so one teacher did teach all grades, from first to whatever.
And I remember one of my teachers was my favorite, Kate Peterson. She was of Gann Valley. was, I'm going home, I'm going to take care of my parents, and that same thing. But if anybody would say, in 30 years you're going to be working for governors, I would say, that is a dream, you know.
But that's exactly what happened. But after high school, of course, it was... Jobs were scarce then. And so we... Now, see, that was in the 30s. Now, you folks don't know what drought is. That dirty 30s was the most devastating period in the history of the United States. And when you shade your eyes and looked up into the sun, you could see grasshoppers surging in the air. And Mormon crickets, there was a great big red grasshopper. It didn't fly, they'd jump. So there was... It was a tough time, really, for the people.
And so the government bought up the farmers' cattle, because everybody was in the same boat, whether it was white or Indian. And so they bought up these cattle. What they did was they were going to issue them to the Indian families so they could keep them and raise some cattle in the future. And on the left shoulder of the cows, there was E-R-A on there. And so the government watched on them and said, we heard those cattle on foot. And when they came to one family here, they butchered one. And the Indian agent said, you can't do this.
And the guy said, there's an E-R-A on the shoulder. Let's eat him right away. So he left. And then my life changed because I finished the high school job. But then Franklin Roosevelt initiated these alphabetical work programs. And like the WPA, Work Projects Administration, and Civil and Conservation Corps. I got this completely filmed for the State Historical Society, because what I did is, when I came back, I worked on these alphabetical programs. These were make-work projects.
But they were good for the reservation, because the first project was to build dams to, in the future, to hold water and probably good for the rancher. But I tell my kids, I must have been tough. Because we had good horses, good work teams. And the team, the general team, is the Grays. That's where we get the Hashoka Heekhota. And the names was Ben and Snip. But they were gentle, real gentle horses.
Resource text
OSEU 6: INTERVIEW WITH VERNON ASHLEY
WoLakota Project
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Source materials
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Additional source transcripts
Life in the 1930s
Life in the 1930s - Vernon Ashley - OSEU #6
Schooling on a reservation, at that time they had these little red school houses that you hear a story about. And that's what we had, all grades in one building. And of course the student's body wasn't big, so one teacher did teach all grades, from first to whatever. And I remember one of my teachers was my favorite, Kate Peterson. She was of Gann Valley. was, I'm going home, I'm going to take care of my parents, and that same thing. But if anybody would say, in 30 years you're going to be working for governors, I would say, that is a dream, you know.
But that's exactly what happened. But after high school, of course, it was... Jobs were scarce then. And so we... Now, see, that was in the 30s. Now, you folks don't know what drought is. That dirty 30s was the most devastating period in the history of the United States. And when you shade your eyes and looked up into the sun, you could see grasshoppers surging in the air. And Mormon crickets, there was a great big red grasshopper. It didn't fly, they'd jump. So there was... It was a tough time, really, for the people.
And so the government bought up the farmers' cattle, because everybody was in the same boat, whether it was white or Indian. And so they bought up these cattle. What they did was they were going to issue them to the Indian families so they could keep them and raise some cattle in the future. And on the left shoulder of the cows, there was E-R-A on there. And so the government watched on them and said, we heard those cattle on foot. And when they came to one family here, they butchered one. And the Indian agent said, you can't do this.
And the guy said, there's an E-R-A on the shoulder. Let's eat him right away. So he left. And then my life changed because I finished the high school job. But then Franklin Roosevelt initiated these alphabetical work programs. And like the WPA, Work Projects Administration, and Civil and Conservation Corps. I got this completely filmed for the State Historical Society, because what I did is, when I came back, I worked on these alphabetical programs. These were make-work projects.
But they were good for the reservation, because the first project was to build dams to, in the future, to hold water and probably good for the rancher. But I tell my kids, I must have been tough. Because we had good horses, good work teams. And the team, the general team, is the Grays. That's where we get the Hashoka Heekhota. And the names was Ben and Snip. But they were gentle, real gentle horses.