Interview · South Dakota · April Fallis · OSEU 4
Themes: Kinship & family, Education & learning, Values & generosity, Listening & observation, Children & young people, Intergenerational learning
Learn About questions
What are some things that are important about being a grandmother?
Can an elder be a grandmother without being related?
Why are grandma figures at school so important?
Learn From questions
Are there people that feel more like family that just friends? Who are some of those people in your life?
What was your relationship like with your grandmother?
Transcripts
Becoming Grandmother - April Fallis - OSEU #4
Watch this interview on YouTubeThey say, You're not an old elder, you're a young elder. Okay, I'll take that. But love being a grandma, and love it when they, like so, even just yesterday, I had the last of the Lakota Circles of Hope class, we did that with the kids. And this little boy comes and he says, So, you can really be my grandma? I said, Sure, I can. I said, Even though I'm not related to you, they say, long time with the ancestors, the grandmas and grandpas say that anybody older than you is your elder, so I can be your grandma.
Oh, cool, he said, and gave me a hug, and then he went. But even that, you know, the hugging that I get, the hugs from the kids, and them being able to know that there's a grandma here, that we have a grandma here. And even some of the older kids now, you know, well, I'll see them, and there's grandma. Sometimes they'll call me grandma fast, because that was a program I did when we first started. But even now, they'll call me grandma, and invite me to their graduation, or things like it.
The ones that have left, I'll see them, and they'll be hollering at me someplace along the road. But I always, I'm so thankful, because being able to do that curriculum with the kids, it's like, I'm learning from them, and they're learning from me, so each other, a team, I'm always using the word teamwork, because that's what it takes to build a team, and you have to be strong, and be able to help them through whatever they're going through, and just let them know that you're there for them all the time.
Resource text
Learn ABOUT Learn FROM
(deep listening, information) (deep sharing, transformation)
1. What are some things that are 1. Are there people that feel more like
important about being a grandmother? family than just friends? Who are
2. Can an elder be a grandmother without some of those people in your life?
being related? 2. What was your relationship like with
3. Why are grandma figures at school so your grandmother?
important?
OSEU 4: INTERVIEW WITH APRIL FALLIS
WoLakota Project
From the current WoLakota source page:
Becoming Grandmother
April Fallis
Transcript
(deep listening, information)
(deep listening, information)
Some indexed text was extracted from scanned material. Check the original source for exact wording and spelling.
Source materials
Supplied transcript document. Text preserved as supplied; spellings and transcription uncertainties have not been corrected.
Additional source transcripts
Becoming Grandmother
Becoming Grandmother - AprilFallis - OSEU #4
They say, You're not an old elder, you're a young elder. Okay, I'll take that. But love
being a grandma, and love it when they, like so, even just yesterday, I had the last of the
Lakota Circles of Hope class, we did that with the kids. And this little boy comes and he
says, So, you can really be my grandma? I said, Sure, I can. I said, Even though I'm not
related to you, they say, long time with the ancestors, the grandmas and grandpas say
that anybody older than you is your elder, so I can be your grandma.
Oh, cool, he said, and gave me a hug, and then he went. But even that, you know, the
hugging that I get, the hugs from the kids, and them being able to know that there's a
grandma here, that we have a grandma here. And even some of the older kids now, you
know, well, I'll see them, and there's grandma. Sometimes they'll call me grandma fast,
because that was a program I did when we first started. But even now, they'll call me
grandma, and invite me to their graduation, or things like it.
The ones that have left, I'll see them, and they'll be hollering at me someplace along the
road. But I always, I'm so thankful, because being able to do that curriculum with the
kids, it's like, I'm learning from them, and they're learning from me, so each other, a
team, I'm always using the word teamwork, because that's what it takes to build a team,
and you have to be strong, and be able to help them through whatever they're going
through, and just let them know that you're there for them all the time.