Interview · South Dakota · Irene Eagle Thunder-Skunk · OSEU 4
Themes: Language & revitalization, Kinship & family, Education & learning, Boarding schools & assimilation, Healing & resilience, Values & generosity, Listening & observation, Children & young people, Intergenerational learning
Learn About questions
Irene didn’t go to boarding school. How is that different rom the experiences of many others around her age?
Irene took care of her parents and grandparents in her home until the end of their lives. How does that differ from lives of the elderly now?
Irene’s grandmother split wood well into her 90’s and also like to sleep outside in a tent. How is that different from life today?
In what ways does growing up together as siblings, parents, grandparents and great-grandparents help people?
Learn From questions
What is your experience of family?
Does your family include people outside of your parents and siblings living with you? What do you consider your “immediate family?”
What is your relationship like with you parents?
What is your relationship like with your grandparents?
Did you know your great-grandparents? Is so, what do you remember about them?
Have you ever taken people in to live with you who weren’t your blood relatives? If so, what was that experience like?
Transcripts
Caring for Parents & Grandparents with Irene Eagle Thunder-Skunk - OSEU 4
Watch this interview on YouTubeA lot of people, a lot of kids got sent to boarding school, but none of us went because our dad had bad heart trouble. And then our mom wasn't well either, so we just stayed with her. I'm just glad though. I'm just thankful that I stayed with my sister and I, and lived with them until they all passed on. Because my older sister got married and moved to White River. My sister, Katherine, and I stayed at the old, we just stayed there until our dad passed away. A lot of kids went to boarding school.
I don't know about boarding school, people talk about boarding school, but I'm... You probably wouldn't know your language if you went to boarding school because they wouldn't allow us to... I know they used to always say that, but I don't know anything about that because I didn't go to boarding school. I'm just thankful that we had a hard time, there was no, we didn't have no car or anything like that, but we took care of our parents. Grandpa died first and then grandma, and then our dad, and then we had our mom, but she passed away.
But I'm glad they didn't have to go home. We just stayed right there and we took care of them. Now when somebody wants to go to a nursing home, but grandma was 90-some years old and I'm 87 and I said, I can't even lift up the ax. And my grandma was
90-some years old. We didn't want her to, but she does anyway. She goes outside and she splits those woods. I think the real Indian people are stronger than others. And then she always wants to put up her tent and sleep outside in the tent.
I have a picture, I still have my picture, she's standing by the tent. She always had a dog, her dog was laying outside the tent, a big old shepherd dog. A lot of people got sent off to boarding school, some didn't live with their parents, some got adopted off. I said, I'm glad there's only four of us kids, but we all grew up together. Myself, I have nine kids, but I lost three now. I raised all my kids. I got married and then I have kids, I have a lot of grandkids, grandkids and great-grandkids.
And I still have some babies and there's another one still going to have a baby. But I raised all my kids, plus I took three kids in because their mom had to go to treatment so I kept those kids. Three years I had them, Caroline, Stricker's kids, Dana, Georgia, and Phillip. And then, plus I raised two of my daughter's kids, she put them in a foster home, but like now I feel bad because my granddaughter wants to get her kids back, but she didn't know how to go about it. We didn't even have to ask anybody.
My daughter and I just got in the car and went to that place. That man, they didn't want to give them up, we just took them and brought them back. My granddaughter's gone now, my grandson's in jail, but at least I took them and raised them so I said they know who their auntie and her are, but I didn't give up on my kids. I had a hard time, but I raised all my kids.
Resource text
Learn ABOUT Learn FROM
(deep listening, information) (deep sharing, transformation)
1. Irene didn’t go to boarding school. How 1. What is your experience of family?
is that different from the experiences of 2. Does your family include people outside
many others around her age? of your parents and siblings living with
2. Irene took care of her parents and you? Who do you consider your
grandparents in her home until the end “immediate family?”
of their lives. How does that differfrom 3. Whatis your relationship like with your
lives of the elderly now? parents?
3. lrene’s grandmother split wood wellinto 4. What is your relationship like with your
her 90’s and also liked to sleep outside grandparents?
inatent. Howis that different from life 5. Did you know your great-grandparents?
today? If so, what do you remember about
4. In what ways does growing up together them?
as siblings, parents, grandparents and 6. Have you ever taken people in to live
great-grandparents help people? with you who weren’t your blood
relatives? If so, what was that
experience like?
ie OSEU 4: INTERVIEW WITH IRENE EAGLE THUNDER-SKUNK
“Sy, WolLakota Project
From the current WoLakota source page:
Caring for Parents & Grandparents
Irene Eagle Thunder-Skunk
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
Caring for Parents & Grandparents
Caring for Parents & Grandparents with Irene Eagle
Thunder-Skunk - OSEU 4
A lot of people, a lot of kids got sent to boarding school, but none of us went because
our dad had bad heart trouble. And then our mom wasn't well either, so we just stayed
with her. I'm just glad though. I'm just thankful that I stayed with my sister and I, and
lived with them until they all passed on. Because my older sister got married and moved
to White River. My sister, Katherine, and I stayed at the old, we just stayed there until
our dad passed away. A lot of kids went to boarding school.
I don't know about boarding school, people talk about boarding school, but I'm... You
probably wouldn't know your language if you went to boarding school because they
wouldn't allow us to... I know they used to always say that, but I don't know anything
about that because I didn't go to boarding school. I'm just thankful that we had a hard
time, there was no, we didn't have no car or anything like that, but we took care of our
parents. Grandpa died first and then grandma, and then our dad, and then we had our
mom, but she passed away.
But I'm glad they didn't have to go home. We just stayed right there and we took care of
them. Now when somebody wants to go to a nursing home, but grandma was 90-some
years old and I'm 87 and I said, I can't even lift up the ax. And my grandma was
90-some years old. We didn't want her to, but she does anyway. She goes outside and
she splits those woods. I think the real Indian people are stronger than others. And then
she always wants to put up her tent and sleep outside in the tent.
I have a picture, I still have my picture, she's standing by the tent. She always had a
dog, her dog was laying outside the tent, a big old shepherd dog. A lot of people got
sent off to boarding school, some didn't live with their parents, some got adopted off. I
said, I'm glad there's only four of us kids, but we all grew up together. Myself, I have
nine kids, but I lost three now. I raised all my kids. I got married and then I have kids, I
have a lot of grandkids, grandkids and great-grandkids.
And I still have some babies and there's another one still going to have a baby. But I
raised all my kids, plus I took three kids in because their mom had to go to treatment so
I kept those kids. Three years I had them, Caroline, Stricker's kids, Dana, Georgia, and
Phillip. And then, plus I raised two of my daughter's kids, she put them in a foster home,
but like now I feel bad because my granddaughter wants to get her kids back, but she
didn't know how to go about it. We didn't even have to ask anybody.
My daughter and I just got in the car and went to that place. That man, they didn't want
to give them up, we just took them and brought them back. My granddaughter's gone
now, my grandson's in jail, but at least I took them and raised them so I said they know
who their auntie and her are, but I didn't give up on my kids. I had a hard time, but I
raised all my kids.