When looking down from the top of the hill, horses and spectators look like dots, the water invites a quick swim on a hot day, and the sky is as blue as azure. In the staging area horses dance, their eyes and ears alert. Their hard muscles ripple in anticipation. Some rider-horse teams are quiet…
Me: Hey, all! I’m here with my first interview with my female hero, Miss Hannah Gardner, of my historical young adult novel, Hannah’s Journey. Welcome, Hannah! How are you? Hannah: Hello, Carmen. I am quite well. *She smiles and crosses her ankles.* Thank you for asking. Me: How’s training coming along? Hannah: Between my Auntie…
Native Americans originally traveled by shanks ponies–or on foot. Natives obtained their first horses from Spanish explorers in 1540. Some of those original horses escaped and turned wild and are now coined Mustangs. The first horse used by Natives, now having its own registry, is the American Indian Horse. Its ancestry consists of Spanish Barb,…
Welcome to Maria Inés, an aboriginal woman who struggles to survive while she reclaims her family, her faith, and her ancestral identity by Anne Schroeder. Today I have the pleasure of introducing award-winning author and Women Writing the West member Anne Schroeder and her novel Maria Inés. I find the Salinan people from the…
Legends are American Indians greatest teaching tool of life skills elders have for the younger generations. Most include Coyote, a trickster, and his lessons of foolishness. These stories train youth and give them wisdom into the world of right and wrong and common sense. This is an excerpt from Delbert’s Weir: the legend of how…
As part of our 2015 Women Writing the West Conference in Redmond, Oregon, conference co-chairs Jane Kirkpatrick and Shanna Hatfield offered members the opportunity to tour the High Desert Museum, which is located near Bend. The museum opened in 1982. It was founded by Donald M. Kerr, a native of Portland, and brings regional wildlife, culture, art and natural…
The Pow-Wow grounds nestle at the base of Moon Mountain and their reflection mirrors Round Lake in my home town of Inchelium, WA on the Colville Confederated Reservation. On a damp but warm Sunday, May 24th, 2015, two young ladies will trade their crowns for a renewed confidence, wisdom and skill. The girls have represented…
Part Four: Editing––Demon Hunter Writing is the easy part. Our minds are in the creative mode. Our fingers peck at the keyboard with unfailing speed. Smiles bloom on our faces, eyes dancing as creativity pours out. Our characters are dancing, fighting, loving, caring, and sometimes even in a fit of rage. They are talking, whispering,…
A Nature Walk With Jack Nisbet. Welcome back! This is the final segment of the Fur Trade Festival in Kettle Falls, WA at the Kettle Falls Historical Center. Naturalist and author Jack Nisbet led the students on the last session the kids experienced at the Fur Trade Festival. We met Mr. Nisbet last year at…
Welcome back! Today we are exploring various kinds of traps men used to trap animals for their furs to trade at the Hudson Bay Companyin the Kettle Falls Area. For those of you who are just joining in, here is the scoop on the Fur Trade Festival: Every year the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area’s…
Roni McFadden and I met through Women Writing the West (WWW) instantly forging a friendship. We were able to meet for the first time in Kansas City, MO for the WWW 2013 Conference. Both lovers of horses and a heart for Native Americans, we agreed that it is a shame that I live in Washington…
There is a young teenager that occasionally lurks around my afterschool program, Rez Stop, on the Colville Confederated Reservation. The sounds of Powwow drumming floats through the air from her phone before her smiling face ever appears. Not long ago she asked me to help her make a video of her dancing. Excitement bounced through…
I have gathered a few tips to make book signings enjoyable and productive. I hope they help you in some way whether you are signing your treasured books at a book store, coffee house or local fair. 1. Make your display eye catching. Whether outside at a fair or indoor bazaar, your table needs to…
Harmony dominated the Sinixt or Arrow Lakes People of northeast Washington State until 1930. Talk of a great dam being erected at Grand Coulee, Washington struck fear and tension reservation wide. Traditional fishing could be lost forever. Would be lost forever. Backwater would force towns, graveyards and other historical sites to relocate. Backwater would soon…
Storytelling was not only for entertainment, but was a way to teach the youth of the Sinixt or Arrow Lakes People of northeast Washington. This was a way of trudging through the long winter months. This is the traditional story as it was told by Spupaleena to Elizabeth in my first young adult book: Change…
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