Along the Robeson Trail
By Dr. Stan Knick, Director-UNCP Native American Resource Center
After last week's sighting of the
Trickster in Pembroke, several people
have wondered who exactly this
Trickster was. Such questions have
prompted me to lake another look at an
old segment (from nearly a decade
ago) about the Trickster.
One of the most delightful parts
of traditional Native American culture
which endures today is the importance
of humor. Although many non-Indian
people see Native Americans as
stereotyped, stoical personalities who
never smile, this is clearly a
"misunderstanding. Almost every
gathering of Native Americans, unless
there is a specific reason for being
serious, is frequently punctuated by .
laughter. This is particularly true at
powwows, cultural events and
reunions, but even in chance meetings
of friends humor plays a vital role in
whatever happens.
I believe that the importance of
humor in Native American culture
today corresponds to one specific
element of the old way, the traditional
way.oflndianculture. Ofcoursethere
may well be other reasons, such as
"making-the-best-of-a-bad-siluation"
by using humor to relieve the tensions
of an oppressive history (since
European contact); or just the fact of
humor for its own sake, just for the fun
of it. But I think one of the main roots
of Native American humor today is a
character who appears again and again
in many Indian myths and legends ?
the Trickster.
The Trickster is a character who
figures very prominently in many
traditional Native American cultures.
In some myths and legends he is
Rabbit, in others he is Raven, in others
he is Blue Jay, while in others he is
Coyote. B ut wherever he appears, from
the Northwest Coast to the Southeast,
from the forests of Canada to the Great
Plains anil ihe Southwest. from the
streets of Los Angeles to the streets
of Pembroke, the Trickster brings
humor to Native American culture.
He is what some might today call "a
mess."
Sometimes the Trickster causes
others to appear funny. He makes
people and animals do things they
would not ordinarily do, by tricking
them, with the result being that they
end up looking ridiculous.
A good example of this is the
Huron legend of how the trickster
fooled a "bad-medicine-woman." She
was envious of Trickster's long
beautiful hair, and asked how he
got his hair to be so long and look so
Tine. He told her that all she had to
do was to find a bent-over tree, climb
up in the tree, tie her hair to the tree,
and jump down. Of course when she
tried this, her hair stayed up in the tree,
and Trickster got a good laugh out of
it.
But just as often it is Trickster
himself who gets fooled. Here is one
version of a Ute legend which shows
how Trickster (in this version he is a
Coyote) can gel tricked himself:
One day Coyote was walking
along feeling hungry. He saw Spider
in a tree, and decided to eat him for
supper. Spider said: "What do you
think you're doing?" Coyote replied
that he intended to eat Spider.
But Spider was quick, and told
Coyote that he had overheard some
people talking about Coyote, plotting
to kill him. Spider promised that if
Coyote would let him go for a while,
he would sneak over to those people
and find out what their plan was, and
then come back and tell Coyote all
about it. Coyote agreed to let Spider
go for a while, but of course Spider
didn't return.
So, Coyote walked farther and
soon found another Spider, which he
resolved to eat. Spider said: "Wait a
minute, and I'll tell you something
very important and good. Why do you
think I am sitting in this tree?" But
Coyote didn't know. "I hold onto this
tree, and every once in a while I close
my eyes, and I can see everything in
the world. You see. this tree is the
Great Chief of all the world, and that's
why Spiders always like trees." This
amazed Coyote. Spider went on:
"Don't you want to try it? You could
see everything!"
Coyote agreed that he did, indeed,
want to be able to see everything in the
world, so he did as Spider told him. He
grabbed the tree and held on, and closed
his eyes. While his eyes were closed.
Spider escaped. Coyote never saw
anything. The trick was on the
Trickster.
This and the hundreds of other
Trickster stories show us several things.
Of course they are humorous and
entertaining, but they also usually teach
us a lesson, often about how to behave
or how ma to behave. Some of the
Trickster stories also tell us of
particular tribal origins, or important
historical things about the tribe which
we need to know.
Thus Trickster is both a kind of
hero as well as something of a clown.
This rich and widespread tradition of
humor as a way to communicate, to
teach and to entertain continues to be
seen in Native American communities
today.
For more information about the
Trickster and his tribal and
international adventures, visit the
Native American Resource Center in
historic Old Main Building, on the
campus of The University of North
Carolina at Pembroke (our Internet
address is www.uncp.edu/
nativemuseum).
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www.nof.org
C National CStrv^nmni* Foundation 2?X5l
Pembroke First
Baptist Church
Birthday's
Sarah Bell 9-3
Lambert Brevvington 9-5
Morgan Chavis 9-7
Ms. Marquerite Holmes 9-7
ChisK. Kendall 9-13
Sarah Maynor 9-14
Allie Oxendine 9-14
Joey Oxendine 9-14
Tara Lowery 9-14
Jessica Huggins 9-16
George Anthony 9-20
Courtney Anthony 9-21
Larry Brooks 9-22
D. J. Lowery 9-25
Mark Scott 9-27
Nicholas Maynor 9-28
Please also remember our sick
and Elderly:
Ms. Tammer GrahamJust
turned 94 (8-18)
Ms. Stella Jacobs
Ms. Esther Lindsey
Ms. Marguerite Holmes Just
turned 96 (9-7)
Ms. Bonnie Maynor
Ms. Libby Beasley
Saddletree
Church of God to
present Gospel
Music Explosion
The Young at Heart of the Saddletree
Church of God are planning a
Gospel Music Explosion on Friday.
October 5. 2001 at 7:30 P.M.. The
featured singers will include the
Saddletree Church of God Mass Choir:
the Sycamore Singers; the Locklcar
Brothers and windy: the Tylers; and
Rev. and Mrs. Terry Oxendine.
The pastor, the Rev. Dr. Millard
Maynard and the congregation extend
a cordial invitation lo the public to
attend.
In Loving Memory of
Mr. Redmond B. Jacobs Jr.
Born April 28, 1921 Died November 24, 2000
Mr. Redmond B. Jacobs was the Husband of Eva R. Jacobs; father of
Ronnie D. Jacobs: grandfather of Justin M. and Amanda B. Jacobs and the
great-grandfather of Ava L. Jacobs.
Mr. Jacobs' wife recently gave the following Eulogy at the burial of the
urn holding his ashes. His ashes were buried in the grave of his mother, Mrs.
Ameret Strickland Jacobs at Harpers Ferry Baptist Church Cemetery.
"First of all I want to thank all of you who came to say good-bye to your
brother, uncle or friend who left this life last November. We had tabled about
this event in advance. He wanted to be cremated and his um buried in his
mother's grave. Still, he agreed with me that I keep the um for a while at our
house til I felt it was time to say my second good-bye. It is now nine months
later and I have decided to return to my Native land Austria to ease my
loneliness. There I have family and friends. They are mostly retired, having
the same kind of humor and the same aches and pains. They told me to come
home. So, with mixed emotions, 1 date to take this next step.
"As you have noticed, there is this new stone added to this grave. It gives
our dear R.B.'s date of birth and his date of death on it and then it adds a
strange dedication: 'Auf Wiedersehn." It means "Till we meet again." Now
why didn't I say this in the first place? Because I wanted for people who visit
this graveyard in the future to stop and wonder who was this man? How
come he has a German good bye on his stone? It may remind them that
beyond war there is love, forgiving and forgetting, reaching out across the
ocean as children of one God.
"In 1938 my homeland Austria was swallowed up by Germany, the second
World War broke out in 1939. The United States joined in December 1941.
By the end of '42 the tide started turning. My city, Salzburg, was a red Cross
declared city, a so-called 'Protected' city. Nevertheless, on October 16,1944
American bombing.came, destroyed our Cathedral, and water reservoir, together
with public houses. On November 17 they bombed again. This time
my aunt's house was destroyed. She was buried alive with her four children,
her mother in law, and neighbors. Her nine year old son and her mother in
law were killed, together with others. Four weeks later my aunt had another
baby. The American bombing came more an more frequently. Later on those
deep flying hunter plains came and made a sport out of shooting at women
and children who were running for the shelters... You may be wondering:
why is she telling us this on this occasion? She must have hated us! On Mav
5th,the Americans took over our city, vrithotif resistance and ott May 8tirthe
war was over. 1 remember I was laying in bed been a huge racket started
outside. I feared the artillery had come back to fight. I pulled my knees up to
my chin so if our house were hit, I would go in one piece. Next day I found
out that the Americans had celebrated with huge fireworks and that I had
missed a great show.
"Peace broke out and heaven rejoiced. We had the most beautiful spring
and summer. With not much to fear anymore former "enemies" became curious
about each other. Young, full of expectations about life, eventually
falling in love.
"1 never expected to find the man I would share 53 years of married life
during those days. He was Private First Class R/B. Jacobs Jr., Company B,
242 Infantry Regiment, Rainbow Division, which had ioined General Patton's
troops in the battles for the Rhineland and Bavaria til trie war ended. To me he
was"Jakie." I met him in July 1945. It was a tender courtship and when he left
Austria in November '45, he promised he would come back for e. Tow years
later he had saved up enough to send for me the airplane ticket, plus proof of
a S500 bond deposit in case I may change my mind and wanted to go back
home.
"I immediately went to the American Red Cross office stationed in Salzburg
to apply for a Visa so 1 could go and use my airline ticket for the trip to
Chicago. A few days after that a C.I.C. officer and a civilian interpreter came
to our house to check out my reputation from my neighbors. Then they interviewed
me in my room, asking all kinds of embarrassing questions. Like had
I ever been pregnant, what was my occupation, what was my parents' jobs and
so on. Then they say R.B.'s picture on my night table and really grilled me.
Where was he from? If he was an Indian, did I realize what 1 was in for? I
would have to give up my white life-style and leam to live Indian style on a
reservation. I would be poor, poor, poor. I told them they could not frighten
me, I truly loved my man and would follow him to the ends of the earth, if
need be. They finally shook their heads and told me 1 was beyond help, wished
me luck and left.
"In September 1947.1 arrived in Chicago with two suitcases and an American
quarter in my pocket. We were married two weeks later and 1 have never
regretted coming to him. As happy as we were, my parents were worried about
the big step I was to make. 1 still have the letter my mother who was a stem
disciplinarian gave me to give to my future husband. 1 reads as follows:
"Dear Jakie! Today is the darkest day of our lives as we have to let go of our
younger daughter. It comforts us some what to know it will be the best day in
your lie when she arrives in your land with solid trust in your and full of hope
to make a good home for you and a family. We all wish you the best and much
luck and God's blessing. Good health to both of you. Our daughter was raised
to be a diligent, decent and honest human being and will be by your side to
share whatever fate may bring. Never doubt her honesty. Be gentle with her
when she should get homesick. This she may not be able to avoid, even if life
for the money is pretty rough at home. But she never in her life was away from
home and thus she may get homesick at times. We hope to get through our
tough times and remain healthy so it will be a beautiful day when you will
come for a visit. As she lands on your shores, we send our heartiest greetings
with this letter and wish again the best of luck and God's blessing in all your
endeavors. Signed your in-laws in Salzburg."
"Well, our marriage was a permanent success although our interests were
miles apart, we respected each other's individuality. There was no meanness
between us. As we repeatedly visited my folks, everyone saw that I had fond
my happiness at the other side of the ocean.
"I feel that my man is dying in three stages. The first was with is last breath
when 1 stroked his hair, talked to him quietly and kissed him good bye as his
life faded away like the flame of a doused candle. This here today is the second
step with his ashes being given back unto his beloved mother's lap. The
third and hardest step I will take when I turn the key for the last time in our
home of 41 years where we were so happy, where he put his heart and soul
into to make it a real home.
"Although I will be many miles away. "Auf Wiedersehn" on his gravestone
shall be a reminded that there is a "rainbow bridge" to connect us forever
from Continent to Continent.
"Thank your for listening.:
Eva R. Jacobs
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