Canku
Ota - Peace Party |
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Writer's First Name: | Age: | Essay Title or Subject: | E-mail Address (to notify you if you win!!) |
John J. Peloquin | Adult | John Shopedoke (sp.?) | |
School Name (if any) | City and State/Province | Tribal Affiliation (if any) | |
Riverside, CA |
I've know of a Native Hero that should be honored.
His name was John Shopedoke (sp.?). He was a chief of the Forest band
Potowatomi in Wisconsin and his relatives are tribal leaders to this day.
John and his family were friends of my grandfather and his family. Many
of our family stories told by my grandfather involved John- who must have
been a bit of a philosopher too, given his comments on the white man's
ways and modern devices as related in my family's tales. For example,
my grandfather's family were one of the first to have a motor car in the
area they lived. My grandfather and his brother Jess were driving along
one day and saw John walking the same direction, so they stopped and offered
him a ride- John accepted and started to get into the back seat. Jess
and my grandfather said, "John, why don't you sit up here with us
so we can hear what you say and we don't have to turn around to talk with
you etc.". John replied- "No, thanks. The front seat goes too
fast", which I think says a lot about what really is important. Just
maintaining his human dignity as an Indian in those times (the early 20th
Century) was heroic enough, but when a white man murdered his brother
and the local sheriff didn't do anything, John tracked the criminal down
in Missouri and brought the criminal back to justice. Quite an heroic
deed in any time, but given the bigotry and pig- headed resistance John
must have encountered in his quest to find justice for his brother, John's
actions were that of a true hero. His descendants and relatives living
today, I would hope, would have more to say on the matter and about John-
but maybe not, since they might not have seen John's actions as particularly
exceptional, nor as much a commentary on modern life as did my metis ancestors
who, unlike John and his family, were between red and white worlds.
SO: John Shopedoke is my nominee for a Native hero.
John J. Peloquin, Assistant Research Biochemist |
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