This is me

This is who I am.
Some people know who I am.
“Oh, I can’t believe Bob and Jeaneen’s daughter grew up and writes now. Keep it up.”
Some people are just plain nice. Stop me in the casino even.
“Hey you! I like your writing!”
Some people are just plain rude.
“Hey, you should write something about me! Let people know who I am.”
Um ok, do something then. Roll over.
Some people got jokes.
“Put that in your book!”
Says someone related to me after he farted.
Or some people have the generic question.
“Who the hell are you?”

First off, I don’t really, really know that answer myself.
I am a great speller but bad typist, sometimes conformist sometimes not, sometimes I am a little to the right, but dance in the left New York Yankee fan and San Antonio Spurs hater.
I am a tough chick who cries during sad movies.
I care about politics and sometimes I hate it.
I watch the news, only to forget it.
I am a mother of 4, wife of one, who would only be thought of as that if she didn’t write something. Anything.
I am a child of the Wounded Knee Standoff, not a result of it, but born during it.
I am the grand-daughter of a GOON and AIM. Don’t blame me. Blame my parents.
I am still learning to understand that turmoil, along with trying to learn the rest of the history of our people.
The more I learn, the more radical I see myself growing. The more I feel the blood pumping.
The more I am around tradition, even though I was raised amongst it, the more I appreciate it.
The traditional side of my family recognizes, hugs and holds all. Including beliefs, cultures and my children & I.
Our people hang onto our traditions. We remember the past. We have it like that.
We will never forget Wounded Knee, Little Big Horn, or The Black Hills.
We will never forget who we are, what was once ours and still ours.

So if you want to know who I am just keep reading.
Really, I am just a rez chick with an opinion, that you just read.

Oglala Lakota, baby.