Ms. Wilson describes growing up and living in the two worlds of home and school, and the issues that Dakota youth face today.
Things to think about:
Do public schools today do a good job of educating children from diverse backgrounds?
It was like two different worlds, going to school, then coming back and being with all our little friends.
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Audio Chapters
DL: What were your favorite subjects in school, and what kind of student were you? LW: I was a good student until I got back here. I was a good student because I learned quick and I learned to pay attention right away and catch everything. And then when I got back here I just didn’t like the school at all. I didn’t like the teachers, I didn’t like the way we were treated in Morton, and so I just didn’t care about school anymore. And a lot of things went against me too, like I had to raise Peps, so then by the time I got to school I’m all worn out. And then when you get home, you work again, you can’t do your homework, and then you try to tell the teacher that and they just laugh or smirk and say: Yah, I know. They don’t know. We worked hard. We could have been better than that at school if we didn’t have all that work. We had to haul water, we had to haul wood, we had to carry out the slop pail at night for the little kids when it was full. Every time they went, we had to take it out so it didn’t stink up the house. We had to haul water from the well – there was a reservoir in our stove for their baths. And look at all the kids – she had ten kids. We helped raise every one of them, me and my sister. And it was hard. It wasn’t an easy life. The teachers still made fun of you like you were dumb or something. I wasn’t dumb, I was a good student and I had good grades when I was at my other schools, but they don’t count that. So that made me mad. I barely graduated. I think I missed some papers that I had to do later, that I did; then I got to graduate. But I think teachers are really important in this world because they can help kids, even if they’re behind. There’s reasons why they get behind. Some people aren’t dumb. Some people, or even like my one friend said, her child was dyslexic or something, and then there’s something wrong with her other kids, but gee, they’re all smart. They’re really smart. People don’t realize it. So I think I had teachers in my life that wrecked part of it and influenced part of it. Some of it was good. We had teachers that were good for us and helped us, pushed us and helped us along. Boy, when I talk to teachers I really have a hard time, because they have a job to do and some of them aren’t doing it. I really get mad, because some of them are in it for the pay, and they’re wrecking somebody’s whole life. We have a lot of artists in our community. We have people with talent that can do things, but they never get into nothing. It’s still like that here in Redwood. We tried to put our kids in skating once; they were going to play hockey. We sat there in that room, and sat there, and they were going around to everybody, filling out their papers, and me and my daughter sat there, because we were trying to put my grandchildren in. They were good at skating. And she wouldn’t come and wouldn’t come. She went all over the room, helping everybody, so finally we got up and walked out. And we shouldn’t have. I didn’t want to, but my daughter said, “Geez, I’m tired of this. Let’s just go.” I was going to try to get a paper from that woman and fill it out later, but she just said, “Okay, I’ll talk to you in a minute.” So we just walked out again. We have kids that are talented. We have kids that are athletic that can do things, but they’re not letting them. I don’t know how it is now, but that wasn’t too long ago. What year was that? That might have been in the ‘90’s. Yes, that might have been in the ‘90’s. But see, I get upset with teachers when they can’t do their job, and I get upset with teachers that are really mean to certain kids. It could be a personality conflict or something, but they could let somebody else handle it. Give it to somebody else.
I think one of my biggest things was learning how to get along with people. I never could speak well. I don’t like to speak in crowds; I don’t like to stand up. I have to once in a while, but I don’t’ like it. I don’t know why – I think because when we went to school when we were little, they made fun of us, as Indians. So we kind of got bashful and embarrassed; I think that’s where all that started from. But to go to the school where we lived and played with all the other kids, it was fun. It was like two different worlds, going to school, then coming back and being with all our little friends. It was nice. It was nice and like day and night. Have a good time at night with the kids, and during the day go to school. It was rough. But you get used to it. You start trying to learn and then you try to do what you’re supposed to and then you don’t get in trouble and you’re all right. But it was fun, I liked it. As I got older I thought back and decided that I learned a lot out of that, rough as I thought it was then. I learned to toughen up and to be what you have to be. When you’re with your mother and father they treat you so good that you’re protected and you don’t get to do things in the outside world. But we weren’t protected, so we had to learn, we had to be tough and we had to grow up, and we did it.
One of my biggest things was learning how to get along with people. I never could speak well. I don’t like to speak in crowds; I don’t like to stand up. I have to once in a while, but I don’t’ like it. I don’t know why – I think because when we went to school when we were little, they made fun of us, as Indians. So we kind of got bashful and embarrassed; I think that’s where all that started from. But to go to the school where we lived and played with all the other kids, it was fun. It was like two different worlds, going to school, then coming back and being with all our little friends. It was nice. It was nice and like day and night. Have a good time at night with the kids, and during the day go to school. It was rough. But you get used to it. You start trying to learn and then you try to do what you’re supposed to and then you don’t get in trouble and you’re all right. But it was fun, I liked it. As I got older I thought back and decided that I learned a lot out of that, rough as I thought it was then. I learned to toughen up and to be what you have to be. When you’re with your mother and father they treat you so good that you’re protected and you don’t get to do things in the outside world. But we weren’t protected, so we had to learn, we had to be tough and we had to grow up, and we did it.
Oral History- Interview |
Narrator Lillian Wilson Interviewer Deborah Locke made in Morton, Lower Sioux Community, MN |
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Citation: Minnesota Historical Society. U.S. - Dakota War of 1862. It was like two different worlds, going to school, then coming back and being with all our little friends. December 18, 2024. http://www.usdakotawar.org/node/1148
Viewpoints: All viewpoints expressed on this website are those of the contributors, and are not representative of the Minnesota Historical Society.
