Personal Ramble
21 July 2007 - 7 אב 5767 by Huw
S’praznikum! A Merry Harrymass to you, one and all and may Dumbledore bless us, every one. My book will be here tomorrow.
I’ve had a crappy week. It’s not crappy now… but in general it was crappy. Actually a lot of good happened but my head was in the wrong place. It resolved after a conversation with Brodie last night, but I think the resolution *started* on Wednesday morning.
I took two clients out for their 6 AM smoke break. Point of fact, two of my current favourites - which will give the wrong impression. I think in the current community of 15, there are 3 I don’t yet know very well and 3 that I don’t like. Everyone else is among my list of favourites. One thing that is always a struggle for me is to treat them all equally while being honest about my feelings especially in my weekly sessions of supervision.
Which is where we’ll start. Earlier this week I was asked to be supervisor - officially and on paper - for the 3rd shift staff: not just “here do this” supervisor, but actually meeting with the staff and providing supervision with them for one-hour each week. This is amusing to me: it’s the sort of thing that therapists do for each other. Sadly it was discovered that I’m a year short of qualification. Seemingly: one needs a degree in human services plus 3 years of employment… OR just a BA in any field plus 4 years of experience. Lo, I’m a year short.
But in other work news, I was given a raise on Friday, retroactive to the first of the month. Dang, but that made my day.
Wednesday Morning, taking two clients out for a smoke break, I sat down on the ledge and looked to my left: there was a silver four-leaf clover such as one would find on a charm bracelet. When this was not claimed by any client, I kept it. I felt as if I’d found a good luck charm… especially as the week progressed.
I’ve been out of touch with 12.5-25% of my heritage. I’m not sure how much: my paternal grandmother was either full or half-blooded Creek Indian. We’ve not been in touch with that side of the family since my parents’ divorce in 1965. I was one. Anyway… so I’m tinkering around with my facebook page, stating my “heritage” which is - apart from the aforementioned Creek - is English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish… perhaps a smattering of German. Grandpa was, in fact, born in Canada (which, I guess, makes Mom half Canadian and me 1/4 so. But I’ve never heard anyone refer to themselves as a Canadian-American. Anyway…
I discovered various flags for several Native American nations. There wasn’t one listed (on facebook) for the Creek nation which sent me on a Google. I learned more, last night, about Creek Indians than I’d learned in the last 40 years. First, there is a flag:
Very pretty… but there is this other flag:
After research I found that this was the flag of my ancestors when they signed a treaty with the Confederate States of America. Thus, I’m rather certain I come to my Confederate claims honestly: as both maternal and paternal forebears were honoured to wear the Grey. Rather Muslim looking, no?
I learned the tribe is called the Muscogee Nation as well, although I’m not an Okie. They’re (we’re?) mound builders as well. I found a recipe for Creek fry bread (it’s pretty much like everyone else’s) and this meditation on the horned snake.
Don’t worry: I won’t be going native over night. I’ve been through enough culture swaps. But I did entertain the concept of enrolling in the Muscogee Nation but I don’t know how to set about validating Grandma Suzie’s ethnicity since she’s dead.
The conversation with Brodie was what I needed: a realisation of place of position. One hesitates to use the phrase which was very commonplace in “the movement” in the 80s but we’re talking “Two Spirit Stuff” and making sense of the universe. It put my head in the right place - and the rest followed.
The Mormons keep one of the best databases around for geneological histories. Your local LDS will be able to access it. As well, there are geneological resources on the net.
See if you can take it back to your great-grandparents. If you can, chances are that you will find at least one hit on one of those four great-grandparents on the LDS database. And, given the LDS arguments for the New World Jesus and their liking of tracking native geneologies, there is a reasonable chance that one of your maternal great-grandparents will be a hit.
Also, the Old South would sometimes make little additional ethnic notations on birth records. See if you can get a photocopy of the actual record from the state, not just a computer verification. Either your grandmother or one (or more) of your maternal great-grandparents may have an extra notation on the actual original record. The state will probably have a microfiche copy of that.
I hope this gives you some leads.