https://soundcloud.com/wayne-king-999726539/mowglismemories_episode-31_jim-west_part-1
Jim West, a member of the Cheyenne nation,
brother of Rick West (Den 1957 (corrected)) and son of WahPahNahYah (W. Richard
"Dick" West) who came to Mowglis as a camper at the age of 11, in 1957. Jim was in Toomai and brother Rick
was in the Den the same year. He returned as a "Yearling"/Junior
Counsel in 1960 under then-Director John Adams. In 1965 and 66 he returned to
Mowglis as a Senior Counselor under the leadership of William B. Hart.
This first series of
sound clips are taken from an address given by Jim at Pepperdine University in
2008 (see show notes for a link to the full address). They provide some
insight into the world of Native American Indian people, and particularly the
Cheyenne people, that adds context to Jim's life as well as his recollections
of his years at Mowglis.
At the time he
returned to Mowglis as a member of the Senior Staff, he was a freshman and
sophomore in college - at The University of Redlands in Redlands, California.
I was only a very
young camper in those days, but to me, at 7 and then 8 years old, he was a
giant. Of course, he was physically a giant to me . . . tall and strong, but to me, it was more his
personality that made him a giant. Like his fellow counselor and friend Bill
Boicourt, he was a larger than life personality. Bringing a gravitas - despite
his youth, good humor and gregarious nature, to a staff that today we would see
as iconic in and of itself: John Harmon, Bill Hart, Jerry Hakes, Frank Hubbard,
Stu Klein and others.
It was my first
exposure to American Indian culture and it was a magical experience for me.
Years later I would learn from my father that my own heritage was Iroquois and
Abenaki and I have embarked on my own personal journey to understand both why
it was hidden for all those years and what it can mean to me in my own quest
for spiritual understanding. So you can imagine how excited I was to catch up with my old counselor and friend Jim and his wonderful wife Elaine when I was traveling through New Mexico recently.
2008
Address at Pepperdine University; Seaver College Distinguished Lecture Series - James West
About the art in Jim
and Elaine's living room
Roman Nose (not
shown)
Little Face -
Cheyenne Warrior and member of the same clan (Kitfox Warrior) as Jim.
Little Face - Kitfox
warrior Clan
Carved by W. Richard
West - WahPahNahYah
WahPahNahYah was the
first Indian to receive his MFA from Oklahoma University
The Red Pond -
Abstract Realism, Painted by W. Richard West - WahPahNahYah
Abstract Realism -
Can abstract forms but not the colors
Jim West &
"Pops" WahPahNahYah, W. Richard West
WahPahNahYah and his Brothers and Mother (Reena). Jim's special uncle Harvey is pictured on Reena's lap.
Thunderbow (Great
Grandfather to Jim and Rick West) Thunderbow was 16 when he fought in the
Battle of the Little Bighorn (called by the Cheyenne the Battle of Greasy Grass
Creek).
Thunderbow was about
8 years old when the Sand Creek Massacre took place.
Many of Chivington's
troops refused to participate and testified against him in a trial by the
Federal government.
"If we kill the
nits the lice won't grow" - John Chivington
Thunderbow was 10 during the Washita Massacre (1868) - Led by George Armstrong Custer
They were the most isolated band of a major winter
encampment along the river of numerous Native American tribal bands, totaling
thousands of people. But Custer's forces attacked their village because scouts
had followed the trail of a party that had raided white settlers and passed
through it. Black Kettle and his people had been at peace and were seeking
peace. Custer's soldiers killed women and children in addition to warriors,
although they also took many captive to serve as hostages and human shields.
The number of Cheyenne killed in the attack has been disputed since the first
reports.
Thunderbow was 16
when he fought in the Battle of the Little Bighorn (called by the Cheyenne the
Battle of Greasy Grass Creek).
Warrior
Returns with Friend's War Bonnet. Carved by W. Richard West - WahPahNahYah
Other references from the Podcast:
Jim's Name:
Difficult to translate into arabic characters
Machmik, (the manner
in which the eagle holds its head)
Putayeh
Monêsóonetaneo'o (Kit Fox Warrior
Society)
Tsistsistas (The People - Cheyenne)
From Wikipedia: Fox Warriors
Society (Vóhkêséhetaneo'o or Monêsóonetaneo'o),[3] also known as Swift
Fox or Kitfox (sing. Mónėsóonetane, pl. Mótsėsóonetaneo'o; variant: sing. Vóhkėséhetane, pl. Vóhkėséhetaneo'o). This society is found among both the Northern and
the Southern Cheyenne. The Coyote Warriors Society (O'ôhoménotâxeo'o) and Flintmen Society (sing. Mótsėsóonetane, pl. Motsêsóonetaneo'o) are branches of the Fox Warriors Society.[3] Among the Northern Cheyenne the Kit Fox Soldiers
always claimed superiority over the others. Had strong ties through marriages
with Kit Fox Society (in
Lakota: Toka'la) affiliated
families of Lakota Sioux.
The Sun
Dance
From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ed Shaw - Went to teach at Bacone College where he met Dick West and connected him with Mowglis.
Mowglis, School of
the Open, a camp for boys on Newfound Lake is among those that have decided to
open for an abbreviated season and with a modified enrollment. I went to
Mowglis as a boy, a scholarship kid who was lucky enough to be in the right
place at the right time, with a mother who was a nurse when they desperately
needed one because their regular nurse had been injured in an automobile
accident. I remained there as a camper for 7 years, the duration of the program
and returned for a number of years on the staff so I am by no means a
disinterested party. On the other hand, I was cautiously skeptical when I first
heard about their decision to reopen. Nick soon convinced me that this was well thought through.
