Today is Indigenous Peoples Day
Here are some questions to prompt us to be mindful of the people who lived in Ohio first, whose land we inhabit, and whose culture we typically forget.
-Whose land do you live on?
-What do/did they call themselves?
-What was done to them?
-How do you benefit from that?
-What are they doing now?
I invite you to learn about Kihue, who local Clintonville folks call “Bill Moose.” When the Wyandotte were forced to leave Ohio for Kansas, his family refused to do so and stayed with their land. He sold trinkets to local children and taught them about Native culture and tradition from his humble shack on the corner of Indianola and Morse Rd. He would get meals at the Wyandotte Country Club, now the Ohio School for the Deaf. He died a local hero who stood his ground, even if he did it alone. 10,000 people attended his funeral in 1937.
Ever notice that park in Upper Arlington on Riverside Drive on the Scioto River with the big pile of 39 granite stones piled high? That’s Kihue’s burial site, inscribed with the epitaph: “Bill Moose Last of the Wyandots born 1837, and whose death in 1937 marks the passing of the Indians from this territory.”
This writing is valuable because it contains new information and a picture I have not seen.