Through My Eyes

By Wanda Bear Medicine-Peterson

My book is a type of biography of my father, Joseph Bear Medicine, a Native American from the Blackfeet Nation. This book gives some incites into the life of a man who lived through prejudice yet lived another type of life that is looked at as a little peculiar to the society that live in this world and lived it to its fullest even to the end of his life. He possessed it so fully that he taught his children of his belief and anyone else that would listen. My Dads belief was so strong that the only way he felt he could prove it was to live it and he did.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512762556

Wanda Bear Medicine-Peterson

My name is Wanda M. Bear Medicine-Peterson. I am an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation located in Browning, Montana. My parents are Joe and Marie Bear Medicine. I am married to Bailey Peterson and we have 2 daughters, Ember and Kyra. Ember married Frankie Kipp, they have 2 children, of their own, Donald Bailey, and Frankie Delayna Laura Marie. Ember had I child prior to this marriage, his name is Talon Bearmedicine U., Frank had children also prior to this marriage, their names are Ronel, John, Donna, and Beatrice. Kyra married Virgil Mad Plume and they have 2 daughters, Vrystin Meraylee and Virlayna Marie. I lived in the small community of Starr School, about 5 miles northwest of Browning up until I married. I went to school in Starr from first grade to sixth grade and then we were bussed to Browning there after. I became a born again Christian during 1 of the times we had daily vacation Bible school. I remember, because I prayed and asked the Lord to come into my heart and be my Savior and He did. I also remember who it was that lead me through that prayer of repentance, it was Sis Raw Eater, the wife of our Pastor Dick Raw Eater, whom were there as pastor and family. I was 8 years old, but I remember it as if it just happened. I stayed in and around Starr and joined my brothers group of traditional singer, drummers and dancers. We were called, “The Young Grey Horse Society.” I moved a few times to different places within my state and attended school. I also worked at some of our local businesses. I was raised in church where I learned about Jesus. Sometimes we wander on our own, and I did that too, for awhile I missed church services, but I always knew that I should be there every time the doors opened. I thank God that I had parents who knew the truth and prayed for me. I also thank all those people who were part of my life. I now live in housing project, Glacier Heights, located just north of the town of Browning. I became handicapped in 1990 with 3 total hip replacements, Migraines (which I rarely get now praise the Lord!) and arthritis, but I leave all this in the Lords’ hands and He gets me through each day. The Lord has blessed me with this life I now live and I believe I can truly say I am happy. I thank my husband for being here with me when ever I need him, my daughters and their husbands and children. I am thankful everyday to think of all of you out there who took time to pray for my reservation, also those who actually came here and shared the Word of God with my people. To my brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces, etc. I love you and I thank you for being my family. God bless you and I pray that He will guide your decisions and futures.

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 Wanda Bear Medicine-Peterson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-6254-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-6256-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-6255-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016918482

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/07/2017

Contents

About the Author

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

References

About the Author

AuthorPhoto.JPG

M y name is Wanda M. Bear Medicine-Peterson. I am an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation located in Browning, Montana. My parents are Joe and Marie Bear Medicine. I am married to Bailey Peterson and we have 2 daughters, Ember and Kyra. Ember married Frankie Kipp, they have 2 children, of their own, Donald Bailey, and Frankie Delayna Laura Marie. Ember had I child prior to this marriage, his name is Talon Bearmedicine U., Frank had children also prior to this marriage, their names are Ronel, John, Donna, and Beatrice. Kyra married Virgil Mad Plume and they have 2 daughters, Vrystin Meraylee and Virlayna Marie. I lived in the small community of Starr School, about 5 miles northwest of Browning up until I married. I went to school in Starr from first grade to sixth grade and then we were bussed to Browning there after. I became a born again Christian during 1 of the times we had daily vacation Bible school. I remember, because I prayed and asked the Lord to come into my heart and be my Savior and He did. I also remember who it was that lead me through that prayer of repentance, it was Sis Raw Eater, the wife of our Pastor Dick Raw Eater, whom were there as pastor and family. I was 8 years old, but I remember it as if it just happened. I stayed in and around Starr and joined my brothers group of traditional singer, drummers and dancers. We were called, The Young Grey Horse Society. I moved a few times to different places within my state and attended school. I also worked at some of our local businesses. I was raised in church where I learned about Jesus. Sometimes we wander on our own, and I did that too, for awhile I missed church services, but I always knew that I should be there every time the doors opened. I thank God that I had parents who knew the truth and prayed for me. I also thank all those people who were part of my life. I now live in housing project, Glacier Heights, located just north of the town of Browning. I became handicapped in 1990 with 3 total hip replacements, Migraines (which I rarely get now praise the Lord!) and arthritis, but I leave all this in the Lords’ hands and He gets me through each day. The Lord has blessed me with this life I now live and I believe I can truly say I am happy. I thank my husband for being here with me when ever I need him, my daughters and their husbands and children. I am thankful everyday to think of all of you out there who took time to pray for my reservation, also those who actually came here and shared the Word of God with my people. To my brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces, etc. I love you and I thank you for being my family. God bless you and I pray that He will guide your decisions and futures.

Prologue

H istorically, there have been many groups of people diverse as night and day, but the Native American societies have always remained in a sort of pure state; nature and the world around them staying the same. By this, I mean that they, throughout history, have evolved with nature, in many ways.

The real relationships the Native Americans have with the earth and nature is remarkable. When ever they hunted for food, they only took what was needed. When they made a home, again, they used only what they knew would work, with respect to the environment, and weather. They lived in accordance with the knowledge and information they had gained by life experienced by them, for centuries.

In reality, the Native Americans balanced a number of eco-systems. Life is important to them, so much so, that they presented to the natural world a very real respect. Life was, and is, a gift that is given to them. Because of how they reacted back to this world that fed, clothed, and kept them, they had the knowledge that when something died, and no longer existed in this world, but in another realm of life. The treatment here of living things would ultimately be their reward in another life.

In order to be blessed, they had to remember that respect was, and is, always the bottom line. Respect of everything and everyone has, and is still taught, even today. Life is not just a state to them it is their reality, and it is a wonderful, awesome reality. The living state of this place, they called home, has always kept them in awe of it, and its wonderment. The relationship between the Native people and life has always been a natural born, innate-kind of wisdom, learned. If ever this great respect we have, for the world passes from all of us, then that is the day that nature will fight back in anyway it can, by all the natural disasters, abusive, over use of the natural world, man made disasters, etc. I anticipate a loss of the natural things this home gives, coming to a violent, bitter end.

My father said that the elders always spoke of a day when not only nature, but mankind, and the loss of respect will be the end of us, and this world. Hopefully, we can get back some of this caring for everything, and everyone.

Thus, this book I’m writing is my way of giving back some sort of our knowledge to the future generations about the real life struggles of my people. The prejudices, misconceptions, and judging, that the Native Americans have lived with and are still living with today. The elders said that the Native Americans are America’s hidden shame. They were the caretakers of this land! The native people who were treated as if they were an infestation to be gotten rid of, and so went history, and the statement made that went The only good Indian is a dead Indian.

It seemed that this land that was their refuge became an unattainable dream to them. All they wanted was to just be able to again, go freely on their land. To hunt, fish, run, walk, gather, and teach their young. The things they did before being treated like chattel and herded to some place else they knew nothing of. A place that was someone else’s ground. A place that they knew would anger those people who belonged to that land. (Fortunately, we, the Blackfeet, remained on our land.) A place that our great white, father, and his government called Reservations.

Our true history has never been told in any text book. Nothing was said of the families torn apart because they had to leave the places they knew. To be taught, taught what? How to dress, to talk, to bath, to sleep in a bed. What? We knew all that. We dressed in the skins of the animals we used for food. We spoke our own languages. We slept in lodges that were built according to the weather knowing that we had to make sure our families were warm and comfortable. Using the snow as insulation, and where the door always faced east to maximize the warmth of the sun in the cool of the morning, and facing east would also keep it cool during the hot months.

Setting up camp in a place where there was water to drink and bath, brush for wood. They also made sure that the camp was in a valley for the winter, so the weather