He died wealthy. And his legacy is rich and enduring. The respect and admiration you have for this man who is still alive in so many ways is beautiful, celebratory, and well earned. I've always "felt" his heart AND yours when reading these posts. And you've told his story without resorting to over-idealization, pity, or drama. (Great pics by the way!).
Wouldn't you love to have met him and listened to his stories? Thank you for bringing Kakaygeesick and his community back to life in your re-storying of Warroad and Lake of the Woods!
I have listened to his voice again and again on a tape-recording of his chanting in his final days in December of 1968 that his nurse gave to the family and Don Kakaygeesick shared with me. Kakaygeesick never spoke English. He shared his stories, though, with his great-grandchildren who have many memories of him when they were children.
Thanks for this post....again. Your level of detail makes me envious! And the characters peopling your story are remarkable. It feels like a lot of this coming together in a way that warrants formal publication. Do I remember that you're planning to do a book? I really hope so!
Thanks for reading and your interest in where this is headed. I have a work-in-progress that is a braided memoir. Along the way I've done a lot of research that didn't end up in the manuscript and yet I think in bite-sized pieces many readers might find it as interesting as I do. And in the process of writing up these research nuggets, it provides me with a much deeper understanding of the intergenerational connections between my family history and the Kakaygeesick family history tied together in this place on Lake of the Woods. Given the interest in this material, perhaps there is another book to be done.
I'm glad so much of his life and memory didn't disappear like a puff of smoke. So much displacement and loss, but it seems he hung on to language and culture and self-respect. I'm glad you heard those tapes of his chanting, but these stories fill me with deep sadness because of what the settlers took from these people and how they were pushed off their land. It's a story repeated again and again as the Europeans moved in and took what wasn't theirs.
I think it is a credit to his descendants and the community they have kept his remembrance and the history alive. While there is certainly sadness and tragedy, I resist the popular and dominant narrative that descends into trauma porn. Gerald Vizenor offers a concept: survivance. Survival through resistance. Vizenor's first book, Everlasting Sky (1972), incudes his last chapter about Kakaygeesick's funeral.
Overcoming obstacles that might overwhelm weaker souls certainly tested his character. To become a Grand Midwein is to have faced many many obstacles. What is sad is that despite his resistance, there has been no real justice. On that we agree, I think. There are so many stories about the trauma, but not so many about how they have resisted and survived.
Well as you already know I feel you are making a tremendous contribution to this history. I thank you for what I am learning and I can only imagine how truly appreciative people who have a real link to this place must be.
Some have become subscribers. Some have shared my posts with others in the area. About 30% of my subscribers are from the state of Minnesota at this time. Some have ties to the area even though they don't live there. (Like me.)
He died wealthy. And his legacy is rich and enduring. The respect and admiration you have for this man who is still alive in so many ways is beautiful, celebratory, and well earned. I've always "felt" his heart AND yours when reading these posts. And you've told his story without resorting to over-idealization, pity, or drama. (Great pics by the way!).
Thanks, Stephanie, for your kindness.
That beginning. I loved how you started off with a short but powerful sentence. What an interesting man with a life so full, yet in many ways tragic.
Wouldn't you love to have met him and listened to his stories? Thank you for bringing Kakaygeesick and his community back to life in your re-storying of Warroad and Lake of the Woods!
I have listened to his voice again and again on a tape-recording of his chanting in his final days in December of 1968 that his nurse gave to the family and Don Kakaygeesick shared with me. Kakaygeesick never spoke English. He shared his stories, though, with his great-grandchildren who have many memories of him when they were children.
Thanks for this post....again. Your level of detail makes me envious! And the characters peopling your story are remarkable. It feels like a lot of this coming together in a way that warrants formal publication. Do I remember that you're planning to do a book? I really hope so!
Thanks for reading and your interest in where this is headed. I have a work-in-progress that is a braided memoir. Along the way I've done a lot of research that didn't end up in the manuscript and yet I think in bite-sized pieces many readers might find it as interesting as I do. And in the process of writing up these research nuggets, it provides me with a much deeper understanding of the intergenerational connections between my family history and the Kakaygeesick family history tied together in this place on Lake of the Woods. Given the interest in this material, perhaps there is another book to be done.
Lovely, Jill.
I'm glad so much of his life and memory didn't disappear like a puff of smoke. So much displacement and loss, but it seems he hung on to language and culture and self-respect. I'm glad you heard those tapes of his chanting, but these stories fill me with deep sadness because of what the settlers took from these people and how they were pushed off their land. It's a story repeated again and again as the Europeans moved in and took what wasn't theirs.
I think it is a credit to his descendants and the community they have kept his remembrance and the history alive. While there is certainly sadness and tragedy, I resist the popular and dominant narrative that descends into trauma porn. Gerald Vizenor offers a concept: survivance. Survival through resistance. Vizenor's first book, Everlasting Sky (1972), incudes his last chapter about Kakaygeesick's funeral.
Thanks for a clear view of that Everlasting Sky.
Overcoming obstacles that might overwhelm weaker souls certainly tested his character. To become a Grand Midwein is to have faced many many obstacles. What is sad is that despite his resistance, there has been no real justice. On that we agree, I think. There are so many stories about the trauma, but not so many about how they have resisted and survived.
Well as you already know I feel you are making a tremendous contribution to this history. I thank you for what I am learning and I can only imagine how truly appreciative people who have a real link to this place must be.
Thanks, Margaret. In some ways I feel like I have only seen the tip of the history iceberg as so much remains submerged and inaccessible.
Are citizens in the Lake of the Woods' community expressing an interest in what you are writing about Kakaygeesick and this early history of the area?
Some have become subscribers. Some have shared my posts with others in the area. About 30% of my subscribers are from the state of Minnesota at this time. Some have ties to the area even though they don't live there. (Like me.)