Aunt Marion’s holly hocks

As told to me by Cousin Sandy Whitman 1995

Sandy was the eldest daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth. My mother's closest cousin 2 times over, their mothers were sisters, and fathers were brothers. Sandy's father, my great uncle Joe died in an industrial accident in Albany, New York and Elizabeth married Freddy from Vermont. All of them grew up togther there at thompson's point, cousins Delores, Sandy, Ginger, Carol, Jim, June, Marie and Eli. My mom is the eldest of the cousins, and raised me knowing who they were to me and why it was important to remember and repeat. Sandy moved to Florida, but wrote to me often before she passed. We always refered to her as the "indian one", she remained in contact with her family both Haudensaunee and Vermont cousins.

Sandy was the family member who told me about our cousins in Vermont, Homer St. Francis, and the newsletters. Before the internet, we had very limited access to verifying who was and was not Abenaki. At that time, we all assumed they were truthful. It was through this naivety that I lent my name, and my family's names to the BIA's application. It would turn out later that we, and some 5 families, 20 individuals, were actually the only verifiable Abenaki on the application.

"Aunt Marion, aunt Muhlion as she was known to us, had the most beautiful holly hocks. Every color imaginable, having no toys we invented play things. Litle tiny dancing fairies made from the bells of the flowers. One time I remember being invited by the white children I knew as friends, to go play tennis with them. When we got to the courts there was a big sign that said NO INDIANS ALLOWED, I was not allowed on the court! So I turned away and made my way back to camp. As I made my way back to camp, hurt and mad, I came up with this dance,

'Tall and proud, beautiful colors of the clouds, falling flowers drift to the ground become my fairy dancers, pastels of tissue thin gowns, we pretend to go to the ball as Indian Maidens, fairest of them all…'

At night in the cabin, I loved to watch grandma and aunt Marion braid their long locks of hair, they kept piled on top of their head, during the day. Then they would kneel beside their bed and pray. Praying was a great part of our life, when we couldn’t find a ride to church in town, they would kneel beside the radio and we would listen to the church service in French. The church in Vermont had an alter, even with the floor, it’s where grandma and grandpa DeGonzague were married, St. Joseph's , in Vermont."