We who have lived in the Pacific NW, or Puget Sound often take for granted the many positive stories that have come down to us, but we need to be reminded from time to time that not all was so glorious and positive - we know that the lives of our ancestors was hard and demanding compared to ours. We need to be aware of the truths of the times. "Truths" are in the eyes of the beholder, oftentime. However, here is a point of view from a person who lives in our region & who has had a varied experience in her genealogy . Here is her story: Ref. The Herald, Tues June 17, 2K, Section C Health & Family p. 1C QUOTED IN FULL AS FOLLOWS: Feature- OTHER VOICES Trail of Death marks family's history By Kate Reardon, Herald Writer I often wonder what it would have been like to look into their eyes. It's hard for me to paint a picture of the anguaish and pain they felt as they were forced to march from Indiana and Iowa into Kansas to make a new home. American history refers to it as the "move." We call it the Potawatomi Trail of Death. Not all of them made it. About 40 Potawataomis, mostly children, died along the way. About 100 more died later from illnesses brought on by the march. That was 162 years ago. Nearly 30 years after that, in 1867, the Potawatomis bought land in Indian Territory, present-day Oklahoma. I am one of them, a member of the Potawatomi Citizen Nation. I'm going to the reservation in central Oklahoma for the first time in 10 years. I'll even meet up with my mother and father there for the annual weekend celebration of our heritage. I've grown up learning about my Potawatomi legacy. And as an adult, I have taken it upon myself to keep learning. The Potawatomi name is derived from the Ojibwa word bode'-wadmink and means People of the Place of the Fire. Although there are more than 23,000 enrolled members, I'll be part of a small percentage that will take part in a weekend of dancing, food, games, and drumming. The annual Potawatomi Heritage Festival is reserved for tribal members and their families. I plan to visit my Nation's museum, bank, radio station and headquarters. I'll take lessons in the Potawatomi language, which is part of the Algonquin linguistic family and closely related to the Ojibwa and Ottawa tribes. The Ojibwa, Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes were originally one. I'll meet distant and close relatives as part of the large Anderson family reunion. I hope my visit this time will give me the ability to understand what it must have been like for my ancestors to make the long journey so many years ago. This visit, I hope to understand why my father was told as a boy growing up in Oklahoma never to tell anyone he was a Potawatomi. If you can pass for white, the elders said, you should. I have it much easier than they did. I thank them for being strong. This trip means a lot to my father. I could hear the sadness in my father's voice over the telephone in February when I told him I thought I wouldn't be able to make the trip. Now I'm glad I'm going. I know how much he wants to share this visit with me, his youngest daughter. I will look into my father's bronze-colored eyes and understand. You can call Herald Writer Kate Reardon at 425-339-3455 or send e-mail to [email protected] BOX: LEARN MORE Herald Writer Kate Reardon will write about her experiences at the gathering of her tribe, the Potawatomi Citizen Nation, on the reservation in Oklahoma on July 18 in Health & Family. You can find out more about the Potawatomi Citizen Nation on its Web site at www.potawatomi.org/ END OF QUOTE in full from The Herald. Each coin (of Life)has at least two sides to it. Carroll in Snohomish, WA. * * * 30 * * * ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.