Continued from Part I

From Missouri Mule to Wasicu

First, a little back story:

I left my hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the day after I graduated from high school, and headed west, lured by the mountains and the prospect of lots of skiing. I eventually landed in Bozeman, Montana, where I got a job working nights (had to have the days free for skiing, of course) at the local Big Boy restaurant.

Karla Gregory

There I met Karla Gregory, an Assiniboine Indian, who had grown up on the Rocky Boy’s reservation in northern Montana. She was exotic and beautiful; I was always a little in awe of her. And she spoke with such an interesting accent (especially to someone who said “y’all”). Years later, when I saw the movie, Smoke Signals, the stab of recognition went right to the core. Karla could have played the Suzie Song character—or she could have been modeled after her. Anyway, although we came from very different cultures, Karla and I became instant friends and were roommates for several years thereafter. [Read more...]