Author Archives: Sharon

Winchester, Idaho

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I ended up detouring from Lapwai to Winchester, where I tried twice to visit a wolf preserve and education center.
I was hoping to pick up some info on canine behavior to help me better understand my Armani. She's such a little wolf girl… But each time I made the trip down that long gravel road, the center was closed. And all the legit campsites and RV parks were full for the holiday!

Anyway, here's an excerpt of my diary entry:

Winchester is very picturesque, but I wouldn't want to live here. There are dandelions in every yard.
People ride their tractors through town. The visitor's center is closed at 11:20 a.m. on the Friday before Memorial Day. I get no cell phone reception.
The couple that runs the grocery store let me use their phone but was too busy butchering a cow to talk to me.
I'm having a hard time figuring out how to approach people the further from big cities I get. The word "blog" throws them off. The word "reporter" makes them suspicious. And often they don't use the Internet.
Nice as I am, I may be just a bit too curious, platinum pixie-haired and somehow still 'city.'
But (pretty much for the above reasons), I'm glad towns like this still exist.

A scorned system

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I have been thinking about universal aspects of Native American culture and why they are so appealing to me…
It would be nice to be in touch with the earth and your body, family, God. It would be rewarding to have a few tasks that you got progressively better at — tasks assigned based on your skills, wich you were honored for and reaped the benefits of.
I agree with the idea of not being wasteful and using every part of every thing, taking only what you need from the planet. It is, again, an issue of respect — respect for the land and for yourself.
With such a mentality, you could not feel significantly richer or poorer than your peers. You would not be bored or bingeful or depressed. Your life on this planet would be put in perspective. Your few days would be spent in thanksgiving to your creator, fellowship with your peers, and peace.
Take away that system of collaboration, respect and closeness with nature, though, and despite your ideals, you'd likely be where Indian cultures are today, in a limbo stage, celebrating the wisdom of the past, with few modern breakthroughs. It is a scorned system. Pearls tossed before swine and trampled.

The burden and freedom of an evolving identity

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Growing up in Portland, "I never imagined myself being anything but a city girl."  IMG_0617
Problems with my husband caused me to run away to a reservation in Utah.
I ended up here in Lapwai with my mom and dad.
"The disadvantage (of reservation life) is everyone knows your business. Everyone gets on you real hard. The upside is it's really close."
"I grew up going to sun dances (annual, four-day long ceremonial events) my whole life.
My kids (two sons living with their father in Portland) don't have that.
I feel they are at loss and wish they could be here with me."
I stopped going to the dances when I got married. I went to one while I was having problems in that relationship and it helped me make the decision to leave. It was a "healing experience."

— Natalie Emerson, 29, Lapwai

The cultural wisdom of our ancestorsIMG_0621 is not gone, but "it's way different now."
"Diabetes is a big problem – everyone eats ice cream and cake… When I was a kid (in Bridgeport, Wash.) we raised rabbits and grew asparagus. I used to fish there."

— Lee Plumley, Lapwai

Uniqueness and the American identity

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At the Nez Perce National Historical Park museum, I met park ranger Beth Erdey,  IMG_0581
who happens to be getting her PhD in history from Washington State University.

She believes Americans latched onto the idea of the "Indian" early, exaggerating aspects of it, in part, because it was unique and we could claim it as "ours."

"American identity, even while it is so nebulous and complex, is constantly struggling to develop this uniqueness," she says.

The Lewiston Tribune

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The Lewiston Tribune is a daily a.m. paper with 25,000 print subscribers. A news desk of 10 reporters and editors covers eight counties in northcentral Idaho and southeastern Washington.

City Editor Craig Clohessy says the paper has lost about 300 subscribers during the past couple years, but some of that may be due to less aggressive subscription sales.

The paper is family owned and plans to remain that way, says Clohessy. That's enough to set it apart.

It's also got some cool history, including a gargoyle mascot of sorts and a small museum that is open to visitors.

"We believe both mediums will move forward," Clohessy says of print and Internet.

Two years ago, the paper's owners purchased a new press for $8 million, which Clohessy showed me on Thursday.

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A week ago, The Tribune launched the new face of its website.

About the same time, a video that accompanied a crime story received 20,000 unique views — nearly as many as the paper has print subscribers.

‘A Palouse Horse’

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The Appaloosa Museum and Heritage Center in Moscow, Idaho is a little gem for horse lovers. It's got lots of regalia and history of the Nez Perce tribe, primarily responsible for cultivating the breed. It also has a whole wing dedicated to the Appaloosa Horse Club, which has helped preserve that history.

I had forgotten these amazing horses were named for the Palouse region of Washington and Idaho.

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The museum has an older mare living on the property, which is kind of cool.

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Just a l’il update

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I haven't had access to Internet or phone service since Wednesday!
I've been taking tons of pictures and talking to lots of folks, but I need to keep things concise in order to catch you all up.

Just a note about my personal feelings on being American: I've found that as I progress east (and southeast), I gain a deeper appreciation of modern day America.

It's not really the flags and signs everywhere (though there are tons and I've added new categories for those), but more the vast, rugged beauty that lays open before me to explore.

I've also found the further I get from Seattle, the more social and legal tolerance there is for travelers with crazy dogs and RVs. (Though, ironically, that tolerance has been paired with a decreasing awareness of web terms, such as "blog".)