Divorce in the Family

Divorce in the Family

So many years ago my favorite family, who I had been taught to actually hold up as examples, came into a place where they were divorcing.

Over the years, 57 in fact, the heaviness of this loss stayed in my heart. Essentially this is why I dedicated so many years to conserving the old family photographs so that those of my cousin (sister, Indian way) heirs would have an opportunity to know the strength of their heritage:

http://www.electricscotland.com/history/america/donna/picturebook/index.htm

Because of one of those heirs seeing this material on the web, actually a son of my cousin Ura May:

http://www.electricscotland.com/history/america/donna/uramay/index.htm

because of his seeing this material he will come for a visit, mid-June.

This is a wonderful, exciting time for me and I’m busily, once again making plans for this man’s visit. After 57 years, God has seen fit to allow me to once again be able to enjoy this part of my family.

He is Osage and in respect to him I will use some of the material Alastair has found in a daily way.

This will do two things: 1. Share with you bits and pieces of the Osage culture with you 2. And help educate me, as well. As stated before each tribe is as different as European cultures going from France to England to Ireland.

No one understands the individual hardships the Osage people experienced. All folks could see was the great wealth they possessed. I never faulted my cousin for allowing her children to go with their father to California so far from us. She was a highly intelligent woman as so many Osage people are, and remember I was taught to greatly respect her. In remembering her grief I respect her even more these many years later. She was lost to me in 1976, circa, to cancer.

As the years have progressed I admire her even more for getting her heirs out and away from all the sorrows involved with circumstances here. Her heirs, first children, and now many grandchildren, were raised in a New World free from any situation that could have taken even their lives, as was the life of Ura May’s brother.

At any rate, this is a great milestone for me, one that I have worked many years to complete. Forgive me if I’m not as punctual on answering your email.

Osage History:

http://www.archive.org/stream/osagetraditions19464gut/19464-pdf#page/n7/mode/2up

At the top on the right you can flip pages. I had to +zoom twice to enlarge:

Thank you, Alastair, for finding this material.

Donna