VIEWPOINTS
Saturday, October 7, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 5A
Women on the farm
M
y son Willie is purchasing a
farmstead down the road from
my place which has been in the
ownership of the same family — the third
generation of whom still resides in the house
— since the 1880s.
The property consists of a late-Victorian
farmhouse constructed around the turn of
the last century, a bunkhouse of similar
vintage, a barn (the
true hub of activity
on the place) built in
1917 and a “modern”
aluminum-clad
combination repair
shop/equipment
storage shed that was
completed in 1952.
The proprietor of
the place from the
1910s through the
1970s was the son of
Finnish immigrants
who attended grade school down the road
from the farmstead and then went to work
farming, without higher education to muddle
his clear view of the world as he knew it.
He married and raised nine children in the
residence,which still comprises no more than
perhaps 1,500 square feet.
A woodshed only a couple dozen paces
from the back door supplied the necessary
energy for heat and cooking to keep the
family warm and nourished. A brick cellar
perhaps eight steps from the back door was
the larder in which was stored everything
from cured pork (raised and butchered on
site), to pickles made from the cucumber
patch in the low-lying, sub-irrigated flat half
a mile distant, to the canned applesauce from
the orchard in back of the house.
A milk cow or two were always present in
the barnyard and chickens always occupied
the coop, supplying fresh eggs as well
as fresh meat for special occasions such
as Sunday dinner or entertaining visiting
neighbors or relatives.
Awhile back one of my favorite neighbors
stopped in for a driveway bull session
and suggested,
quite correctly,
that the hard
work of our male
agrarian ancestors
is well-known and
celebrated but the
accomplishments
of the womenfolk
are sometimes
overlooked, and yet,
are truly worthy of
recognition.
I have stated
before that one of my all-time heroes was
my maternal grandmother. She was born
into a world where the necessary skill set
included the ability to kill a chicken swiftly
with an axe as well as the talent required to
bake desserts for a harvest crew of a dozen
or more. Her mother would have also been
required to operate a hand-powered pitcher
pump to supply domestic water and have the
ability to hitch up the team to go to town for
supplies.
A far less cumbersome modern equivalent
for my lovely bride would be driving one
of my several stick-shift, no power steering,
no air-conditioning, manual choke-equipped
International Harvesters to town.
Although not every farmer would admit
The accomplishments
of womenfolk are
sometimes overlooked,
yet are truly worthy
of recognition.
Quick takes
Pendleton couple helps care
for Las Vegas wounded
Nobody knows from one moment to the
next what could take place. So many people
act without a second thought, they just jump
in and do what has to be done. Thank you
for your bravery and willingness to help
others who are suffering and needing your
help. God bless you all ... true heroes!
— Barbara White
Boy was I surprised to see this. Kevin
is my husband’s former boss. Such a
wonderful man. I am so thankful that God
kept you guys safe and you were able to
administer aid.
— Michelle Carol
No such thing as “off duty” for any first
responder. I’m sorry that you folks had to
deal with that but am glad that you were
there to do what you do best. Thank you
for doing what you did with what you had
available. Blessed be!
— Sonia Benedict
Thank you for your courage and service.
We are so proud of you!
— Nancy Hanson
Police to crack down on
Highway 395 jaywalking
Had a college girl on her phone walk
right in front of my semi. She is lucky I pay
so much attention I saw her 30 feet before
she got to the road.
— Tory Bull Covlin
One of the great lessons of the Twitter age is
that much can be summed up in just a few words.
Here are some of this week’s takes. Tweet yours
@Tim_Trainor or email editor@eastoregonian.
com, and keep them to 140 characters.
it, most farm wives did not enjoy as much
sleep as their husbands. Even if care for the
young ones was not an issue, someone still
had to rise well before dawn to start the fire
in the cookstove.
That same someone also was probably
still washing dishes, doing laundry, or
preparing for tomorrow’s chores well
after dark. Weed control in the garden,
not to mention planting the garden, and if
necessary hauling water to irrigate, were
also likely under the auspices of the farm
wife. All of the above was done, at least
traditionally, wearing attire that was nowhere
near as comfortable as bib overalls.
One aspect of farm chores from days of
yore that I frequently emphasize (perhaps
to a level of annoyance to some) is the
importance of everyone participating —
even the children. Child labor laws were no
doubt necessary in sweat shops and factories
of yesteryear but were once unheard of on
the farm.
Kids were expected to work at necessary
chores such as splitting wood in the
wintertime to keep the woodbox full, hoeing
weeds to help mom in the garden or dad in
the field, or milking the cow and gathering
eggs. Animals needed to be fed and watered
regardless of whether or not they were
reminded to do so by parents.
I have a good friend and neighbor who
just celebrated his 85th birthday. As a result
of his father being injured and his older
brother being off to war, he was forced to
assume responsibility for management of the
farm at age ten.
This meant that 160 acres had to be
plowed and planted with a team of horses
and 11 cows had to be milked twice a
M att W ood
FROM THE TRACTOR
day—by hand (his handshake is still firm
and genuine).
This early set of circumstances set him on
a course that he still pursues three-quarters
of a century later — honest work for honest
pay, self-reliance and the need to conjugate,
commune and commiserate at one of the
community’s three important institutions —
the school, the church and the tavern.
■
Matt Wood is his son’s hired man and his
daughter’s biggest fan. He lives on a farm
near Helix, where he collects antiques and
friends.
In the spirit of understanding racism
uring my 13 years in
I find a Black Hills trail guide
Rapid City, South Dakota,
listing the 7th Cavalry Trail as if
I’ve learned that racism
it’s fun for people to follow the
and ignorance almost always go
trail of mass murderers who killed
hand-in-hand. The West was “won,”
anywhere from 75 to 125 babies,
many people learn in school, but
children and women at Wounded
what did westward expansion mean
Knee in 1890.
for the Native people who were
I buy a Happy Meal for my
already living on the land?
daughter only to find a 7th Cavalry
Evelyn
The lure of gold brought
Red Lodge Custer doll inside. She gets upset
explorers, miners and then
when I try to explain why I think it
Comment
homesteaders to South Dakota
belongs in the trash.
during the 19th and early 20th
In a jewelry shop along Mount
centuries. I imagine that most of those
Rushmore Road, I look at the gold for
“invaders” — from my point of view —
which my grandparents’ territory was
didn’t think twice about booting the local
invaded and spot a wine-bottle holder
people out of the way. But that was then.
depicting a Native chief chugging a
The question today is why racism persists
bottle of wine. Old stereotypes die hard.
when America prides itself on tolerance and According to a recent study in the journal
respecting diversity.
Drug and Alcohol Drug Dependence,
Here are examples from my life that
alcohol consumption by Natives is shown to
reveal the kind of blatant racism I’ve
be generally less than that of Caucasians in
experienced, as well as some of the
the United States.
unconscious racism that is sometimes
Just walking downtown in Rapid City,
almost comical.
the so-called City of Presidents, I spot the
I go to a Rapid City council meeting
stores along the way that used to sport signs
where a white local suggests placing statues saying “No Indians or Dogs Allowed.”
of Native Americans in Founders Park,
I go to He Sapa — the Black Mountains
rather than in the proposed First Nations
— where I look upon the faces of past
Sculpture Gallery in Halley Park. As
U.S. presidents who helped wipe out so
Native author Elizabeth Cook-Lynn put it,
many Indigenous peoples. I remember that
the suggestion was made “without a hint
Natives were only declared to be citizens
of irony.” After all, who were the original
by the United States Congress less than 100
founders if not Native people?
years ago.
I go to the veterans’ parade where the
In 2015, I feared to go to any sporting
7th United States Cavalry, formed in 1866
event after a drunk beer salesman poured
to protect homesteaders and raid Native
beer on Native students at a hockey game
villages, is still honored. These days, of
and shouted, “Go back to the reservation!”
course, more Natives serve in the military
Within days, dumping beer on Natives had
per capita than any other ethnic group,
become a common occurrence at other
according to the director of the National
venues.
Museum of the American Indian. But few
I picked up the local newspaper four
Natives march with the veterans in the
days after the drunk hockey fan did his
parade.
business, and the question was raised on
D
the front page: Had the Native students
who were attacked stood for the national
anthem? (Not that it should make any
difference, but it was reported that the
students did stand.)
I feared to walk on the north side of
Rapid City in 2009 and 2010, after at least
two Native families with children were
egged while racial slurs were hurled at
them. “Go back to where you came from!”
is a laughable favorite. One Native woman,
who was disabled, was run off the road
while driving her car. Urine in bottles was
thrown on other Natives. Some Natives
were shot with pellet guns.
At the same time — and I am glad to
report this — many of the attackers were
held accountable after much public outcry:
The jewelry store owner removed the
wine holder featuring a drunken Native
from her window after local media asked
why she’d given it prominence.
The newspaper removed its victim-
blaming story from its Internet site.
Two 21-year-old women were arrested in
the incident involving the disabled woman,
becoming the first in the state to be charged
with its new hate-crime law, “malicious
intimidation or harassment.”
As for failures in the quest for justice, the
drunk hockey fan was eventually acquitted
of his one and only charge of disorderly
conduct. And I am unaware of any charges
brought against anyone for the attacks
involving egg and urine throwing and pellet
guns.
Racism persists, I am sorry to report. I
still feel it every day.
■
Evelyn Red Lodge is a contributor to
Writers on the Range, the opinion service of
High Country News. She is a correspondent
for Native Sun News Today and member of
the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. PRESIDENT
Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
U.S. SENATORS
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office: 541-962-7691
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office: 541-278-1129
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Greg Walden
185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
La Grande office: 541-624-2400
GOVERNOR
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
REPRESENTATIVES
Greg Barreto, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-38
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
SENATOR
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-423
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729 Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us