Ep.011 Remembering the Past with Nancy Shippentower-Games

Nancy Shippentower is a member of the Northwest Fishing Commission, a member of the Puyallup nation, and a fighter for tribal and fishing rights. Her parents are Jackie McCloud and Tom McCloud. She grew up in a family invested in the fishing wars during the 50’ and 60’s. She told us about how her father and their relatives went to jail for 60 days. When they were in jail the other inmates didn’t believe that they were there for fishing, and they asked the guards if they were telling the truth. Unlike many people in jail, her family were denied early release. Billy Frank jr. was her uncle, and he joined them in jail, was even kept in jail an additional week. Soon after he became the spokesperson for the tribes in Washington who fought for their fishing rights. Darrell mentions that he did speak very well and very strong, able to unite the tribes around his mind. She told us the story of when her father went to jail when she was 8 years old. At this time they were very poor (though she never saw it that way then) and she had to go to Woolworth to get her shoes fixed. This was exciting because she could see her daddy. Yet when she went to meet him there was only a steel wall. So little was the opening in it, that she could only see his eyes. She wanted to grab him so much she couldn’t help but cry. Nancy then saw the rest of her family, including her cousins and uncle who made her laugh. Yet when they went back to their cells they all cried for how forsaken their wives and daughters were with them in prison. However the women didn’t let themselves become forsaken. Instead they banded together and went fishing, helped each other, and fed each other. But do not believe that because they were strong that they took the jails and detentions lightly, for whenever the possibility of jail came up, a family meeting would be called to determine if the family members should go through with the stand. They did believe in what they were doing. Darrell then asked Nancy about when her mother got involved in fighting for Treaty and fishing rights. However Nancy answered that her mother not only stood for those pillars, but also for the poor, the welfare system, a decent education, empowerment to women and fixing the foster care system for children. When she got to this note, Nancy described a story of when her mother wrote a letter called “operation Rotten Apple” about how Native kids were being taken from their homes and given to non native homes. Soon after that she received a house call from a social worker who delivered her cousins unto her saying “Here’s your rotten apples, you can have them.” After this her mother started taking in kids who had no home. Darrell and Nancy then discussed how her mother also fought for Sweat Lodges inside Prison. This began shortly after she got invited to the American Indian Brotherhood. She had learned that many native men and women couldn’t practice their religion due to the absence of Sweat Lodges to worship in, about how to fast and pray to the creator people had to put themselves in solitary. Nancy’s mother was so tenacious, she actually got banned from prisons, but she got back inside after she appealed to the upper levels of government. She also tried encouraging the inmates for after jail by bringing in celebrities like Jane Fonda and Dick Gregory (who is featured in the podcast later). Darrell then brought up her Minnesota visit which happened around 1969 or 8. Nancy was supposed to be married in New York, Six Nations but changed her mind. On the way back in Minnesota they met Dennis Banks and Russell Means and the Vernon Bellecourt who then came to Washington state. They all had plans to make an American Indian Movement, which her mother became a founder of. She wound up adopting almost all of them due to how much they listened to her and respected her age. Darrell asked about Nancy’s connection to Tulalip, to which Nancy responded “my mother is Tulalip.” Nancy then discussed her Grandparents and their experience with boarding schools. She told Nancy of many things; sending kids to Alaska when it was cold, and Arizona when it was hot; how you couldn’t make friends with anyone because who knew if they’d die or not?; how young girls were raped by teachers or priests when they reached puberty. Her grandfather even explained that nuns wear long dresses to hide the pregnancies they got from raping young men. Her grandma went from foster home to foster home. When she was on 1rst Avenue in seattle though, she learned how to cook international food. She taught him all how to cook all kinds of food. But she also brought strength as she had to hide and protect her little sisters whenever they would come home from drinking. She, her cousins Warren Haze and Mannie from Tulalip and would protect her little girls. Her grandfather was John Wrenicker but Nancy never really knew him well. Her grandparents were friends that ran from the boarding schools together together, but they didn’t last. She also explained that Louretta Joseph was her first cousin and was a Henry, Leroy Henry was her grandma’s father. Apparently Nancy’s mother wanted to be buried next to her dad but decided to ultimately be buried next to her grandma. Nancy then talked about the occupy Cascadia movement which was spearheaded by Ramona Bennett. This movement tried to keep the FBI from selling the Cascadia diagnostic center for troubled kids. At the time it was basically another jail, but it was till on Puyallup land, so they went in and took it over so the country could give it back to them. Responding to Darrell’s question about what it was that her parents left her, Nancy answered: love, compassion and spirituality. She reminisces about how good her parents were; about how her Father taught his daughters about being strong, even taking them to karate to teach them how to defend themselves. Fixing cars, changing tires and never let a man push you down, those were other lessons they taught their children. Her mom taught her how to can and a lot of things at her house. With 7 other kids in the house, there were assigned roles to accomplish. When Nancy was pregnant with her son she was nominated by her father to the Fishing Commission at Puyallup. From there she was elected Chairman, and the only women on the commission. She then got on Northwest Indian Fisheries, were she had to go to a meeting in Seattle. There she met Allison and Kathy when the northern tribes wanted to intercept the salmon. When their policy rep wanted to have their side step down, Nacny stood up and said “You want a fishing war? I will give you a fishing war.” And then went to battle with the northern tribes which, Nancy reminded Darrell, includes Lummi. She expressed she didn’t want to fight with the tribes, but that it was necessary to grapple after Boldt gave away half the fish. However a deal was reached with all the tribes, though it took 6 to 8 months of negotiations. Nancy reminded us that gillnetters did not have treaty rights, and Governor Rosalini wanted to turn this state into a competitive fishing state. This lead Nancy to remember a meeting she took her 12 year old daughter to during the fishing wars. Despite there being only a few native people there, the mob got extremely hostile. The people there allowed a mob to get riled up, and she wasn’t sure what would happen, but the police came and escorted them to their car. Even then though people followed them out with the police and Nancy half suspected them to follow her home.. Dick Gregory wound up getting involved with Nancy’s family and the fishing wars. He was really good at throwing benefits for the Tribes and Native rights. In fact he was arrested for protesting! He was charged and convicted in Jail, which inspired Marilyn Brando to get involved. However when he was arrested the police didn’t charge him, they just wanted his autograph. When Dick went to jail, an encampment to support him was set up by Nancy’s mom across from the jail. She didn’t let adults come in, feeling that there needed to be only young people in the encampment. Then one night the Black Panthers came by, for they were upset that Dick was in jail for fishing rights. During their stay, Jackie McCloud was the only person willing to meet with them. Turns out Dick’s commitment to the cause led him to a hunger strike after Robert Comp, Nancy Nugyett and Bill Cosby couldn’t convince the judge to let Dick go. He wound up almost dying during his hunger strike. The guards sent for his wife to try and convince him to eat, but she simply asked him what he wanted her to do, to which he said “if Im going to die for this cause, Im going to die for this cause.” After which the judge realized Dick really would die on his watch, got scared, and ordered Dick’s release. After his release there was a huge arrest at the encampment. Darrell note that this wasn’t necessary. Nancy’s mother went down to unite with the Black Panthers. Nancy notes that their fights were almost the exact same as Native fights but without treaty rights, and that their ancestors didn’t have a choice in coming to America Nancy ended the podcast with these words: to stay strong and stop the negativity that keep seeping into the modern movements. People need to be careful what they bring into the movements. If there’s a leader, support them, do not become jealous and envious as Nancy saw with the leaders of her past. There’s nothing but love for human beings. Only politicians and education makes people racist. On her final note, Nancy tells Darrell how she saw someone on the news claim that the president only wants to make America white again. But as Nancy points out “America was never white! Before anyone came here everyone was brown. Where’s their education at?”

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Ep.011 Remembering the Past with Nancy Shippentower-Games is an episode from Friends & Relatives Radio Hour by Children of the Setting Sun Productions.

This episode is 00:34:00 long.

This episode was published on Feb 28, 2018.

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