Category Archives: Henri Chatillion

Okla-homeward bound

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

June marks the season when families return to Oklahoma and South Dakota. I’m packing a suitcase in my mind, getting mentally ready for the journey. Soon we will join our relatives in Grayhorse for the Osage dances: a time when … Continue reading →

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Java tales

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Returning to Portland after a jaunt to the East Coast put coffee in perspective. Our hunt for New Jersey java focused our activities. Each morning we watched as the beach denizens, robed in shorts and sweatshirts, bellied up to the … Continue reading →

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Rosie Red Top

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

My indatsay, John, shows me a sepia photograph of his family at their home on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The place bears the indelicate name of Stinking Water Creek. Relatives stare at the camera while a white-haired elder sits on … Continue reading →

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Crazy Horse: Tiyospaye

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Larry McMurtry—who wrote Lonesome Dove, The Last Picture Show and Terms of Endearment—penned a biography of Crazy Horse that proved a solid summer read. McMurtry writes about my relatives in the book Crazy Horse (Penguin-Viking, 1999). He says Crazy Horse … Continue reading →

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Believing in the Past: Part 2

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

My last blog shared Francis Parkman’s loving memories of my forebear Henri Chatillon, who served as Parkman’s guide on The Oregon Trail. Chatillon embodied many fine qualities I hope one day to inherit. His wife, my great-great-great grandmother Bear Robe, … Continue reading →

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Believing in the Past: Part 1

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

On the heels of Native American Heritage Month it is time to honor my ancestors. Two folks have benefitted from historical accounts of their sojourns and I like to think I draw on their qualities. Author of the popular book … Continue reading →

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Sequester the Evidence

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

No photographs or images of my ancestor Bear Robe have emerged from the Oglala, Osage or French sides of my family. With one exception. A rolled-up canvas, tucked in the rafters of the family home in St. Louis, was discovered … Continue reading →

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Our Ancestors’ Tales: Rude and Fierce

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

For the month of November I’m writing a blog a day in celebration of Native American Heritage Month. So, in keeping with the sense of heritage, I’m sharing stories about my ancestors, including Henri Chatillon, who served as Francis Parkman’s … Continue reading →

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Medicine Month

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

When I lived in Georgia a fellow academic cautioned me about planning anything on Wednesday evening. Some folks go to church, he said. And when I lived in Teheran, we went to the American School Monday through Thursday, and on … Continue reading →

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When Names Aren’t What They Seem

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I discovered that family names can be invented, forgotten and even lost in the branches of the family tree.

Posted in authenticity, Francis Parkman, Henri Chatillion, Indian, Lakota | Tagged , | 4 Comments