Auntie Lorene Sisquoc is an enrolled member of the Fort Sill Warm Springs Apache and a descendent of Mountain Cahuilla. She is an Elder, weaver, museum curator and author who shared her knowledge with other Elders, Custodians, Indigenous community members and their collaborators during the 2019 Sharing, Strengthening Connections and Continuing Ceremony gathering in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
“It is so important to share our stories and to remind each other of our unique ways as well as our similarities in our cultures. New stories blending in with the old and old stories reminding us of our ancestors and connecting us to them…
When we gathered in Aotearoa/New Zealand it was just that. I think we really saw our unique ways and rally embraced our similarities. We shared songs, stories, basket making and much more. We became family and now are forever related through our traditions, love and respect for our ancestors.”
Auntie Lorene Sisquoc
As part of the ongoing connections, sharing, and learning among our network, Auntie Sisquoc shares stories of Ta’mawet (Mockingbird) and Coyote from her homelands.
Ta’mawet Stories
Auntie Sisquoc’s Ta’mawet stories are inspired by Ta’mawet’s behaviour, one of the Cahuilla Bird Songs about Ta’mawet and the rock she and her community call the Grandmother Rock at Mockingbird Canyon.
Ta’mawet is the Cahuilla word for Mockingbird, meaning big mouth. Ta’mawet is very jelous and protective. You can often see him chasing Al’wet, Crow, away from his nest. Have you ever wondered how it got to be this way?
Ta’mawet has also been a teacher to people. One of the things that Ta’mawet teaches is to get up early in the morning, go outside and face the east to greet the sunrise and give thanks for the new day.
Auntie Lorene Sisquoc
Coyote Gets Married
You may have heard stories of Coyote, how he is a trickster, how he’s adventurous and gets into all kinds of mischief. But this time he gets tricked! Coyote learns an important lesson about getting to know who it is you are meeting and finding out who they are, their name and where they are from.
Auntie Lorene Sisquoc
Lorene Sisquoc (Fort Sill Apache and Mountain Cahuilla Tribes) is Curator of the Sherman Indian School Museum in Riverside, California. She teaches Native American Traditions at Sherman Indian High School, and is a co-editor of Boarding School Blues: Revisiting American Indian Educational Experiences.