https://voicesofignacio.cvlcollections.org/files/original/1c507177d149ffe9f913e6c6fbd8709d.pdf 3f6d3b1594cd7f1850340688f84440b8 PDF Text Text Ruby Garcia (Southern Ute Elder) My name is Ruby T. Garcia, and I live at 1328 County Road 516, Ignacio, CO 81307. I was born on November 24th, 1918 in Ignacio. That was during the war; First World War. My first school was at Santa Fe. We left on the train and when we got to Santa Fe, they told us to go to our grade room. They asked my sister first what grade she was, and she said she was third grade. Then they asked me, and I told them I was third grade. But, I didn't even know nothing; I didn't even know how to read, I didn't even know how to talk English. And, they sent me back to the kindergarten. But, I finally picked up. That's about it at Santa Fe. I've been to different places. I've been to Towaoc Indian School; I was there from the third and fourth. Then I went to school at Ignacio for fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth. And then, I went to Sherman Institute in Riverside, CA I graduated there. I took up home economics, but like I always tell the people, 'I'm a jack of all trades and a master at none.' I came home; I got a job at the hospital. I was a Nurse's Aide. That was kind of interesting; working with sick people and caring for them. Then I went to different places. I went to Salt Lake City and I sewed a lot. Sewed clothes for the Army. Then I went to Salt Lake. I worked there for a while: making swim suits. Then I decided to go (World War II was going on), to go to California and get me a job. They hired me, they said I had to drive. And, I told them I didn't know how to drive. They said, 'Well, you're froze to it. You're going to learn one way or the other.' So I finally learned how to drive a bus. I drove the Italian prisoners to work, you know, there on the field. But, there were MPs [military policemen] on the bus and I wasn't afraid. I'd hear them talk, and I asked one of the Italians if they knew English. And, they pointed to one and they said, 'Oh, they're telling you bad things.' I told them, 'You tell them I told them to shut up or they're going to get out!' Boy they were quiet. I had to laugh at them. We ate with them at the mess hall. They had their own, you know; the prisoners-of-war. But it was interesting. Afterwards I wasn't afraid of them; I got used to them. And then the war was over. .. I came home. Now I'm here, in one piece. I worked for the Tribe. I worked with them for twelve years; with the welfare. After that I worked for the Peaceful Spirit; that's alcohol. I went to training to be a counselor. I enjoyed it. But, then, I got tired of the whole thing. I said I might as well retire, and I retired. Now I'm home and I'm enjoying it: I go to the casino and have fun, lose or win. Sometimes I win and sometimes I lose, but it's fun. I meet a lot of people, I enjoy it; it's something different than to live alone. Living alone, people say, is aweful. But, I manage. I crochet, I do beadwork, I occupy my time, and when I'm tired of that, I go to the casino and talk and laugh and joke with them people. Lately, I've been in poor health. Other than that, I'm okay. My folks come to see me. That's my great-granddaughters [two ofRuby's great-granddaughters and her great-greatgrandson were present during the interview] and that little one is my great great grandson. And thi.s little one [the father of Ru by' s great great grandson], we' re going to send him to dance at the �powwow [Laughter]. They're going to have a powwow pretty soon. They're having two powwows next month; one for the casino and one for Gerald Hall [?]. [M. Miller: What were your parents' names?] I was born out of wed-lock, let's put it that way. But, I knew who my father was; he came to me. My mother's name was Uterpy [sic?] Taylor. That's why my name was Ruby Taylor, because she wasn't married when she had me. But just the same, life went on. Life has been good, and it's still good providing I get off of this oxygen! And, now, they've got me blowing on that thing [points to a medical device] in my mouth. Pretty soon you'll see me like this [makes a bloated gesture], full of air. My daughter's grandson told me, 'Grandma, your stomach is getting big. Are you going to have a baby?' And I said, 'No, I'm full of air.' [Laughs] And he said, 'How did you get that air inside of you?' And I told him through this [points to the oxygen tube in her nostrils]. You know, they're funny. They say, 'no fools, no fun.' Right? That's about my life. [M. Miller: 'What was your husbands name?'] My husband's name was Joe Weaver; the father ofmy two daughters (Arlene and Lillian). They're both married and look at all that bunch of accumulated kids from me and them two girls [points to a wall full of photographs]. There's five generations on there. Quite a bunch, huh? Look at this white-headed woman [points to herself in a generational picture of her family]. [Laughs] There's five generations there; there's this little one when he was small [her great great-grandson]. Well, it's good to be old and retired: staying home; don't have to worry about getting up or nothing. But I hate to get sick. [M. Miller: 'What do you remember about Sherman Indian School?'] I went to school there, I took up home economics. Learned how to cook; learned how to sew; learned different things (canning, all that stuff). I liked it. I even went back to see the place after I finished. Some of the old employees were still there. But, in those days things were cheap. I tell the people, bread used to be 10 cents a loaf You could buy tennis shoes like that for a $1.98. You don't get them for no $1.98 anymore; they run from 60 on down. And other, regular shoes (you know, I call them 'dancing shoes'), they're high priced, too. I think the cheapest is $20. Food used to be cheap. Gas was $.25 a gallon, and look at it now. It's outrageous. It's gone up, up, up. It was hard for the people. Frank B. (he used to be an Anglo), he used to run a meat shop. He used to donate food for the people to have a Bear Dance and a feast. They'd cook out there. Oh, it was nice, but now it's so different. Everything is so high, and I don't ever remember paying income tax. I don't know when that started, because I never paid income tax. Or, maybe I overlooked it, didn't bother to do income tax. But, now, you have to. �That's about the story of my life. I don't know what else there would be. [M. Miller: 'Did you have brothers and sisters?'] I had brothers and sisters. My sister died, my two brothers died, and there's only one brother left: Sylvian Taylor Valdez and me. There're just two ofus left. But my mother ... she had one brother living, Henry .Taylor, but he passed away about three or four months ago (I don't remember). He died. I lost my mother March the 24th, 1994. It's sad; sadness. Now I'm all alone here. I don't like to interfere with my daughters: living with them (sort oflike 'mooching'). I'd rather live alone and live my own life. Get up when I feel like it; eat when I feel like it; go to bed when I feel like it: nobody to boss me. But, my younger daughter tells me (she sees me at the casino), 'Aren't you ready to go home?' And I told her, 'No, I'm having a good time. You go home.' [Laughs] And I stayed down there. Then I called my brother up: 'Come and get me. Come and take me home,' when it's over. But, the casino never closes. The people are still pulling on them machines. The card table, where I usually play, closes up at four. (But they usually close up at 3 :30 to clean up and count the money.) So, I had my days too; go down there. I have won a big jackpot; $36,000. I won about four jackpots for $2,700 and I won several ones for $1,200. But boy they really soaked me for income tax this past year. I said, 'I ain't got no business winning so much. So I quit. I just play cards where they don't take income tax. [M. Miller: 'Did you dance when you were younger?'] Oh, boy. Believe it! I used to do the twist and everything [laughs]. They had a dance down here and my uncle, the one that died that I was telling you about, came over. They were having a dance dontest, and he came over to me and said, 'Come on. Let's dance, let's show them how it's done.' So we went, and we won. They gave us $20, you know prize? But, now, I can't even dance. My leg is still crippled up. That money cart at the casino hit me right here [points to left leg], and since then I've been sick. My leg swells up and then I have a blood clot on this leg. They doctored me on that; they gave me pills. Look at all these pills that I take ... very sickening [laughs]. I used to like it [the Bear Dance]. I used to do the "Forty-nine," the powwow; I used to do that. But, now, I don't do nothing. I stay home, I watch TV, go to bed, eat, go to the casino, and come home and go to bed, then start all over again. I don't go down there every day. Certain times. They were going to give a car away and they called my name, my ticket. They had a lot of them over there get one. They called my name in there, and I won a free room at the casino and two meals for two. I said, 'For two? Where's my better half?' And them guys stopped and said, 'Me!' And I told them, 'No, I'm not going to take you. Beat it!' [Laughs] I know Spanish, I know Ute, and I know a little bit of Navajo and Paiute; I know Paiute. I understand Italian, because Italian is almost like Spanish. Do you think I had an interesting life? �Yeah, I don't want to win too much money, because they said I make too much money and cut it off There's always a trick. They put up a casino where you make money, and then when you make money they want a cut of30% off Gosh. IfI would have known, I wouldn't have played that much. But, when I paly at the poker, then they give me tickets. They give them to me and I sign my name. They called my name and them people hollered, 'There she is!' [laughs] I had fun. My brother's son won the Jeep; he won it. [M. Miller: 'Did you ever serve on the Tribal Council?'] No. I didn't have time for that. I was too busy helping the poor people. You know, helping them to get pensions. Helping them, you know, what needs to be done. After I got through eith that, I kind of helped the people that drink a lot. I used to drink a lot, too, after the war ... beer. [M. Miller: 'Did you serve on the Committee of Elders?'] Yeah, I was the first Chairman. They gave a party when I retired, and they gave me that blanket. That's a Pendleton blanket; costs lots of money. The Council gave me that, and the one that's on my bed, the Committee of Elders gave me that; another Pendleton blanket. But, I'm satisfied. The Tribe gives the elders $3, 100 every month. That keeps you going. It keeps me going to the casino [laughs]. Look at him [Ruby's great great-grandson], he's still looking at me. He doesn't know me too well. Go to sleep, go to sleep [to her great great-grandson]. I'm glad to know that all my tw.o daughters, my grandchildren and all, have finished school and gone on to college. They have even graduated from college. Interviewed by Michael Miller (VISTA worker) in her home on March 29th, 2004. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael Miller Interviews Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/ Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 2003-2004 Subject The topic of the resource Ignacio, Colorado; Southwest Colorado Description An account of the resource Collection of twelve biographies written by VISTA worker Michael G. Miller of prominent people in the Ignacio community. Based on interviews conducted by Miller between December 9, 2003 and March 15, 2004. Some contain the additional attribution "for the Ignacio Historical Society." Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Ignacio, Colorado; Southwest Colorado Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Miller, Michael G. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ruby Garcia Biography Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 2004-03-29 Subject The topic of the resource Garcia, Ruby; Ignacio, Colorado; Southwest Colorado Description An account of the resource Biography of Ruby Garcia written by VISTA worker Michael Miller and based on an interview conducted by Miller on March 29, 2004. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Ignacio, Colorado; Southwest Colorado Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Extent The size or duration of the resource. 4 pages