https://voicesofignacio.cvlcollections.org/files/original/6513bc73038587c3e5fe20247b50ef34.pdf 4e6de020042a8ba216d9f176353a1b87 PDF Text Text Ida Kent (Southern Ute Tribal Elder) My name is Ida Kent. I was born here in Ignacio off on the reservation. There's a house now sitting on a hill where I was born. I was born at the foot of the fill there. There used to be a big reservoir that people used for their horses. It was a farming area, so that's what they used for their horses. That's where I was born, in a teepee. I was born in 1921; that's what it says on the paper. Graves Kent is my father and Ada [sic?] Rabbit Kent is my mother. She was from Breen, CO; that's where her folks lived. Where my dad's folks were from I do not know, because they moved around and they didn't really have a set place. My mother's parents had a lot of sheep, so Breen, CO was country that they took up and they lived in that area. And, she was born there. Her grandfather was Rabbit. I really don't remember his name, but they called him Mr. Rabbit. Anyway, he lived in Breen, CO; it's right south of Ft. Lewis. My parents were both Southern Ute. My brother is Bonny[?] Kent and my sister is Isabelle Kent. They're both gone, but they've got children. Bonny's children are Phoebe, Richard Kent, and Emmanuel [?] Kent. Those are the three that are here today. Isabelle's children are Charles Kent, Cynthia Kent, and Betsy Kent. The two girls are up in ... they're working in ... I don't remember. Charlie is around, but I don't know where he is. Those are the three of hers. My children are Albert Kent and Ida[?] Ray Kent (that's her name); she lives down in Albuquerque. My son lives here in Ignacio. I didn't get married until about 1963. I went to the public school in Ignacio until I was in the fourth or sixth grade. I liked the girls, which went to the public school, from the Indian school. I'd ask them, 'what do you do at that school?' And they told me what the girls did. I liked what I heard, so I asked ifl could go to the Indian school. I asked them if it was possible for me to go to school with the Indians. They said, 'sure you can go to the Indian school, but it won't be like the public school. There are a lot of things that are different.' I said, 'I just want to go to be like a girl, to sew or to be a homemaker,' and they laughed at me. But, anyway, I went to public school up to third or fourth grade. So, I went to school up there. I know the sewing machine (the electric sewing machine). I know the electric iron. There were a lot of things I learned that were so useful. Washing clothes: I had a couple of tubs of hot water and washed our clothes on the weekend and be ready for school the next week. I enjoyed going to school at the Indian school. I learned to do many things, like the sewing machine. I sewed my own dress that was torn. I forgot to take my finger away from the needle and sewed my finger right here [points and laughs]. But, nobody was there to help me except for a lady who said, 'what are you doing? Sewing your finger through the needle?' I said, 'I was too slow,' and they said, 'yeah, it's too fast for people like you who don't know how to handle themselves.' That's what I did. Things that were electric were kind of hard to use, but I got used to using them. It was all right afterwards; I enjoyed being there. �Page 2 of3 How many years was I there? Well, they took me when I was in the fourth grade. I must have been in there for four years until I changed back to public school. I didn't want to go back, but my dad said I should go back to do more lessons. I was doing sewing anyway; that was to be my life. Going to school. .. I didn't do so good. But, I went back to public school. I think I just ~w&W ~ clt,-'atkt rherr when-I wasLlrr rhe-tlimir gra1ie-fqui:t- scllooT'- -I hat wa'sn" t 'ri:ghr, .Jambrly'dad was so mad at me. He didn't think I should be punished like any other person. He wanted me to, but he didn't. So, I quit and didn't go to school no more. After that I had my little boy: Albert Kent. So, he's about 70 years old, I think. I'm not quite sure; I've forgotten how old he has become. All that time after I quit school I went back to work at the dorm. I worked with the boys and the girls as an attendant. There were a lot of things I learned that were well worth training for. I didn't become anything that was a better life, but it was a good life in a way. The time that I was sick I couldn't go back to work, so I decided I better quit. They let me quit, and that was in 1975. I spoke English all that time, because I was working with those people. The Navajo don't have the same language, so we spoke in English together. So, practically, I just lived the English way. Once I learned it I lived that life. Maybe it's not the best story I should say, but it's the best I have. *** I used to dance. I'm not one to say I'm 'it'; I don't know all about it. But, when there was a dance I'd go dance. When there was a Bear Dance I'd go dance. There was the Round dance, so I Round danced. I would do the Gourd Dance when they would have it at our Ute Fair. They used to come up and do that, so I danced now and then. People are, as you'd say, members. But, I didn't become a member and only the members could dance. *** I know just part of my grandparents. Oh, what was his name ... John Russell; that was my mother's father. He lost his parents, too, when he was a baby. A lot of people were still roaming then. They didn't have a place to stay, but they said this was tribal land. So, he lived around here. When he moved out to Towoac that's where he met my grandma. So, that's where he stayed, and they lived together. How long I do not know. Anyway, he was gone again. I guess at that time people could give it up and they got something else. That's the way he was: he was a roamer. He had other children, too, after that. So, I don't know too much about them. I knew my father's parents. I knew my grandpa. It was my grandma that I knew that became a landowner on this side of Oxford. I knew the area, but I can't think of it right now. Anyway, that area was big enough, so my grandma took up that. She had my dad, my aunt ... Amy, Mary, my dad. I guess my grandpa passed away up in Utah, where he was from. His parents were from Utah. He passed away, so I just know my grandma; her name is Isabelle ... her name was Ruby Stone Kent. She married John Kent; who was my dad's father. He was from Utah. My mother's were from Breen, CO. �Page 3 of3 *** We had horses ... wagons and horses. So, we more or less rode wagons and buggies or horseback. The first time I rode in an automobile was when I was going to the dorm. I don't know if it was a tribal thing that took us to Durango to buy clothes or what. But, four of us girls from the dorm, from Ignacio went to buy some clothes. Instead of a bus, it was a truck that took us to Durango. I kind ofremember a little bit about that. One of the girls was saying, 'When I'm able to go on my own, I'll be buying me an automobile so I can drive.' As we were coming out from Durango the road there wasn't as it is now. Anyway, we were going down the road and got a flat. We had to get off the truck. We used to tease that girl and laugh. She said, laughing, 'When I get a flat I'll be walking home with my bags.' We were laughing about dragging our stuff home, because not more car. Oh, boy. I don't even remember the girl's name we were laughing about. But, it was so funny. *** We learned to make a garden by a group of girls and boys of the same grade. They were saying, 'this is how you do it when you go home and have a home: you make yourselves a garden. These are things to eat ... like potatoes.' There are a lot of things that they taught us that are useful for eating. We also had rabbits and onions. They were good, too. *** You know, I should have given a thought ( maybe a long time ago) as to how I would put my story together. But, I didn't even think about it. I'm at a loss now to tell my story fully and, maybe, differently. That's the best I've done. *** Well, at least they [Ida's grandchildren] will know that there were a lot of things that were different then than it is today. And, it was really hard to have things, because you didn't have money. We had things we could us at that time. At that time we didn't have electricity, but we still traveled on horses. Not much of anything that you would call was precious to us except horses and wagons and a home; that were teepees or tents. (Not many of us had homes except teepees.) But, I guess it was very useful, because I came out of it. [Laughs]. In a way I'm glad I lived then. Now, everything is different and easier than at the time that I was little, or at the time I became knowledgeable of myself Now things are a lot better than what they were a long time ago. It was all learning and hardship and all, but we really learned to live. And, we were always happy to be together with our family. Let's say, I'm very happy to be with my people that are here today. And, that's about it, I guess. Interviewed Michael G. Miller (VISTA worker) on January 23, 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 Ida Kent Biography Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 2004-01-23 Subject The topic of the resource Kent, Ida; Ignacio, Colorado; Southwest Colorado Description An account of the resource Biography of Ida Kent written by VISTA worker Michael Miller and based on an interview conducted by Miller on January 23, 2004. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Ignacio, Colorado; Southwest Colorado Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kent, Ida Extent The size or duration of the resource. 3 pages