People Of The First Light; The Indian Experience; 105

The. The Native American television project presents the people of the first light of the Indian experience. Throughout

the state of Connecticut the countryside is very beautiful and along this road the land looks much the same as it does elsewhere in southern. But this land is very special. It is in the Western peak walk to Indian reservation in Stonington Connecticut. And what is important about this reservation is that it is growing up tribal members and their families are returning to this land to reclaim a part of their Native American heritage and the Rogers family with Charlayne. Jody Charles and their mother Joanne are among them. It's going to be a piece with 16:16

because. Good feeling inside that you want to do really nothing to do you work like corn flakes. Right now we have a community garden. Everybody participates in this project so that we

can. It's a step towards becoming self-sufficient. We have to be clear with it. It takes two things together. People

just. I meant together. Keep up the family. Go into the garden.

There are many projects like the Garden that the peacocks are developing in the hopes of someday becoming self-sufficient community spirit is important to the success of these projects. The people on the reservation have to be willing to work together for the good of the whole tribe. You. She got you

right. Right on in. Project together and we help one another effort

on different things. The maple trees. I just didn't happen. Should we have three groves. This one we're walking to now was our smallest girl. We've got 300 buckets hung down here and we've got two more groves. We've got one over to the west of where we are right now. This is really a beautiful tree here Charlie.

She's running really slow just about the end of the season and I'm going to get to much more this year. You get a gallon per day per tap when the season is at its peak and then a lot of it depends on the weather too. Let's take a walk down and check some of these other buckets. On a real sunny day like today your trees will produce more syrup on a cloudy day when the sun isn't shining the sap doesn't run as fast. This one isn't running at all. See that tree over there the one with the big top on it. Yeah. The more

branches there are in the more limbs you get. Yeah that has a lot to do with it as you do your tree has to produce more for the branches for the to make the buds that make the leaves. This tree here must be a couple hundred years old. This is a good example of the sap root here till long it is. And when you are looking to the spa you want to put a couple of feet above that from last year. Eventually that'll heal right over just like a cut on your hand will heal and you take your grooves there

and runs right trickles right down and drips in the a bucket. One little drip at a time and does it all day long eventually you'll get about a gallon. Good. OK Charlie you know the other people don't give people push they will carry. It's a pretty electric drill drill. Well I got one bucket on this tree we're going to put in another one.

Now when you're drilling your home in the come up about a couple of feet away right here OK. Crank it. You want to drill it in about an inch and a half just girls really push. That's good. It's already you know you take you take you put that on the end of the spoil stick that right in the hole. But focus to hang your bucket on that leg in the rain. Day

3 it's running good every day. It takes about 35 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon the syrup. It's a pure product comes right out of the tree. All you do is we know you're doing is removing the water from the tree back down at that point. We

have really great and we also have the station to make it easier for us. Karen it up over my head. So what we'll do and I was up here. How long do you know how long I was wait. Yes. Even at the main building here then into the evaporator in there. How much. That's 300 gallons. Do we.

We make it into Syria. That's how much the gallon of water here. Really good. All right. You want to do just a minute here. You've been there. And when it comes down as well. Right

that's good. My grandmother and her people before her have had here and they've always held on to this land so that it passes from the children to the children so that it stays alive. The spirit is here. I will never go away. And it's it's it's those who want to be here and want to do this and want to learn and to grow and to breed the clean fresh country you don't have to worry about to try and rushing around the time clock. But it's it's quiet up here where you can thing and meditate and listen to the birds and just remember who you are here and why this is all here.

It is history. Living here is my theory closer together and closer. I get along too because it is on target each other. That's the Rogers family has been brought closer together because they are willing to work very hard for something they believe in. And there are others returning to the peak watt reservation who are willing to work just as hard as they start a new life for themselves and their families and their tribe. But for most of the Native Americans of southern New England there are no tribal lands to return to. There were no reservations set aside for them for these Indians keeping their tribal heritage alive is a very different matter especially if they live in the city. Man

I mean. Yeah I think. He has a couple of his biggest sports going to me to play sports

right. So sit down and talk. How does being a Native American. You know what happens to me. Why don't I wear what I know. People are used to me and I like anybody I have to really have.

We do culture. Yes I'm trying to get you to more try to do some more. I like to leave them in the right direction of what we're really doing that they've been doing TV for the last you know in the journey. But I had a job this past summer. People come and show you a 60 or 70 century customs. This is any questions that people really don't know too much about it. Try our best to help. That's why we have some

like we have places where people can actually live out in the sexy way especially in the east because everything you see on TV is about the West because they don't think about you know they don't think about it as being the same in some way. Some people most people think India is at the same all over which is not true. Never seen a host of other people and it really makes it even. Why have

you made it. Have you any good. I was really. Can you explain the difference in American history much different. You may have feelings toward something. You see some things that are happening today. Power Plant something I am sure

you know a lot in nature and there are a lot of things you don't need the kind of thing that many people in your family much interested and even if you are one of us to live. When I saw this it indeed was one of the kids is the most interesting you know besides me. You. The

fact is is mostly any face will be confirmed in the open when the star first starts the latest cigarette all by yourself. The first time but after that everybody else comes in to get a lot of times we are also owed some groceries and whatever just made. So we track this sort of time so we could go on. Because if you sing a song rather with a kind of depression it may discern those who like to sing exactly like that person made it.

We have our own drum stick that we need to make ourselves first make some dish for me to do is I'm a fair distance were made out of fiberglas is when they're really not stiff and you have a good flexible you know kind of control myself like to greater powers. I was just a community of people and we got to power as we did or more things or picked up some of the new songs and they have different techniques of to sing

the song the way a lot of tears have guy who's 50 and the guy was 20 and they all sing in different ways. They just make a person and as they go along they could learn that. Sometimes when I'm talking to me like that I was just going to hold a different kind of gets you. You know what I think it is taken two ways you could help your people. It really gets us started feeling of coverage you know a strength to carry on anyway. But I decided to be an Indian Affairs hopefully for the rest of my life and right now I'm just trying to work out a way so I can stay into it.

I don't I just beat it into one weekend and next week and go on to normal things I want to be in there every day. It is because of young people like Steve wicks and the heritage of the Native Americans has survived to this day and it will be their courage and determination which will carry it on in the years to come. But the.