Many of the writings in this blog include references to Native American culture and traditions. In our family, we always knew that Grandpa (John) Baker had a deep admiration and sincere respect for Native peoples. For readers who didn't grow up with that understanding, some of these references might feel surprising or raise questions about cultural sensitivity. I want to share that his intentions were never mocking or careless.
I was only 14 when Grandpa passed, but even in that short time I could feel how strongly he connected with Native American ways of life. It seemed to come from a place of genuine kinship. I didn’t know the full story back then, so while preparing this blog I reached out to others who knew him better and could help me understand where that connection came from. —BillFrom Vickie, daughter of Virginia:
I was told that in Grandpa's youth (more adolescent than child) he spent time in the wilderness alone. He loved the forests. During one of his excursions he came across a Native American hermit who lived in the wilderness, a lone man who was (possibly) at one time a chief. They struck up a friendship and Grandpa returned to the forest now and then to spend time with this man who taught him the Native American customs for caring for the land and for self. Grandpa adopted these teachings and his philosophy for caring for the earth.From Karl, son of Dorothy:
Grandpa had a deep appreciation for the Indian ways of life. He often spoke about the Erie Tribe, why them in particular, I do not know. He appreciated the simple, conservative and efficient way they lived. Grandpa also had a love of the outdoors, especially the mountains. I can remember on more than one hiking or camping trip, he would comment "this is my kind of church."
Now enter the Mountain Men. The Mountain Men a hundred years ago were the fur trappers living in the mountains as well as living among the Indians. They got along well with the Indians and practiced Indian ways.
Grandpa considered his family "his tribe" and anyone going with him off to the mountains for a hike or camping were his "Mountain Men." Then there was 'the brand', the Flying B (~B~). This was to mark his possessions and anyone going with Grandpa should have their own 'brand' marking their possessions. This is the way the Indians and the Mountain Men did it.
And the Indian Name. So the story goes, Indians were given several names. When they were born they were given a 'cradle name' such as Phill. Then as they grew to an early teenage year, they were given a 'Brave's name' relating to something special that they had done, such as 'Whitewater'. This name they carried until they became an elder of the tribe. Grandpa's was 'Chief Little Buck'. It fit him well as he was in charge of the family as well as he was a 'Chief Officer' of the Fire Department when he worked for L.A. City Fire.
In today's world we talk about economy, recycling, energy efficiency, and conservation. The Indians of long ago practiced all of these things. So did Grandpa. Grandpa's comments on a lot of things were "there is nothing new, they just get rediscovered."
One thing you have to understand about Grandpa is the era that he was born and raised. This was an era in which Indians were much more prevalent than they are today. This was an era in which the Indian culture was being "rediscovered" because of what the government had done to them. The government thought that the Indians were bad people and in the way of progress, so they rounded them up and put them in reservations to seal them off from society. 50 years later (Grandpa's time) it was discovered that the Indians were not so bad after all. Also Grandpa was raised in the Eastern part of our country. There was a higher Indian population in that area. Those Indians were a much more peaceful band and did not all get 'rounded up' like the Plains Indians did and lived much closer to the "White Men."
I am thinking that Grandpa befriended someone who was an Indian or a Mountain Man or knew a lot about them. Thus, Grandpa's thinking like them, which isn't a bad thing at all.
