complete

42 “i live here!”boarding-school experience was miserable. Willie and Maiselle weren’talone in their bitterness.On the 175th anniversary of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, KevinGover, assistant secretary, offered an apology for the bia policydesigned to “destroy all things Indian” at America’s boardingschools. He apologized for “brutalizing them emotionally, psychologically,physically, and spiritually . . . never again will we seizeyour children. . . . Never again.”Despite Maiselle’s unhappiness at Chemawa, the years in Oregonplanted a seed. One day, she would dedicate the rest of her life to theeducation of Indian children.Billy was closest in age to his brother Don, the confident, loving,and youngest McCloud. Don had a heartfelt laugh and a signaturesense of humor. Many Indians are well-known storytellers and Donwas never without commentary. When he got older, Don would tellstories to his children as he poled canoes on the river. “When hechecked his net, he would always throw a fish on the banks,” saysShippentower-Games. “We would ask him why he was doing thisand he said: ‘If you don’t feed the little people, they would play trickson you!’ He told us a story when he went one night and he forgot tothrow the fish. Pretty soon, he seen little lights and his hair stood onend and rocks were flying at him so he didn’t forget to feed the littlepeople anymore.”Tragedy struck when Billy was twelve. Rose lost her husband andovernight became a single mother of six. Her husband, Herman BuckJohn, was a paratrooper who died with honor. He had slung his seabag over his shoulder for war the last time Billy saw him alive. Withhis nieces and nephews in tow, Billy followed his uncle down a dirtroad. “He turned to the right to go down to the highway and catchhis bus. We never saw him again. He got killed over in Germany.”Private Herman John of Nisqually died in the European Theater ofOperations, 1945.Rose depended a lot on Willie and Angie. She lived frugally, with