Growing up my Grandmother- Irene Catherine Eagle would tell me about her Grandmother and Father. Her dad, Oscar Eagle, was a hard worker born in Eaglepass, Mexico near the Rio Grande River. Him and his brothers were from the Kickapoo peoples relocated from Oklahoma, Michigan- the Great Lakes areas, to the border of Texas and the U.S. Unfairly, they weren’t given tribal affiliations because the American government didn’t want to grant them dual citizenships’ at the time. The family left the land, as us wandering Kickapoo’s do—and moved to East Los Angeles. My Great-Grandfather Oscar Eagle passed away when my Nana was only 16 years old. Without his records, we have been unable to join the federally recognized tribe through the complications of us not having certificates of birth or death of Oscar or his mother. Being included as a member of the Kickapoo Tribe on their reservation in Texas is a longing I’ve always felt in my spirit.
I grew up next to the Soboba Luiseño Reservation because my mom worked for TANF. There I attended after-school tutoring programs and youth summer programs until they were defunded. Growing up on the outskirts of a reservation was a gift I was blessed to be incorporated in. I attended Notre Dame High School in Riverside, CA- that had been an all boys school located right next to what is now Sherman Indian High School. I was unaware of the horrors that happened at residential schools when I was there, because there was absolutely zero awareness or acknowledgment. My Nana tells me I have the exact same eyes as my Great- Grandfather and that when the sky changes or the sunlight hits my face, my eyes reflect the same way his did from her memory of him. I will be sharing his photograph on Instagram. Thank you for reading.
-Sabrina
