Betty Billie interview

Translating For KUED and
By Phyllis Whitehorse

In your recollection what do you remember your great grandparents maternal and paternal grandparents told you about the long walk when you were growing up?

Betty: Ok, hello to everyone. I think the reason why was because of the Dine’ land and because they were accused of stealing that was the reasons why they went on the long walk.

Betty: Ok, hello everyone. What they are asking me I don’t really know about but I will try to answer them. The people that went on the long walk were probably my grandmother and grandfathers on my maternal and paternal sides of my family. The reason why they were all gathered on the long walk was probably because they were accused of stealing. They were all gathered to walk on a terrible journey and spend some years at the place they were at and then sent home. They were going to be sent further south (white flat) but instead they were sent back to their land. The Dine’ people were so happy that they were sent home. When they came home to their land they were given a chance to live how they want to again with their families. So we are here trying to tell these stories that we heard from our grandparents. We don’t really know what happened on the long walk but we try to tell it about how it was told to us. I was also told that when the Dine’ people came back from the long walk they were given sheep to herd and take care of. They would use the wool from the sheep to make Dine’ blankets for clothing. Before the long walk Dine’ people used to wear woven yucca or other plants to use as clothing to cover themselves. They used to weave yucca or different plants for shoes. They used to wrap them around their feet and tie it with strings. That was what I was told about the experiences they had.

What were the conditions of the long walk from the people who made it?
Yeah, the things that happen to them were they were abused when they were gathered and they had blistered feet on their journey. Some of the people, they had to leave behind because they couldn’t travel because they had blistered feet. Some of the people were ill including infants and children. That’s what I was told.

How were they treated by the soldiers?
The soldiers abused them while they were herded. I don’t know if the soldiers were on foot or they rode horses while they herded the people. The people thought that they were being taken through wooded areas but it was all flat all around them.  They were also abused when they got to their destination and while they lived there. All they had to eat there was everything made of corn.

When they were herded they were abused and also when they were living there. They were treated like they were in real battle (like prisoners). The people (soldiers) who captured the people probably also died and not living to this day. They abused the people when they herded them. The people were taught to farm and grow things which they did. That was how the stories were told.

What do you think about your grandmother and the way they were treated?
I wondered why they herded the people to that place (Fort Sumner) and how they abused them. I wondered why they didn’t bury the people that died there in a place where they should be buried but instead they just threw the bodies there. When I visited the place there I was told that the people that died were over there so I just put some flowers there. I just told them, “my ancestors whoever you might be, my great great great grandmother grandfather, even though you were abused and put in this place, your spirit is still around on this mother earth. That’s what I told them when I was there. It was such a long drive even traveling in a vehicle we got there at sun set. Our ancestors have really suffered there. To this day our President and leaders do not really think about what had happened at Fort Sumner. I think of that place as my land and they should build something there so we could make money off of it and it should have been like that.

How do you think they are remembered from your point of view?
I really don’t appreciate what happened there. I wondered if we were not sent back to our land, I wonder where we would be living at, probably not here where we are living now. My ancestors who came back from that place were overcame with emotions tears of happiness to be home and were glad to get to come back to their land and not some place else. I don’t know where we would be living at if they were not sent back to their land maybe someplace else. The people who were sent there was not only from one area they were from all different areas around the land. I don’t know if the (Ozii) people were part of the herd but I don’t know maybe they weren’t here yet at that time. Also the (Nastisa) people. When the people were sent back to there land some of the people stayed at (Beldill dacinili) they now live there and also at (Teesto). Some people who were from here live at (Teesto) to this day. Some of the people who were captured ran away from there at night. Some stories I heard was that some of them came back to Farmington around that area. Some of them came back to this area at night. These are some of the stories that I was told. Some of them didn’t care if they died on the way back just as long as they came back. The people who ran away from Fort Sumner believed that if they got into the mountains the bears would take care of them. The people believed that if they communicate with the bears they listened to them and felt protected. They believed that the mountain creatures took care of them and that’s why they came back to their land. I wondered why they did that to us. Sometimes I really don’t like the white people because of how they treated our people. It is not the white people who are living now that did those things but their relatives who lived at that time are the ones that did those things. But sometimes I really don’t like them to this day of what they did to our people when I am out there among them.

You talked about our leaders?
I told them about what I think about the place where our people were at, as my land and I wanted to know if they could do something about that I don’t want the white people to take that. Now there are a lot of people living there and a school is built there as well. The structures that my ancestors were in are not all there, except a small ruin standing there. There were probably bigger buildings there in the past but there is little left. I tried talking with my leaders about building motels and other things to profit from it so we can receive money from it. I don’t know why the chapter leaders do not do something about it.

How do you think we should remember the people?
I want to remember them by putting up something like motels but the president and leaders don’t do something about it. When reelection come around they say that they would do this and that but they never do what I am trying to suggest.  Maybe if we suggest that again they might do it. This is what I’m thinking about. I want to remember my people by something.

Please describe your grandmother, what kind of a woman was she?
She was from here. My distant grandfather Billy and Lilly Bitda also their daughter Helen Besalt are the ones who told me about the long walk. Billy’s clan is (Nonstisha) and Helen’s clan is (Tashinii). I traveled a lot with them. I wasn’t told stories from my own grandparents. But these people who told me the long walk stories told me a lot maybe some of the stories are not all told to me but they did their best. Billy knows a lot of stories about the long walk and also the creation of the beginning. He told me the correct stories and sometimes I listen to others when they are telling the same stories and usually are not correctly told. That is how I know the stories.

The ones that raised your mother, how were they raised? Did they have sheep and so on?
I was raised in a Hogan with plants on top to make a roof that is how I was raised. I was raised poor. I used to herd sheep and when I got married I married a man whose family had a lot of livestock. I used to herd sheep and took care of their livestock. I used to herd sheep in the mountains. My mother also has live stocks. My sisters have sheep and other livestock but that was after I left.  I have children and that is what kind of a lady I am.