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05 Wolakota Project Video Transcripts and URLs.docx · WP-0110. Imported source record; individual Elder status and tribal affiliation are not inferred.
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Interview transcript
I think the best part of growing up was being raised in the country. I really get mad at mom and dad for correcting us, but now I'm so thankful. The way my mom would correct us, she'd talk with us. I think the only time she put her hands on me was when she pulled me by my ear. By my ear, but that was it. And my dad, that was a different story, him with the boys, because he was always making it really clear to mom, you take care of the girls, I'm going to take care of the boys. So they had their share, too. But overall, after I was able to work through all of that, everything that happened as a child to where I was when I went to treatment, I was able to put that out and take a look at it. They were there to help me. They prayed with me. I just felt new again that I didn't have anything to hide anymore. I didn't have to escape into alcohol and drugs because I knew that's why I was running to that was because of the things that I'd been doing or all that. So that was a good thing. My mom and dad, my dad could not believe that I wanted to walk a different way. And my mom was always there, because January 4th is the fourth day of every month that comes up for a sobriety birthday, my mom would call me and congratulate me. So when we lost her, I missed that. But there was another lady that I have a lot of respect for, and her name is Mrs. Winifred Bobe. She's an elder from Pierre. And I worked with her at the shelter for young people, for the adolescent group home. I worked part-time there. And then I became full-time, she would call me on every fourth day to take mom's place, in that way, in a good way, she'd say. So just recently here, probably, I shouldn't say really recently, probably about a month ago maybe, my kids laugh at me because I don't know how to use Facebook. I have to, as soon as I get a message, then I'll click it. I'll bring everything up. And I saw her there. I saw her name on that chat box. So I clicked on it, and I said, Mrs. Bobe. And we started chatting. So I see her there every now and then, but I hadn't seen her for a while. And I think I mentioned something to her about that, about the fourth. I hadn't heard that for a long time on the fourth. Every fourth day, she would call me.