Creative Endeavors

Yesterday, I attended a Creative Endeavors' meeting, which ended up as usual being filled with humor, catching up with friends, and complete with interesting presentations associated with history primarily.  This meeting is held at the Bayliss Library and its purpose is to provide support and encouragement for writers and artists.  A woman, who happens to be extremely creative in several venues, was sitting knitting while listening to a poem prepared by a person who wants to use this poem as part of the tours he provides for the public.  Other people were present, an elder who is a author of children's books, a man who is a photographer and writer, one highschool student (writer), and myself (writer, artist, musician).  Normally, the meeting usually has more people in attendance.  Two other members decided to read to children at another library.  We were not sure what the other members were doing.  The members, who were not in attendance, are also very talented.  One has a great sense of humor and he is a writer and the others are artists and writers. 
The photographer presented pictures he had taken of birds, and other interesting things such as boots hanging from a wall.  Various foliage was planted in these boots, very colorful. This picture was taken near my home.  The woman who provides these interesting displays of foliage is a neighbor of mine.  Her yard serves as one of the focal points during community garden tours.
This photographer likes to take pictures of unique things.  There was a picture of a battered chair sitting by itself.  Some of the bird pictures portrayed waves of water behind the birds that resembled the waves behind a boats as they travel down a river, or other form of water.  One of the members commented that she likes to see movement, so he decided to present a water story with his pictures.
The highschool student informed the group that he was writing a story about WWII.  He was focused on what happened during the war in the Pacific. This sparked the interest of the photographer who was attending the meeting.
He has a great start with his project and was directed by his English teacher to attend our group to obtain feedback. His teacher presented a picture in class of a man lying on the beach with a ship in the background and ask the class to write something associated with this picture.  Kudos to that teacher for creating such a stimulating project for the students. 
This student received very valuable input.  He learned the proper usage of the term "sir" and the type of actions that occurred on the islands in the Pacific during wartime.  There was a discussion about what the pilots were referred to and one member stated that the term was coxswain. 
He wants to set up a personal touch with his story.  He is going to set up a scenario that involves a husband and wife and how the war effected their relationship.  His writing was commendable and he brought you into the scenes literally.  He stood up to demonstrate positions of the men when they were in battle and participating in patrols.
It was pointed out that the elder attending the meeting could give him insight.  She stated that there were food rations during the war such as sugar rations. That was the first time women went to work outside of the home.  She painted little knobs for cars and since she was willing to do it by hand she was paid an extra 5 cents per hour.  She couldn't remember what job her sister took; however, since her sister was working she decided to do so also. 
This student has read alot of books about WWII and has interviewed elders to receive their input.  He is well on his way to creating a very well written book.  It was nice to see such a young person so dedicated to his project. 
The meeting is held from 10:00 to 12:00 on Saturday per month and it was quickly approaching 12:00 so I chose not to present some of the information I learned when I attended the Erma Bombeck Humor Writing Conference in Dayton, OH.  I was going to present information such as participating in the writing process versus writing to achieve an outcome.  In later blogs, I want to provide my readers with more information from the conference.  Tune in for the rest of the story. 

Tocqueville"s "Democracy in America"

       Last evening I attended an excellent presentation at the Chippewa County Historical Society Agency in Sault Ste. Marie, MI.  Dr. Jonathan Allen, Professor of Political Science at Northern Michigan University, provided information about Alexis de Tocqueville's (1805-1859) and Gustavede de Beaumont's (1802-1866) journey throughout Michigan and Wisconsin and other surrounding states and territories to learn about the penal system during the 1800s.  Tocqueville also wrote  two books entitled "Democracy in America."  These explorers sought to discover what the relationship between the native people and Europeans was and if they could refute or support the views of the European explorers and settlers. To explain further,as far back as the 1590s and early 1600s the Europeans viewed the native people as savages.  That point of view was still evident during the time of their exploration.
         The judgement of providence went against the Native Americans.  Technological progress was seen as a rite of passage and self proclaimed superiority.  Tocqueville discovered that divine providence was not determined by one's race.  He was afraid that the democracy held by the European settlers was threatened by their materialistic viewpoints. The antimaterialism demonstrated by the Native Americans went against the beliefs held dearly by the Europeans.
       Tocqueville asked this question, "Why do we see the greatest amount of political freedom coupled with the highest amount of conformity?" Tocqueville compared the views of democracy to the elitist point of view based in Europe. This isn't a new concept.  Remember Copernicus and Galileo.  They went against the mindsets of the elitists and were either put to death or confined to solitude to prevent them from spreading a new way of thinking that went against the elitists' point of view. It was also noted that unpopular views goes against the majority.  Did the majority actually buy into the what the elitists and rulers enforced or were they afraid to go against the norm?
       In order to ensure self worth was to do whatever everybody else is doing.  Allen stated that the purpose of the French Revolution was to sweep away the ranks of power, which in turn created a centralized rule with a lot of vulnerability.  Political supporters misused their power as a result of the growing materialism.  Another viewpoint that was explored was federalism.  Federalism differed greatly from the political system in Europe at the time of Tocqueville and Beaumont's exploration.  In Europe the rule was more unilateral; while in the United States the rule was based on federalism with many layers of rule. 
       Allen also provided information about the Puritans.  The Puritans ensured that men and women were educated equally.  Everyone needed to be able to read and understand the scriptures.  What came to mind was my studies of Plato.  He was also ahead of his time.  Plato believed that women needed to be educated because they were raising the children.  In Plato's Republic, he purported that democracy was threatened because the inhabitants were worshipping the wrong gods such as goods and services. 
       The Quakers went even further regarding the practicing of a egalitarian way of life.  They were peace loving and believed the Indians held the light of God inside them.  They believed the Indian people were their equals and they worked alongside them.  It amazed Tocqueville that there was a celebration of the mixing between two cultures, French and Native Americans.  The Metis was the end result of the mixing which was represented by the French and Indian people coupling in marriage and procreating.  The results of this procreation was referred to as a new segment of the population referred to as Metis. 
         Allen's presentation was thought provoking and brought up the question of what was actually discovered during their exploration of the penal system.  He hinted that the judgement of providence went against the Native Americans and they were considered savages by the majority.  Allen also suggested that the French and Native American unions were celebrated.  He also stated that the British proved to be untrustworthy.  I requested that Allen send me his presentation notes so in future correspondence I may reveal the rest of the story. 

A Visit from Past Experiences

I love to write in many genres from humor, mysteries to writings covering history.  The written word has been my love for many years.  The writing of my book "Remnants of a Shattered Past: A Journey of Discovery and Hope" has also served as a catharsis for me and I hope this work will provide healing and a future filled with more life satisfaction for many people.  This book served as a springboard from my original work, my masters thesis.  Like many others, I have been interested in the history of my ancestors.  First, I delved into the childhood's of elders who were members of three different tribes in Michigan for my thesis. Then I decided to expand my horizons and meet with Indian people from across the river in Canada.  Through many poignant interviews I discovered information about the lives of many Native American people.  A people who possess rich stories about their own history. 

I am going to share with my readers some of the high points from those interviews as well as excerpts from some of my other written works.  "Beyond Historical Trauma" is in the process of being completed.  I have compiled a series of short stories that were written by using a morphorlogical grid. 
This grid was completed with the help of other family members, mostly my adult children.  They helped me come up with characters, plots, barriers, and settings.  These stories were prepared and provided to my father who was suffering from serious health problems.  He was having difficulty reading books so I thought he could read read short stories.  He found a lot of enjoyment when he was reading those stories. 

Again, I love the written word and look forward to providing you with a host of things to enjoy.

Sharon Brunner's Bio

Sharon Brunner

4599 East 5 Mile Road

Sault Ste. Marie, MI  49783

906-632-9500

sbrunner4599@gmail.com

Education:

1997: BS in Sociology with a minor in counseling from Lake Superior State University. 

2002: Masters of Social Work Degree from Grand Valley State University. 

Employment:

The author has been employed by the Binogii Placement Agency (a Native American child placement agency); the Johnson O’Malley Program; Head Start program for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (SSMTCI), and federal reviewer for National Office of Head Start. She is currently an adjunct professor for Bay Mills Community College and serves as the Executive Director of Freedom Eagles Consulting and Research Associates, LLC.

Committees:

Child Welfare Committee for the SSMTCI for over 20 years since 1989 and current President

President of the Lake Superior State University Elders

Guardian Angels for Animals Participant

Friends of a Caring Animal Shelter Board Member

Internship Experience:

While completing the requirements for her MSW, she served as an intern for the prosecuting attorney for the SSMTCI from May 2001 to May 2002.  This experience involved assisting the prosecuting attorney with court preparation for child welfare cases and revising the child welfare code for the tribe.

Author's Book Title:

Remnants of a Shattered Past: A Journey of Discovery and Hope

Currently working on:  Beyond Historical Trauma

Additional Writing Experience:

Completed a masters thesis in 2002 entitled: The Aftereffects of the Boarding School Experience for Native Americans in Michigan

Native American people were interviewed from three different tribes from various locations in Michigan who attended either the missionary boarding school in Harbor Springs, Michigan or the federal boarding school in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

Completed articles for local newspapers and a writer’s magazine. 

Her poetry was published in a community poetry book.