When Ken died in February 2021, we had an outpouring of messages from readers, with many telling us how much his columns meant to them. In light of that, we thought we would go back through our files and re-publish some of them. Ken would be flattered by the kind words readers expressed. We miss him as a friend and as a storyteller.

I have a tattoo on my arm. Actually the tattoo is more of a statement than anything. It says “In the Spirit of Crazy Horse.” I got the tattoo forever engraved when I was 18 years old. At the time, I was involved with a group of people who believed in change and that one person could make a difference. I first heard about the American Indian Movement (AIM) when I was a pre-teen. I recall watching television news and learning that a group of people had taken over Alcatraz Island. The old prison, located near San Francisco, was inhabited by so-called “radicals” or Indians of All Tribes. From what I remember, they demanded equal rights for North America’s indigenous population. At first I wondered why they did it because I, being young, thought things were going along pretty well.

As I grew into my later teens, I started to see thing were not as they appeared to be. I looked around in own family and saw we were not a family anymore. I had escaped countless foster and group homes; my brothers and sisters were placed all over the world. My mother and father fell into the cycle of alcohol abuse and my home community was filled with violence. I was drawn to AIM because they saw a future where North American Indians would be free of the many constraints that governed our daily lives. The older members of the organization taught the younger ones to be proud. There was never a mention of acts of terror or extreme radicalism. In fact, the message was about peace and to hold true to oneself.

AIM in the United States, and probably Canada these days, are terrorist organizations. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) called the members of the American Indian Movement “assholes in moccasins.” I can only say at least the FBI has a sence of humour. lf they only knew what the brothers and sisters of AlM called the FBI. On a side note, in Indian country, FBI once stood for Frigging Big Indian or Full Blooded lndian. These days, however, it stands for Facebook Indian.”

When I turned 18, I started to follow a group of AIM members to powwows, round dances and other ceremonies of the First Nations. The group I was with was more concerned about growing spiritually and leading a healthy life. We had our own teepee that stood out because it was so big. The other teepees, which were regular size, appeared small. During the evenings and late into the night our teepee would be full of people, some of whom had travelled hundreds of miles to listen to speakers. Most of the speakers were elders and their messages were fairly simple. However, there would always be one who spoke like Martin Luther King Jr., and his message was always to break away from the clutch of government. “Blaze your own path” is something that stuck with me.

That was 40 years ago. Today, I can still picture the people that spoke: I can still hear and feel their words. After all these years, I carry the message to be kind to people, speak the truth and be proud of whom you are. Crazy Horse was the war chief of the Sioux Nation. He led the charge to defeat General George Custer and his seventh cavalry in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The world’s largest monument is presently being built of Crazy Horse in the Black Hills of the Dakotas in the U.S. The statue is so big one can stick the Statue of Liberty in the Horse’s nostril. He is also credited with saying, “It’s a good day to die.” I asked a Sioux elder what that meant and I was told if you live the days to their fullest and live every day like it’s your last, then any day is a good day to die.

– Ken Noskye