The transformation of Hobo Joe
Life was much more straightforward for Hobo Joe in his youth; his family lived in the country and had minimal contact with the rest of the reservation. His life revolved around the Jerome tiospaye (extended family): his mom, her three sisters, an uncle, first cousins, and other close relatives. They pretty much followed the kinship system of their Dakota ancestors. This caring, supportive family unit made his life predictable; his future was predictable, and he didn't have a care in the world.
Back then, most ndn lived in log cabins, shacks, or older frame homes deemed unlivable today. When Hobo Joe was four years old, his house burnt down (future blog), and they camped out in a tent in the woods all summer until friends and relatives built another log cabin.
Their log cabin was small; it was about 40' x 40' square. A closet was against the northwest corner of the west wall. Next to it was his mom's sewing machine, next to that was his mom's dresser, and next to her dresser, in the southwest corner, was his mom's bed. Next to his mom's bed, along the south wall, on a shelf, was one of those old radios that needed a massive battery and a wire connected to an antenna on the roof to work. Next to the radio was a stand with a washbasin next to the door. The woodbin was along the east wall, on the other side of the door. Next to the woodbin was a kerosene-cooking stove. Next to the cooking stove was an open space. His stepdad nailed a ladder to the wall in this space, which the boys used to climb up to the loft. He and his brothers slept in the loft on mattresses on the floor. On the other side of the open space was a cupboard. On the north side was another dresser against another bed that the girls slept on at night. And that was the extent of the furniture in our one-room log cabin. Due to the loft becoming extremely warm in the summer, the boys slept outside in a tent or an old junked-out station wagon.
Later the wood stove that kept them warm in the winter was replaced by a fuel oil stove with a defective regulator. We constantly monitored the bad regulator so it wouldn't flood and start the house on fire. For cooking, his mom used a kerosene-cooking stove, which she replaced with a woodburning cookstove. A propane gas stove eventually replaced the wood stove. With the gas stove, his mom could bake bread without turning the dough around so it would cook evenly on all sides. She did this with everything she baked using the woodburning cook stove. With the purchase of a fuel oil stove used to heat the house and the gas stove used for cooking, Hobo Joe didn't have to saw, split, and haul wood into the house anymore.
During the winter, they spent hours playing on the lake below the house once it froze. With makeshift sleds (car hoods and other pieces of metal, wood, or whatever they could get their hands on, they were able to fashion in sleds), they slid down every hill within a couple of mile radius. And, of course, they built the usual snow forts, tunnels, and other stuff. In the summer, they swam in the lake and hiked all over Crow Hill. They knew every inch of those hills. They knew where to locate all the berry bushes and where all the rabbit trails were. They even found a long-lost cemetery long overrun by bushes and trees. As a result of all this physical activity, they were lean, sunburnt, had boundless energy, and as healthy as a horse. They very seldom became ill.
After Hobo Joe graduated from 8th grade, he enrolled in Benson County Agriculture and Training School (BCATS) at Maddock, ND, because there wasn't any high school on the reservation. He would catch the bus on Sunday afternoon and return at 5:00 on Friday evenings. During his first year at Maddock, the first HUD homes were built and distributed to families living in the country. His aunt received one and several of his neighbors, but his family didn't. It wasn't until many years later that he discovered they didn't get a new HUD house because his mom was married to a Wisicu (Whiteman).
With his cousins and neighbors living in new HUD homes and with him spending five days a week in Maddock in a boarding school with all its modern conveniences, it began to dawn on him that they were dirt poor. In Maddock, he experienced running water, indoor toilets, electrical lights, and a heating system not dependent on wood, and his Caucasian classmates all had lovely homes. As a result, he spent more time in Fort Totten at his aunt Alvina's house during the weekends simply because her home had electricity and a TV. On Fridays, after getting off the bus at home, he would walk to his aunt's house in Fort Totten, a distance of 5 miles. He would take a shortcut through the hills and trees and across an open field to reach Fort Totten. He walked it so many times, regardless of the season, that he formed a path through the woods.
One Friday evening, when he got off the bus, he noticed his old dog Spot didn't greet him. He walked down the hill with my suitcase, entered the log cabin, and was shocked to see that most of the furniture was gone. After the initial shock wore off, he noticed a note against the kerosene lamp. On the note was written, "Hobojoe, we moved to the Fort. We will come and get you by seven."
Although only 15 years old, he realized a momentous event had occurred in his young life and that his life would never be the same. (He folded up the note and put it in his billfold. He carried it around for about a dozen years until he lost his billfold.) He then looked around the room, trying to imprint the image of the room in his mind to ensure he would never forget it. Years later, and even now, when he dreams of his youth and the home he grew up in, this log cabin is in his dreams, not the HUD homes they lived in once they moved to Fort Totten.
His mom eventually came after him, and they went to their new home in Fort Totten. He couldn't believe his eyes when he walked into their new HUD home. The rooms were spacious, the floors were tile, there was running water, and most importantly, his mom had acquired a used TV. He couldn't believe it. A house with all the modern conveniences was a considerable change for his family from their log cabin in the country. Other changes were not so positive.
The move from the country into Fort Totten transformed Hobo Joe from a shy, respectful country boy into a worthless, trouble-making, wild Rez boy. Before moving to Fort Totten, he mainly hung around with his cousins, and due to living in the country, they pretty much stayed out of trouble. Long story short, in the three years from the time he moved to Fort Totten to when he turned 18 years old, he'd appeared before the Juvenile Judge at least 17 times.
Specifically, what transformed Hobo Joe from a shy country boy who followed the Dakota values his mom instilled in him, honesty, courage, and helping others, into a worthless ndn boy was his circle of friends grew. His new friends, to put it honestly, were juvenile delinquents. Around them, he forgot his Dakota values. Instead, he became skilled at dodging the truth, had no respect for anything or anyone, and thought he was smarter than everyone.
As the years went by, he became a hard-core alcoholic, he wrecked dozens of cars, rolled over five times, often stole and hocked anything of value, and he was a terrible person overall. The more awful his behavior, the prouder he was of it. This lifestyle eventually ended when he was 31 years old, but not before he damaged his reputation, spirit, and physical body.
Hobo Joe's life as a troublemaker continued until a horrible car accident occurred, resulting in a broken back that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Being in a wheelchair forced him to go back to school, eventually leading to Dr. Longie's emergence.
What helped the change that led from Hobo Joe, the worthless drunk, to Dr. Longie, a respected community member, came about was this; even in the darkest, wildest times of his life, he remembered his mom's Dakota teachings. She taught him honesty, instilled courage in him, and admonished him never to give up and to have respect and compassion for others less fortunate than him. Many times, she would either tell him or tell others that he was going to finish school, that he was going to get a job, that he was not going to be like all the other worthless men on the reservation, that he was going to make something out of his life. And she always encouraged him to remember who he was, a Dakota with a proud heritage. Eventually, his memories of his mom's high expectations of him bother him. Those memories, along with experiencing horrible, four-day hangovers, being tired of waking up sick and tired, and not having any money, all those things eventually led to committing himself to a veteran hospital for alcohol treatment for the 3rd time, and he hasn't touched a drop of alcohol since.
As hard as it was to become and stay sober, it was even more challenging for him to change his belief that he was smarter than everyone, that rules are made for other people, and that all religions are false. However, he had a family he loved dearly. He enjoyed having money, a new car, and the respect of family and friends, so Hobo Joe began to change into a person who eventually became Dr. Longie. Dr. Longie is a much nicer person than Hobo Joe. He is responsible and, in some cases, hard-working. He has also returned to the Dakota values his mom taught him and has a sacred, private relationship with Wakan Tanka, guiding him daily and in everything he does.
There are times when Dr. Longie misses the lifestyle of the irresponsible, don't-give-a-shit attitude of Hobo Joe, those times that were so fun and exciting until he sobriety forced him to grow up. However, as much as he misses the "freedom" of those Hobo Joe years, he realizes he has come too far, he has too many responsibilities; most importantly, he knows his mom in Spirit World is proud of Dr. Longie and would be disappointed if he went back to being Hobo Joe again, so he will continue being Dr. Longie except now, and then he will allow himself to slip back into being Hobo Joe and have a little fun with those around him.
To sum it up, when he lived in the country, his name, "Hobo Joe," was spoken with a smile and maybe some teasing. After he moved to Fort Totten, people said it with scorn, contempt, and anger.
And that, my granddaughters, is how Hobo Joe transformed into Dr. Longje, the papa you know today.
