Maude “Grandma” Supernaw
Interviewed by: Bill Supernaw, Jr.
Interview Date: 1962
Transcribed by: Rise Supernaw Proctor & Billy Supernaw Proctor
Subject: Quapaws Meet White People

Quapaws Meet White People
 Irene: This story was told by Grandma Supernaw to her son Bill, this is how her father, Tallchief, told it to her, also how it was told to him by his father (Lame Chief).

Grandma: Well, I was gonna tell a story, what my father and great grandfather where talking about …. My father learned from him, so I’m gonna tell how Quapaw, they come from the …. I try and tell a story …. They claim, my father said they claim a big fire, a big tree fire, that’s what, they come out of it, they told me.

So, and uh, I’m gonna tell them, and uh, and they brought corn with them too, to raise, eating on it, and they make medicine out of it too. So, they brought that with them, I guess, I know, I guess God give them, I guess. So, they bring with them.

So, they travel around, they camping somewhere around there, working, making a living, so, and uh, they right along the ocean (1), and they see that, uh, people come in a boat, white, white man, woman. So, they funny looking that first time they see whites. So, they didn’t know what to do, they want kill them, and they don’t want to, and so, they went over there and shake hands with them, and they talking, motioning around and after awhile they got whiskey and they said, uh, give whiskey and they said their mother call, uh, white woman, they call father , uh, mother and the white man, father. So, they didn’t kill them. So, they talking around there awhile and they told when they give them so many days to come back in. So, they left, Indians left, and so they went back and, back ocean, I guess, across. And, uh, later on, many days, they going to come back, and they went over there again and they meet them again and they bring flour, coffee, salt, sugar, something like that, they bring with them. So, that’s what the Indian learned how, what taste of salt was, and flour, and the coffee, that’s what they learned, they say, so.


(1) Rise Supernaw was told this would be around Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
   
 
 

Maude “Grandma” Supernaw
Interviewed by: Bill Supernaw, Jr.
Interview Date: 1962
Transcribed by: Rise Supernaw Proctor & Billy Supernaw Proctor
Subject: Earthquake (continuation of, Quapaws Meet White People)

Earthquake
(continuation of, Quapaws Meet White People)
 Grandma: And the Quapaws split up, and then, uh, some of them live Mississippi (River) and some of them they like Arkansas (River), so people live over there too, Quapaw. They divide up and, and at, later on, uh, I guess they fighting a different kind of Indian, back there.

Later on, and a earthquake (1) come, so everybody (Quapaws) got scared, and you see that, oh, tree fall in that river and all like that, you know, you know them hill, big hill just shaking down, rock getting ready to fall, water come out of the hill. So, old people, uh, pray for all night, and sit around and sing and talk and, smoking all night, and in the morning they got horse. They took horse and them big brass kettle, broad cloth, tobacco, all like that. So, oh, one man take him, take him (horse) out there in the, uh, in the water, in the Arkansas. After get way down in that there middle, middle way and they kill him and then they drown that horse. So that’s, that’s what the earthquake, they stop, they said.

And uh, and uh, before uh, earthquake stop, and uh, man that, I guess, he ain’t, he ain’t got no sense, I guess he got, oh, bull, uh, buffalo hide. Wrap it up in there and roll around where earthquake going, he said sing for me, he said, just roll around in there.

That’s what story is right there, before the earthquake quit. So they come to, they stop they claim, and next time earthquake come they, they don’t think they stop anymore, that’s what story is. That, that’s all there is, that one there, story.


(1) Rise Supernaw was told this would have been 1811 New Madrid earthquake