Maude “Grandma” Supernaw
Interviewed by: Bill Supernaw, Jr.
Interview Date: 1962
Transcribed by: Rise Supernaw Proctor & Billy Supernaw Proctor
Subject: Quapaw Name Giving

Quapaw Name Giving
 Bill: What do you have to have to give a name?

Grandma: Oh, we got to have, got to have a, pan, uh, just anything that uh, puts goods in it, pan or skillet or whatever you want to, just get pan, four yards of white goods and, and tobacco, and a eagle feather, and a shell (1). Let’s see, a pan, and good(s), tobacco, eagle feather ….

Irene: Shell.

Bill: Shell.

Grandma: Shell.

Irene: Who gave Mary (2) her name?

Grandma: Oh, Ms. Fire.

Irene: Oh.

Grandma: That’s her grandmother (3) too, Ms. Fire. She got it for him (her), my father give them all this name.

Irene: Oh.

Grandma: One of …. you want give us a name, you have to tell somebody get it for him, if you don’t, you have to go yourself, get your name.

Bill: Oh.

Grandma: Get it. When sometimes when they get sick you have to, second time you have to go back and uh, you have to give a, like doctor, you know, give a little more, add to it, you give a, anything a little, bigger you have to give, if you got horse or just anything, that’s just a …. you want them to get well, you have to give something better, so they get well sometime.

That’s the way I do, when I was small they, they do to me. We spent, oh, a cow sometime and uh, give ole cow and a horse away and, and they told me, they told that, Quapaw, Indian doctor told, when I be twelve years old I won’t be sick anymore. I …. Uh, sure enough, on a twelve years old I never did get sick.


(1) Odestine McWatters says the shells were button shells with two holes, kind of cupped and pinkish.

(2) Grandma’s daughter by Willie Thompson.

(3) Irene Supernaw said that this was Mary Thompson’s aunt.
   
 
 

Maude “Grandma” Supernaw
Interviewed by: Bill Supernaw, Jr.
Interview Date: 1969
Transcribed by: Rise Supernaw Proctor & Billy Supernaw Proctor
Subject: Appointing Chiefs & Name Giving

Appointing Chiefs & Name Giving
 Bill: You said while ago, now, this is Grandma Supernaw, you s …. Grandma, didn’t you say while ago that you didn’t want any more Chiefs?

Grandma: Huh uh! I don’t want no Chief, anybody.

Bill: You don’t want nobody to be Chief no more?

Grandma: No!

Bill: When your daddy (Tall Chief-Louis Angel) died that’s all you wanted, huh?

Grandma: Uh huh!

Bill: It was left up to you?

Grandma: Yeah, just up to me, so, when I’m gone, I’m gone, that’s all!

Bill: And you don’t want nobody to give names to anybody?

Grandma: Huh uh! No! Nobody ain’t going to give a name neither. That’s all there is to it, that’s the end of it, I guess.

Bill: Now, while ago you said that you, you appointed Irvin (Wilson) for last one and Sidney, you know, Second Chief.

Grandma: Um-huh!

Bill: And that’s all you are going to appoint?

Grandma: Yeah! Irvin is Second Chief and, and he died.

Bill: Yeah.

Grandma: And Victor first and Irvin Second Chief and he died. So, I don’t know who, I’m afraid to, I’m afraid to appoint, appoint somebody Chief. I’m afraid he won’t live long, that’s reason. I don’t want to give a, I don’t want no Chief. And like you say, McKibben want Chief. If he want, uh, if he don’t want live long, he can have Chief, want, want to, but then, that’s all I can say. People what they want Chief, find out they don’t. Quapaw all going be dying, dying anyhow, so, all mixed up after while, all kind of Indians and, White and, different kind of Indian, so, can’t be Chief, anybody, that’s all I can say.

We lost everything when, uh, when my father died, so, I’m here giving name too, but nobody ain’t going to give a name, so, that’s all there is to it, I can say. So, that be end of it. That’s all.

Bill: So anybody that’s, wants to be Chief, there’s something happen to them, huh?

Grandma: Huh?

Bill: Anybody that wants to be Chief, there’s something going to happen to them, is that what you said a while ago?

Grandma: Yeah! See, I don’t know how long live, how long live, Irvin, when he was Chief? You know?

Bill: Oh, well, he lived quite awhile. Well, they wouldn’t listen to Irvin, See, but he was a good one.

Grandma: Yeah, sure! Sure with Mr. Irvin.

Bill: But he had a heart attack, like I did, see.

Grandma: Um huh. I don’t know, anybody that wants to be Chief, explain to them first to see if he be Chief, want to, could go ahead Chief, that’s all I can say. But Irvin got all records, he had, like that, you know, and he thought maybe he be chief too, I guess. If he ain’t afraid to die, he can go ahead, that’s all I can say.
   

Maude “Grandma” Supernaw
Interviewed by: Bill Supernaw, Jr.
Interview Date: 1969
Transcribed by: Rise Supernaw Proctor & Billy Supernaw Proctor
Subject: Full Blood Quapaws

Full Blood Quapaws
Bill: Who told you, uh, you were telling me, that somebody told you that there wouldn’t be no Quapaws anymore?

Grandma: Huh?

Bill: Somebody said there wouldn’t be no Quapaws anymore, who said that?

Grandma: After while, won’t be no Quapaw, won’t be no Quapaw anymore, that’s what they told me, my father (Tall Chief). Oh, old people, that’s what they say and my father say that too.

Bill: Well, how many full bloods they got now?

Grandma: Huh?

Bill: How many full blood Quapaws are there?

Grandma: Just, you know how much left down there, that’s all.