I was asked to give a talk to Arizona's River of Time Museum patrons and docents. The talk was to discuss my book, A Boy Named Beckoning, and shed a light on the amazing, Dr. Carlos Montezuma It was a whirlwind of a trip to Fountain Hills, Arizona, but one that I all not soon forget. There were so many people who guided us on trips that not only had they influenced the day, they changed my life, forever.
Many thanks to the Fountain Hills team, Kathleen
Butler and Gladys Kleshi, who pulled everything together: Fountain Hills Charter
School author visit, Yavapai Nation Reservation tour, Yavapai Cultural Museum
meeting with (Director, Karen Ray, Ralph Bear, and Dr. Bill Myer), Yavapai
school tour, lunch, the tour of the Museum of Time, and the final talk on my
book, A Boy Named Beckoning, held at the Fountain Hills Civic Center.
Our escorts through this exhilarating, informative, day
are the delightful…and, very patient, Debbie and Kit Wyper from the Museum of Time.
What wonderful hospitality we were given!
Below is the talk which I delivered at the end of this
wonderful day in Arizona.
 |
| The kids at Fountain Hills Charter School |
A Boy Named Beckoning,
is the testament of the character, heart and triumph of the human spirit from
one man, Dr. Carlos Montezuma.
In a time when there was little or no regard for American
Indians, Wassaja was brutally ripped from his people. Despite great obstacles,
Wassaja grew up to become Dr. Carlos Montezuma—one of the most famous Native
Americans of his day. He wore many hats: Doctor, Lecturer, Professor,
Researcher, and Publisher. But his most important role was that of Native
American Civil Rights Activist. Dr. Montezuma worked tirelessly to reform
Indian policy with the United States government. He fought for his People’s right to vote and their right to keep their ancestral
land…but above all, he fought for their dignity.
 |
| Yavapai Reservation with Cultural Coordinator, GM and docent |
To me, Carlos Montezuma's work as a Civil Rights Activist is
on the same level as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez. We know that Carlos Montezuma was a strong
political voice at the turn of the 20th century.
* He had relationships with Presidents Harding and Coolidge
* His speech, “Let My People Go,” was read on the US Senate floor.
* Because of Dr. Carlos Montezuma efforts, American Indians finally gained their right to citizenship.
* He fought for the Yavapai...their land and water rights.
* He had relationships with Presidents Harding and Coolidge
* His speech, “Let My People Go,” was read on the US Senate floor.
* Because of Dr. Carlos Montezuma efforts, American Indians finally gained their right to citizenship.
* He fought for the Yavapai...their land and water rights.
Carlos Montezuma is a Yavapai Hero. He is also my Hero for
the reasons I stated but also because of what he endured, and achieved in spite
of obstacles.
The story of Carlos Montezuma came to me 12 years before it was ever published. In 1994,
I asked where the educational documentaries were and a
worker guided me to a black curtain. I wondered if he misunderstood me. Maybe “educational” was code for “naughty”
movies.
 |
| Giving my talk to museum patrons and docents. |
Behind the black curtain were hundreds of documentaries. There
was a lot WRONG with that video store but I was able to dig up a strange title,
called, “Dr. Montezuma and the Smithsonian".
I decided to rent it.
I decided to rent it.
The film featured a letter written in 1905 by Dr. Carlos
Montezuma to Professor Holmes from the Smithsonian Institution. It had a
narrator speaking over Plains Indians Ledger Art...which didn’t make sense
since the narrator stated that he was an “Apache Indian.”
Still that discrepancy did not keep me from being riveted to
the most amazing story I’ve ever heard.
Dr. Montezuma
explained his life by stating that:
* His name had been Wassaja, which means, “Signaling” or
“Beckoning.”
* He was born 1876 near Iron Peak Ridge in the Arizona Mountains.
* When he was four years old his people were massacred and he was abducted by the Pima.
* His name had been Wassaja, which means, “Signaling” or
“Beckoning.”
 |
| At the Podium with Dr. Myhr |
* He was born 1876 near Iron Peak Ridge in the Arizona Mountains.
* When he was four years old his people were massacred and he was abducted by the Pima.
*
He was sold for 30 silver dollars to an itinerant Italian photographer
*
Together they traveled the country
* He briefly acted in a play with Buffalo Bill
* He briefly acted in a play with Buffalo Bill
*
He went to school in Chicago
*
He graduated high school at 14, graduated college at 17. Then,
he went to medical school
* Shortly after medical school, Carlos Montezuma dedicated his life to helping his people-demanding their rights for citizenship, healthcare, educational and voting right. All this in the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s.
 |
| Getting Ready for Book Signing. |
How could you not be captivated by the story?
The first thing I did was to contact the National Archives and asked for a copy of Carlos Montezuma's letter. Then, I got to work. If my math
serves me well this was twenty years ago.
Carlos Montezuma is an icon. The story of his youth puts his
later struggles into perspective. Imagine being
a child and seeing your village burn. You hide under a bush and watch the
chaos. An arm from nowhere grabs you. At
dawn you are forced to march two days in the hot desert to the Pima village. Imagine
the numbness, terror and exhaustion you would feel!
After a week of being held captive, you are taken outside,
placed on wooden boxes and a war dance begins. Old women and children spit and
throw dirty rags at you. And yet, Carlos Montezuma remembered others whose eyes
showed sadness for the child. This is the person
I wanted to know...the one who could tell goodness from the bad, even as a
child.
 |
| Book Signing |
The story goes on, little Wassaja is taken to
Florence, Arizona, to be traded or sold. He has never seen a horse. He
has never seen an Anglo man. Or, an adobe house.
For a short time Wassaja is placed in the storage room in a
trading post. He is given candies and cookies to eat. Then, he sees a boy, the
same age and size of himself. This strange boy mimics Wassaja's every move. Wassaja is ready for a fight and when he moves
to the side, the boy disappears. This is the first time he sees his reflection
in a mirror. Then, we read that a man,
with a very thick Italian accent, buys Wassaja for 30 silver dollars.
The little boy is thirsty and cries out for water but no one
can understand what he is saying. An old Indian woman is brought in with hopes
that she can understand his cries. She cannot. But, she
intuitively gives him a drink of water.
 |
| A Boy Named Beckoning and it's awards |
You get the point!
My children’s book, A
Boy Named Beckoning, is a biography. It is also non-fiction and reveals not
only what Carlos Montezuma experienced but also, reveals a shared experience of
those Yavapai who had been abducted the same time as he.
I hope that the book is thought provoking.
What is compelling is that despite circumstances, one can
survive. Despite the terror of a childhood one can excel. Despite cultural and
language barriers, one can conquer.You can overcome bigotry. And, education is the key to
success. For me, reading Montezuma’s story also means that there are no
excuses.
Much of what I have stated was not in the original letter to
the Smithsonian.
The rest, I had to discover. First, I visited every repository
and library in the area.
And, finally located the Carlos Montezuma papers on
microfiche at the Southwest Museum. These papers were edited by Dr. John
Larner.
The Quest was on. I Drove to Arizona, visited sites, picked
up rocks, and collected dirt to get a sense of the land. Dug up more material
from the National Archives. Nagged historians. I also made some valuable and
treasured friendships. Dragged my
revised manuscripts to my writing group for revisions.
The breadth of my book came from Primary Resources including:
Articles and Essays that Montezuma wrote, The Carlos Montezuma papers, edited
by my new friend, Dr. John Larner. There were other holdings from the
Universities of Wisconsin, Chicago, and University of Arizona.
The books written by Dr. Speroff, Dr. Marino, and Iverson are
great scholarly works on Montezuma. There was an interesting book by Elaine
Waterstrat that gave me additional
first person Yavapai accounts. There were also misc. transcripts and Dissertations.
Each of these works took part in
building the story.
While preparing for this talk, it
occurred to me that I might be asked why the book is entitled, A Boy Named Beckoning, rather than A Boy Named Wassaja. 1. “Beckoning” is a
compelling word...it seemed to be a significant word in relation to Montezuma's
life. 2. The word is personally significant because as I researched the story, it
continued to “Beckon me” for 12 years while I kept trying to fill in the
gaps. .
Eventually the story began to evolve. With the final
manuscript draft looming there were things I needed to keep clear: This
was a children's picture book; I had to remain true to Carlos Montezuma's story; I determined that the skeleton of the story was the
letter he wrote to the Smithsonian
Institution; I needed to keep
copious research notes and back up my sources; I would weave Montezuma's various accounts into the
Letter; I wanted side bars in the book to add a secondary historic account.
In light of everything, I have to share how: Dr. John (Jack)
Larner, editor of the CM Papers shared his experiences with me: He wrote: “As well you can imagine, reading all of someone’s mail plus their
private written musings really gets you very well acquainted with that
person. Oh, the dreams of Wassaja at varied stages of his life.
When confused by his several hand-writing styles, I’d look up and verbally ask
him for help. Yep, immediately the obscure passages were clear as could
be, no problems whatsoever!”
“Wassaja’s
very love and potent spirit is truly with us. As we say in Pittsburgh:
“It doesn't get any better than that!”
(Special dedication to Carolina Butler, editor of the Oral History of the Yavapai)
Copyright, 2014, Gina Capaldi. All Rights
Reserved. Do not copy without prior consent from author.
