Honoring the Ancestors - March on Ennis Joslin

I was streaming online to see if there was anything else I could find about the Indian burial ground, and I came across this video on YouTube. This is what Larry and other members of his organization do frequently throughout the year to honor the ones that were found on Ennis Joslin. It truly is an interesting and amazing way to honor their ancestors. I'm thinking of adding this video to my website if it's not too long. Hope you guys enjoy :)

This past week has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster for me. Due to some personal issues and trying to get stuff for school done, I feel that I haven't had time to truly focus on my local history project. I'm hoping to get all of my other stuff done this weekend so that way next week I can continue where I left off with it. I really want to make sure this project turns out the way I hope. To be completely honest, I really haven't done anything else since my last post where I met up with Larry. Not until yesterday when things were settling down for me did I call him to see if he wanted to retry the interview with me today. I asked him if there was any way that we could meet up somewhere more quiet, like the public library, but he said that he couldn't because he needed to stay at the trade center. The problem I've been having is that it's a bit difficult for me to make time to interview him during the week due to school and then transportation issues, and Larry cannot find time to do it during the weekend because he spends his entire weekend working at the trade center for the fundraising. It was completely understandable, but I was starting to get kind of frustrated. Larry also told me that he was leaving Wednesday for a meeting with other Indian tribes. He'd be gone for two weeks, and I knew then that my doors of opportunity were starting to close. I went through five phone calls with other people trying to find a way to somehow interview him before he left before finally calling Larry back and apologizing for not being able to interview him. I was extremely disappointed that I couldn't redo my interview with him, and I tried explaining to him what was going on right now. He was very sweet and understanding and even asked me if there was anything else he could do. It was then that I remembered the book he offered to lend me the first time we met up. I asked him if there was any way I could still use it because at least I could have something to work with, and when I was talking to him he simply interrupted and said, "I trust you completely. You can come by tomorrow and I'll give it to you." After nearly having a nervous breakdown, I finally calmed down a little bit and thanked Larry. At least I could have something that will still help me with my project.

After that stressful day, today I finally stopped by the trade center around 2:30 pm with my grandpa to go pick up the book, and when I finally got it, I was amazed. Not only did Larry give me the book about all of the details of Ennis Joslin road and the burial ground, but he also gave me tons of pictures that showed the actual construction site of where the skeletons were found! He told me that he's never even showed them to the public! I felt truly honored that Larry trusted me so much to give me the book and pictures, and I gave him my word that I wouldn't let anything happen to either one of the items. He really is a kind man. Since he's going to be gone for two weeks, I think that's more than enough time to get the information I need for this project before returning the book and pictures to him. As far as doing the oral history part of my project, I will most likely end up interviewing my other possible interviewee, Susana Gomez. She was the person I wanted to interview before I found out about Larry. She's one of my mother's clients, and she's also taken part in the Ennis Joslin Indian burial ground because she is Indian as well. Even if I can't get much information from our interview, I'll be thankful to at least have one oral history interview for my website.

Although the direction I was originally going for my project changed, (and I was stressed out of my mind), things turned out pretty okay in the end. I'm really hoping that I stay on the right path. I already have my website created, so now all I have to do is start adding things to it. I know the information I obtained today will really help. Sometimes I really wish there were more hours in the day. If I could, I would spend a lot more time working on this project. I just want it to turn out great, and I really want to leave an impact on our community. There's so much that people don't know about this burial ground, as well as the story of the Indians who first inhabited this area. I just really hope that it turns out the way I want it to. I'm going to start going through the book and pictures to see what I can use for my website, and I'm going to find out when I can try to meet up with Susana. Even though things get stressful sometimes, they always manage to work out in the end. That's how it's always been, and I'm really hoping that's what will happen with this project. I'll post some updates if I find anything interesting. Thanks for reading! :)

Today was the day I interviewed Larry, and I must say it went pretty well! My grandmother took me to the Corpus Christi Trade center a little after 3 pm and I found his booth. He was very nice and funny, and when it came to asking him questions, he spoke very openly about the Ennis Joslin Indian burial ground. I learned that he's no longer part of the Gulf Coast Indian Confederation, but a new organization called the South Texas Alliance of Indigenous People. The purpose of the fundraising that him and his organization are doing is to help raise money so they can build a giant monument dedicated to the Ennis Joslin burial ground. Aside from his booth that he has (the Ishka Indian Trading Post), Mr. Salazar is also selling and doing other things on the side in order to fund raise money. Their goal is to have more recognition for the forgotten Indians in Texas, and to also educate the people in Corpus Christi about this interesting group of people and how they impacted our community.

Although I was able to talk to Larry about the burial ground, it was difficult to make a proper recording of our interview due to the noise at the trade center. However, we decided to schedule another time to meet again so we can further discuss the burial ground and also have a better recording of it. I learned that Mr. Salazar has a book that contains all the information and details about the Ennis Joslin Burial ground. He's offered to lend it to me the next time we meet up and he also gave me his business card and a pamphlet about his organization, the fundraising, and the overall purpose of why he does what he does. Promoting the Indian culture and the historical significance it's left on Corpus is Larry's overall purpose in his life now, and I truly admire him for that. I really hope that they reach their goal so the monument can be built on Ennis Joslin. Based from what I've learned today, this ancient burial ground is hardly recognized at all. I feel that talking to Larry really opened my eyes about this historical landmark, and how Indians are not recognized enough like they should be. Seeing his passion and how much it hurts him that this burial ground is not being taken very seriously has really influenced me to make sure my Corpus Christi local history project leaves an impact on people, and to make them realize how truly significant this burial ground and Indian culture is to Corpus Christi.

To end our day together, I wanted to take a picture of Larry. Even though I hate pictures, my grandmother forced me to take a few with him. When I got up to take the picture, I got a bit embarrassed and began to blush very badly. Larry started to joked around by saying, "Hey I thought I was the red skin?!" He really was a kind man, and I really enjoyed meeting him. I look forward to talking to him soon. Below are the pictures we took together :)

Yesterday after looking into more information about Larry "Running Turtle" Salazar, I came across a website that included his email and phone number. Today when I came home from school, I decided to go ahead and give him a call. Considering that I get a bit nervous and shy when I talk to new people, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to convince him to allow me to interview him. Mr. Salazar ended up seeming very kind, and when I told him who I was and what I wanted to do, he jumped at the idea right away. He invited me to go visit him at the Corpus Christi Trade Center sometime this weekend because he actually has a booth there and is fundraising right now for something that pertains to the Indian culture. He said it would be a great place for me to interview him, plus maybe I'd uncover something there!  The time of the interview hadn't been determined yet because I needed to see if someone in my family could take me to the trade center, but I promised Larry once I found out the appropriate time I could go that I would call him back.

After talking with my grandmother, she insisted on taking me to do the interview. Nearly two hours later, I finally called Larry back and we scheduled to meet on Saturday at around 3:30 pm at the Corpus Christi Trade Center. It feels as though a small weight has been lifted off my shoulders because I now have at least one concrete person I can interview for this project. I'm really enthused about interviewing Larry because I feel like I could learn so much more than just what I've found from the articles I've read about the Ennis Joslin Indian burial ground. Not only will I be able to learn more about this ancient burial ground and the history of it, but hopefully I will also learn more about Indian culture and their community in Corpus Christi. I can't wait to meet Larry, and I really hope the interview goes well. More details about the interview will come soon! Wish me luck! :)

The topic I chose for my local history project was the Ennis Joslin Indian Burial Ground. This area was originally known as Ennis Joslin, a typical road in Corpus Christi, but in 2005 it was also found to be an ancient burial ground. Some of the bodies that were discovered were found to be dated back to 800 B.C.! Over the course of the next few years, there were many debates of what to do about this land. Many of the Indians argued that the road be named the Sacred Spirit Trail in recognition of the Indians that were buried in this location. Ancient remains and artifacts were also found in this area and raised questions of what was to happen to them. I feel that this plays an important part in Corpus Christi history because it shows us that there were others before us that had lived in this area. I want to find out what happened to these Indians, and wish to learn more about Corpus Christi's Indian community. I'd also like to dig deeper into the history of the Ennis Joslin Road, and see why this ancient burial ground was created and why it's so sacred.

My findings in my local history project have been quite successful so far. My trip to the library last weekend lead me to six folders full of articles, journal entries, letters, and papers regarding Indians who lived here in Corpus Christi. I spent about 3 hours just reading, taking notes, and taking pictures of the articles I thought would be useful for my project. I obtained a lot of new information regarding this historical landmark, and after a casual conversation with my family the other day I learned that my grandfather's brother's neighbor is an Indian priest. He's actually in some of the articles I found regarding the Ennis Joslin Road. His name is Larry "Running Turtle" Salazar and he's part of the Gulf Coast Indian Confederation, an organization that promotes Indian culture and tries to protect and preserve their artifacts. This news excited me because I knew that he would be a great addition to my local history project. I'm hoping to get a chance to interview Larry because I feel that he not only could tell me about his Indian culture, but also what he's witnessed and experienced first-hand regarding the Ennis Joslin Indian Burial Ground. With this new information in my hand, I can't wait to see what else I might uncover throughout this journey of my local history topic.