Merle Haas
Merle Haas has seen the generations part ways, and she tends to the stories of her culture. She seems sure that the children will be okay. The kind of wisdom Haas carries for generations of Arapaho people takes an understanding of centuries, so she participates in the modern world and helps others be prepared to create a life for themselves while contemplating the change in it all.
“It is necessary to utilize education to change our lives – to try and find a balance in how to look at the world as a native person and adjust to the bigger world. Everything is there still.” She speaks of the spirit of a tribe, and the values and process a people need in order to coexist with each other and the earth.
As a storyteller of the Northern Arapaho tribe, Haas works to keep the traditions and memories of her people alive all while focusing on the importance of education and self-sufficiency for those living on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The stories she tells are orated in a manner that acknowledge the past while finding context in the future.
She recognizes that young people need guidance- the kind of guidance she was given by her uncle, Ralph Grasshopper, who encouraged her to further her education. Grasshopper also stressed the importance of returning to the reservation to share the knowledge she would gain in order to better the lives of the Arapaho people. She has done just that. Haas has cofounded the Wind River Tribal College and helped to adopt the Education Code for Tribe.
While understanding the importance of moving forward in the modern world, Haas also treasures her history and understands the value it brings to the Northern Arapaho. She is an Eagle Drum member - a drum group that was set up by her Great Grandfather Chief Yellowcalf, where members learn songs of the Arapaho people to pass on to younger generations who are placed at the drum. Every beat accounts joy for Merle. Haas has taken up with the times to keep the rivers moving in all directions. And to some extent she’s also been able to loosen into new roles too, to kindle the fires of grand-motherhood while softly defending the policy of never forgetting.
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