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American Indians leave Uptown behind - Native Land - Chicago neighbourhood
Chicago Reporter, The, July-August, 2002 by Stephanie Williams
Still, his mother's side of the family told him stories of his grandfather and great-grandfather, who both served as chief of the Alabama Coushattas in Louisiana.
Maldonado became even more interested in his Native American roots when he was attending Columbia College Chicago. At that time, "there was this pop-culture interest in all things Native American," he said.
One of his art professors invited Maldonado to a potluck dinner at his house because he thought it would be "deep" to have an American Indian over, Maldonado said.
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As much as the stereotyping bothered him, it also pushed Maldonado to find out more about his background. He later lived for three months on the Alabama Coushatta reservation, where he found the slower pace of life both renewing and challenging. He was surprised at how open and generous people were, and how they got by, living 20 miles from the nearest town.
"Our reservation was located in the woods, and so the nearest corner store--a city staple--is a mile away, one way," Maldonado explained. "When I was at the reservation it actually slowed me down. ... I began to understand that there was a higher power. And that helped with my work because painting is a very spiritual thing for me."
Maldonado is now a professional artist who lives and works in Pilsen. He is married and has a 12-year-old son. While some themes in Maldonado's work are driven by his American Indian culture, he dislikes the use of typical Native American imagery.
"Because I belong to the tribe, I feel like it's a privilege," he said. As an artist, that's been "my ongoing search--to try to find an image or create imagery that's true to who I am, without having to rely on the stereotypes."
Mother Nurtures Tradition
It is important to Marilyn Miller that her children understand, maintain and participate in their Native American culture. "It's up to us to protect our cultural integrity," she said. We have to stand up and quit playing the victim role. We must become more active and initiate getting the services we need."
Miller, 47, whose Chippewa name is Wabanongakwe, has been coming to events at the American Indian Center in Uptown for 35 years. On June 13, she was there to see her daughter, Alicia Marie Soto, 23, participate in the center's annual Native American Graduation Award Ceremony and Powwow. This year, the event honored 64 of Chicago's Native American graduates from elementary school, high school, trade school and college. Soto, who graduated this summer from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a degree in education, was one of four graduates who spoke that evening.
Miller is petite and speaks softly, but her own commitment shouldn't be underestimated. In 1987 she became the first Native American to earn a bachelor's degree in business from Loyola University Chicago, she said. She followed that up with a master's degree in education from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
"I was a wife and mother raising a family and working part- and full-time jobs to get my education," she said. "I believe that education is the key to economic freedom. Previously [American Indians] did not make the connection between education and economic status, but today we see there's a strong connection."
