Selma Walker

Selma Walker
Image of a Native woman wearing beaded and fringed buckskins and holding a pipe in her lowered hands
Walker in 1986
Born
Thelma Lois Sully

(1925-12-14)December 14, 1925
Greenwood, Charles Mix County, South Dakota
DiedJanuary 3, 1997(1997-01-03) (aged 71)
Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio
NationalityYankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, American
Other namesThelma Kludt, Selma Lois Walker, Selma Sully-Walker, Thelma Walker
Occupation(s)Social worker, social services administrator
Years active1975–1996
Known forsocial work, Native American rights activism
ChildrenCarol Welch

Selma Walker (December 14, 1925 – January 3, 1997) was an American social worker and the founder and director of the Native American Center of Columbus, Ohio. She was a Dakota of Santee Dakota and Sisseton Dakota ancestry, and a "tribal member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota", according to the Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio.[1] She was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 1986.

Early life and education

Thelma Lois Sully was born on December 14, 1925, in Greenwood, Charles Mix County, South Dakota, on the Yankton Indian Reservation to Cora May Quinn and John C. Sully.[2][3] Cora was an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. However, she was Sisseton Dakota and lived at the Yankton reservation.[4] John was an enrolled member at the Santee Sioux Nation in Knox County, Nebraska.[5] Sully grew up on the Yankton reservation and attended the Saint Paul Indian Children's School in Marty, South Dakota, with her siblings.[3][6] According to the Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio, she was enrolled the Yankton Sioux Tribe.[1] The family were close friends with the family of Sam Necklace,[3] who was influential in introducing the Native American Church in the Yankton Sioux Tribe.[7] Necklace was the chief priest of the peyote religion and John was one of his roadmen, a person who could conduct peyote healing services.[8]

Cora and John divorced,[9] and by 1937, she had remarried Asa Fastbear (also known as Esau Fastbear or Asa Sweetcorn).[10][11][12] After the divorce, Sully sometimes lived with her father on the Yankton reservation, and sometimes with her mother on the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation in Sisseton, South Dakota.[9][12] She married Elmer Kludt around 1950, but they divorced the following year.[2][13] By the time of her father's death in 1965, Sully was using the name Selma Walker and was residing at Lockbourne Air Force Base, in Lockbourne, Ohio.[14][15] Her husband was in the army. The couple had a daughter, Carol, and moved often, living in England for a time.[16]

Career

In 1975, Walker was hired by the Tecumseh Confederacy Manpower Program in Xenia, Ohio to assist Native Americans living in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area with job placements and other needs.[17]|[18] She often worked out of her car or from home to assist her clients. She helped them with obtaining identification cards, high school equivalency certificates and began a clothing drive to provide them with basic necessities. Eager to establish a focal point for the urban Indigenous population, in 1977, she and others, sold fishing bait to stores to raise enough money to pay rent on a building on South High Street. The duplex they were able to rent, became the home of the Native American Center of Columbus.[17] The center provided food, clothing, and household items to members of the Native American community,[19] as well as emergency, counseling and employment referral services across metro Columbus and it sponsored cultural events.[20][21] The center also coordinated services for the Ross County Community Action Community.[20]

Keeping the center open was difficult, as funding was obtained only through initiatives Walker created. In 1983, the Native American Center of Akron paid the operational expenses and salaries for Walker and her staff.[17] Beginning in 1984, she organized fund-raising drives each May and September, through cultural events like pow wows to cover the operational costs.[17][20] She also gave lectures to churches and other local groups to raise awareness of Native cultures[21] and arranged for Asa Primeaux, Sam Necklace's grandson, to serve as the spiritual advisor of the center. For a decade, he traveled between the Yankton Reservation and Ohio to mentor the urban Indigenous community.[22] Her work was recognized by numerous local honors, such as the Community Service Award of the Columbus Dispatch, the Clifford Tyree Award of the City of Columbus Department of Human Services,[17] and induction into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 1986.[17][23]

In 1990, Walker led protest marches to the Ohio Statehouse hoping to thwart a bill proposed by State Senator Roy Ray, which would extended the authority of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society over preservation of all historic artifacts on all public property in the state. The protest called for Native American artifacts, and particularly Indigenous remains, to be returned to the tribes.[24] Ray agreed to alter the text of the bill to make it clear that it did "not apply to Indian burial remains".[25] In the 1990s, Walker's daughter Carol began working at the Native American Center as an assistant director to her mother.[26] The facility was lost to a fire in 1992 and a fundraising drive began.[19][27] The drive was successful and the Native American Center reopened on April 1, 1993, at 756 Parsons Avenue in Columbus.[28] Walker continued as director of the facility until 1996, when her daughter Carol became its executive director.[16][1]

Death and legacy

Walker died on January 3, 1997, in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio.[2] The facility she founded, now known as the Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio annually hosts the Selma Walker Memorial Day Powwow in her honor,[29] and also periodically presents the Selma Walker Award for Lifetime Achievement in Human Rights Activism. It was awarded to Bob Fitrakis in 2003.[30] The center continues to be a non-profit organization and is not funded by any government administration, but operates solely from donations and grants.[31]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Social Security Administration 1997.
  3. ^ a b c Maroukis 2004, p. 217.
  4. ^ Sisseton census 1931, p. 114.
  5. ^ Santee census 1937, p. 94.
  6. ^ US census 1930, p. 8A.
  7. ^ Maroukis 2004, p. 52.
  8. ^ Maroukis 2004, pp. 213, 217.
  9. ^ a b US census 1940b, p. 12A.
  10. ^ Carlisle Indian School 1911.
  11. ^ Sisseton census 1937, p. 75.
  12. ^ a b US census 1940a, p. 81A.
  13. ^ The Rapid City Journal 1951, p. 3.
  14. ^ The Rapid City Journal 1965, p. 10.
  15. ^ The Argus Leader 1966, p. 6.
  16. ^ a b Shiels 2023, p. B2.
  17. ^ a b c d e f Ohio Women's Hall of Fame 1986.
  18. ^ The Van Wert Times Bulletin 1975, p. 6.
  19. ^ a b The Troy Daily News 1992, p. 3.
  20. ^ a b c Strong 1984, p. 10.
  21. ^ a b The Delaware Gazette 1986, p. 7.
  22. ^ Maroukis 2004, pp. xv=xvi.
  23. ^ The Lima News 1986, p. 33.
  24. ^ Biliczky 1990, pp. C1–C2.
  25. ^ Biliczky 1990, p. C1.
  26. ^ Woods 1991, p. 1.
  27. ^ The Newark Advocate 1992, p. 7.
  28. ^ The Newark Advocate 1993, p. 15.
  29. ^ The Times Recorder 2012, p. 9.
  30. ^ Wasserman & Fitrakis 2003, p. 187.
  31. ^ Garner 2022, Search phrase "NAICCO is not affiliated".

Bibliography

  • Biliczky, Carol (January 31, 1990). "Burial Grounds Protest". The Newark Advocate. Newark, Ohio. pp. C1, C2. Retrieved August 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Garner, Sandra L. (2022). "Chapter 2: Community-Driven Research From Indian Country to Classroom and Back". In Barnes, Benjamin J.; Warren, Stephen (eds.). Replanting Cultures: Community-Engaged Scholarship in Indian Country. Albany, New York: SUNY Press. ISBN 978-1-4384-8995-7.
  • Maroukis, Thomas Constantine (2004). Peyote and the Yankton Sioux: The Life and Times of Sam Necklace. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-3616-5.
  • Shiels, Richard (May 28, 2023). "Dakota Couple among American Indians in Friends of the Mounds". The Newark Advocate. Newark, Ohio. p. B2. Retrieved August 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Strong, Madeline (May 28, 1984). "Powwow Helps Dispell [sic] Some Myths". Chillicothe Gazette. Chillicothe, Ohio. p. 10. Retrieved August 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Wasserman, Harvey; Fitrakis, Bob (2003). George W. Bush vs. the Superpower of Peace. Columbus, Ohio: Columbus Alive Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9710438-4-8.
  • Woods, Elizabeth (May 27, 1991). "Feasting on Success". Chillicothe Gazette. Chillicothe, Ohio. p. 1. Retrieved August 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Numerical Identification Files: Thelma Lois Sully". FamilySearch. Washington, D. C.: Social Security Administration. 1997. aliases: Thelma Lois Walker (father: Thomas C. Sully, mother: Cora Quinn, December 14, 1925, Greenwood, Charles Mix County, South Dakota – January 3, 1997, Columbus, Franklin, Ohio), Thelma Kludt (November 1950), Selma Lois Walker (January 17, 1995). Retrieved August 10, 2023.(subscription required)
  • "1930 US Census: Marty, Charles Mix County, South Dakota: St. Paul Indian Children's School". FamilySearch. Washington, D. C.: National Archives and Records Administration. April 28, 1930. p. 8A. microfilm series 595, role 513: line 1922. Retrieved August 10, 2023.(subscription required)
  • "1931 Sisseton Reservation, Lake Traverse: Quinn, Cora M." archive.org. Washington, D. C.: National Archives and Records Administration. April 1, 1931. p. 114. NARA microfilm series, T-626, roll 2220, lines 38–42. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  • "1937 Santee census: Sully, John C." archive.org. Washington, D. C.: National Archives and Records Administration. January 1, 1937. p. 94. microfilm series 595, role 670: line 1058. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  • "1937 Sisseton Reservation, Lake Traverse: Quinn, Cora M." archive.org. Washington, D. C.: National Archives and Records Administration. January 1, 1937. NARA microfilm series, T-626, roll 516, (pdf page 75) lines 713–714. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  • "Student file of Asa Sweet Corn (Esau Fastbear)". Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Waidner-Spahr Library, Dickinson College. February 15, 1911. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  • "1940 US Census: Sisseton, Roberts County, South Dakota: Sweetcorn, Asa". FamilySearch. Washington, D. C.: National Archives and Records Administration. April 8, 1940. p. 81A. microfilm series T627, role 3866: lines 34–39. Retrieved August 11, 2023.(subscription required)
  • "1940 US Census: Wahehe Township, Charles Mix County, South Dakota: Sully, John". FamilySearch. Washington, D. C.: National Archives and Records Administration. May 9, 1940. p. 12A. microfilm series T627, role 3851: lines 28–31. Retrieved August 11, 2023.(subscription required)
  • "Cherokee To Work in Area for Indian Manpower Group". The Van Wert Times Bulletin. Van Wert, Ohio. December 16, 1975. p. 6. Retrieved August 11, 2023 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  • "Divorces". Rapid City Journal. Rapid City, South Dakota. July 12, 1951. p. 3. Retrieved August 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Drive Begins for American Indian Center". The Newark Advocate. Newark, Ohio. November 20, 1992. p. 7. Retrieved August 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Experience Native American Culture at Selma Walker Memorial Day Powwow". The Times Recorder. Zanesville, Ohio. May 24, 2012. p. 9. Retrieved August 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Native American Center to Open". The Newark Advocate. Newark, Ohio. March 21, 1993. p. 15. Retrieved August 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Notice of Hearing Petition for Summary Administration: John C. Sully". Argus Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. March 19, 1966. p. 6. Retrieved August 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Ohio Women Get Named to Fame". The Lima News. Lima, Ohio. Associated Press. August 24, 1986. p. 33. Retrieved August 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Residents Recovering after Tornado". The Troy Daily News. Troy, Ohio. Associated Press. November 22, 1992. p. 3. Retrieved August 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Selma Lois Walker". Ohio Women's Hall of Fame. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. 1986. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  • "Selma Sully-Walker—NAICCO's Founder (1975 to 1996)". NAICCO. Columbus, Ohio: Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio. 2023. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  • "Sully Succumbs; Taken to Wagner". Rapid City Journal. Rapid City, South Dakota. August 30, 1965. p. 10. Retrieved August 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Walker To Speak about Indians". The Delaware Gazette. Delaware, Ohio. January 17, 1986. p. 7. Retrieved August 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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