Charles Trimble. Photo from Google+
Writer Charles "Chuck" Trimble, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, will be honored by the John G. Neihardt Foundation for his achievements in the literary field:
In a long and varied career, Trimble has owned his own business, worked for big corporations and lobbied hard for Indian rights and self-determination. He headed the National Congress of American Indians for six years. His positions have sometimes put him at odds with Indian activists who can see him as too conciliatory or blind to the past. Trimble says he’s all too aware of the social ills that plague today’s reservations and says that while the past should be studied, the focus should not be on victimhood but on the resilience of American Indians and their future. He has clashed publicly with columnist Tim Giago — a schoolmate at the reservation boarding school, Holy Rosary — about whether that experience was as abusive as Giago says. Trimble’s position is that boarding school was no picnic, but he got a solid education, made good friendships and has warm memories, including Lakota cheers at basketball games. “I learned to survive,” he wrote, “and am proud of the fact I finished school there.”Get the Story:
Erin Grace: Oglala Lakota writer’s tie to Neihardt comes full circle with award (The Lawrence Journal-World 11/5)
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