Post by Okwes on Apr 3, 2007 20:10:19 GMT -5
Brotherhood Indian status was Ezold's quest
By AMY RABIDEAU SILVERS
www.topix.net/r/0KFyLsDRBNAS3UPwUns7612=2Fl17i9MTi=2F6In5=2F7nAp7\
7VoV0k5qTK6O9dHS8TR7rsqKnHrgZjR=2BCgewniQhVI8YdXJVZ4jfuDiv8aUG2cvq4=3D
June Ezold, longtime leader of the Brothertown Indian Nation, dreamed of
the day her tribe again would be recognized by the federal government.
"Sadly, she
did not live to see that happen." June C. Ezold died of pneumonia Jan.
14 in Woodruff. She was 84. Ezold was diagnosed with colon cancer a year
ago. Elected tribal chairwoman in 1982, she served until 2004, among
the longest terms for any Brothertown tribal leader, Ottery said. She
was born June Caroline Ottery in the Fond du Lac area, going to an
unheated, one-room schoolhouse across the road from the family farm. One
of three children, she actually grew up part of a much larger family,
with 15 cousins as close as brothers and sisters. As a teen, she worked
in Florida for a time, helping friends of the family start a restaurant.
She graduated from high school in Fond du Lac. After World War II, a
brother introduced her to Carl Ezold. They married in 1946. The couple
settled in Milwaukee, where she worked a variety of jobs, including more
than 20 years with the advertising department for The Milwaukee Journal.
While her own children were growing up, she was active with the Parent
Teacher Association and as a Boy Scout and Girl Scout leader and
officer. She also was involved with the League of Women Voters. After
retiring in the late 1970s, Ezold became more active with the
Brothertown Indians. She and her husband moved to Woodruff. "During
her 22-year term, she was a tireless, driving force behind the
Brothertowns' pursuit of and application for federal acknowledgment,"
Ottery said. The tribe applied for federal status after legislation
passed in 1980. "We are trying to become, we always say, re-recognized.
We were a tribe in New York," Ezold said in a 1999 interview. "It could
be another three or four years. It may be a year. Who knows?" The
Brothertown Indian Nation now has nearly 3,000 members, including more
than 1,200 in Wisconsin, according to Ottery. Members are descendants of
Indians from Northeastern U.S. tribes, who were moved from a reservation
in central New York to the unincorporated Brothertown area in Calumet
County. By the 1830s, the tribe's members, again facing relocation,
became U.S. citizens. The tribe, which is recognized by the state, is
supported by contributions from its members. In 1999, Ezold spoke of
plans then being discussed for a possible casino. "It isn't that we are
a bunch of Indians who want to get a casino and make a lot of money,"
Ezold then said. "We are a bunch of Indians who are interested in our
heritage. We want to establish our heritage." Survivors include
daughter Pamela S. Gibson; son Carl P.; brothers James and Willis
Ottery; grandchildren; and cousins.
By AMY RABIDEAU SILVERS
www.topix.net/r/0KFyLsDRBNAS3UPwUns7612=2Fl17i9MTi=2F6In5=2F7nAp7\
7VoV0k5qTK6O9dHS8TR7rsqKnHrgZjR=2BCgewniQhVI8YdXJVZ4jfuDiv8aUG2cvq4=3D
June Ezold, longtime leader of the Brothertown Indian Nation, dreamed of
the day her tribe again would be recognized by the federal government.
"Sadly, she
did not live to see that happen." June C. Ezold died of pneumonia Jan.
14 in Woodruff. She was 84. Ezold was diagnosed with colon cancer a year
ago. Elected tribal chairwoman in 1982, she served until 2004, among
the longest terms for any Brothertown tribal leader, Ottery said. She
was born June Caroline Ottery in the Fond du Lac area, going to an
unheated, one-room schoolhouse across the road from the family farm. One
of three children, she actually grew up part of a much larger family,
with 15 cousins as close as brothers and sisters. As a teen, she worked
in Florida for a time, helping friends of the family start a restaurant.
She graduated from high school in Fond du Lac. After World War II, a
brother introduced her to Carl Ezold. They married in 1946. The couple
settled in Milwaukee, where she worked a variety of jobs, including more
than 20 years with the advertising department for The Milwaukee Journal.
While her own children were growing up, she was active with the Parent
Teacher Association and as a Boy Scout and Girl Scout leader and
officer. She also was involved with the League of Women Voters. After
retiring in the late 1970s, Ezold became more active with the
Brothertown Indians. She and her husband moved to Woodruff. "During
her 22-year term, she was a tireless, driving force behind the
Brothertowns' pursuit of and application for federal acknowledgment,"
Ottery said. The tribe applied for federal status after legislation
passed in 1980. "We are trying to become, we always say, re-recognized.
We were a tribe in New York," Ezold said in a 1999 interview. "It could
be another three or four years. It may be a year. Who knows?" The
Brothertown Indian Nation now has nearly 3,000 members, including more
than 1,200 in Wisconsin, according to Ottery. Members are descendants of
Indians from Northeastern U.S. tribes, who were moved from a reservation
in central New York to the unincorporated Brothertown area in Calumet
County. By the 1830s, the tribe's members, again facing relocation,
became U.S. citizens. The tribe, which is recognized by the state, is
supported by contributions from its members. In 1999, Ezold spoke of
plans then being discussed for a possible casino. "It isn't that we are
a bunch of Indians who want to get a casino and make a lot of money,"
Ezold then said. "We are a bunch of Indians who are interested in our
heritage. We want to establish our heritage." Survivors include
daughter Pamela S. Gibson; son Carl P.; brothers James and Willis
Ottery; grandchildren; and cousins.