Author’s Note

One of my earliest memories is from when I was three years old. My parents and I were at a car dealership in Jacksonville, North Carolina, trading in our green Camaro. My dad was stationed at Camp Lejeune and he was getting out of the Marine Corps. My baby brother had just been born, and my mom and dad said that we needed a bigger family-friendly car for our move back to Oklahoma.

I remember how sad I was looking out the back window as we drove away in our new car. Tears streamed down my cheeks because we were leaving our Camaro there. It looked sad and lonely. I didn’t want to hurt its feelings!

That was the car where the whole back seat was mine. That was the car we went on trips in—to grandparents’ houses and many other places, too. I couldn’t understand why we couldn’t keep the Camaro I loved so dearly. There was room in the back seat for a baby brother!

Although I never named it like Katie does in my story, that car and every car since has felt like a member of the family, holding so many memories that I cherish to this day.

Aka:h (pronounced uh-gah)—A Wichita word meaning “grandma” or “grandpa.” There are not separate words for each.

Powwow—A Native American ceremony in which participants honor the Creator, ancestors, veterans, and the sick through dance and song. It is also celebrated with food like fry bread and the sale of items such as beaded earrings.

Shaconage (pronounced Sha-con-O-hey)—The Cherokee name for the Smoky Mountains in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. It means “place of blue smoke.” Western North Carolina was the center of Cherokee homelands.

So:ti:c?a (pronounced soo-deets)—“Thank you” in the Wichita language.

Tiny Tots Dance—A powwow dance category for children up to six years old.

The Wichita people are indigenous to Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. The Cherokee people are indigenous to Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Although many members of each tribal nation live outside of their current territories, the Wichita tribal headquarters is located in Anadarko, Oklahoma, and the Cherokee tribal headquarters is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.