Preston Arrow-Weed, Ila Dunzweiler, and Helena Arrow-Wood

00:07 I'm first so I'll introduce myself. I'm a animated enzweiler and I'm live. I'm so glad I could stand and I'm from the fort Yuma Indian Reservation.

00:23 And Imperial County, California, and I'm here.

00:29 To help mr. Arrow-weed with his with his storytelling.

00:35 And my sister-in-law have a hyena.

00:40 Do you mind finishing with the introduction card?

00:44 All that information on

00:48 Ida your name and the date

00:54 And today's date is Friday, November 22nd 2019.

01:02 Location, Yuma, Arizona

01:11 And I'm Alina arrow-weed. I'm 78 years old.

01:22 And today is Friday, November 22nd 2019 wear in Yuma right now.

01:29 And down.

01:31 We're here with Preston arrow-weed and I let them swiler.

01:39 My name is Preston J arrow-weed aboard on a 40 minute Indian Reservation Bill, California right now in Yuma, Arizona.

01:50 We are we have a have a radio station. That's what we're going to talk about.

01:56 So that's what I'm here about I believe that y'all.

02:02 Were they?

02:04 Where the one of the few tribal members tribal reservations?

02:12 In this area that have a radio station through the state of California is not that at all and do we have one here too. But usually there is a bigger reservations and privately owned tribal councils are tribal people to hold something that the whole tribe their Tribal Council gets a radius of where is us. We are black people Foundation is a small nonprofit organization that we have and we apply for that license and we got the registration. So it's not a tribal registration. It's my PayPal Foundation, which is our own little organization nonprofit or independent. We're not under the tribe win independence station. So that's where we come in and try to support or try to help the tribe and whatever we do and right now we're

03:11 We're trying to spread sent tribal culture trout are areas, which is about a radius of 20 miles and we have Tribal songs fuse sub-stories certain things we put on to try to give a letter to give to show them that the driver here. We've been here long time course, there are several. We haven't really went into the gone into the stories and explain it but eventually will explain what it means special the songs, but we have a lot of songs are going on twenty-four hours a day.

03:50 We have one. I'm sure there are other ideas of what we were the people would like to do. But right now this is what we're dealing with them how we got the radio station was

04:04 I think the

04:07 Reply for it. And the first time we we had a chance to get it and we we didn't really have the money in another think the

04:20 Our budget I mean what we're asking was too much we what happened with we are.

04:27 We had to

04:31 Or what to get the purchase to purchase equipment with too much. So I happen to the

04:38 What happened to be in touch with this woman who doesn't language program asked me if we can go to Washington DC and do a show or was being

04:49 A playwright that I had plays radio place that we can read and perform will there still with my wife and I went and we did that for two weeks. They was like three shows a day. We did yesterday book life festivals 2016. I met the man who at the radio bilingue in California and I asked if he could help me and he said yes, he would so when we came home he sent his engineer to watch somebody talk to us and and he came look at our area and he said yes, you can do it then. What we need to do is

05:31 Get on the air, but the budget was too high. I meant the budget for the equipment. So I asked her engineer. Could you give me a small something just to get on the air? He said I can give you an economically budget. So the budget went from 80002 to 10750.

05:52 And I said we got 5,000 we can put in there then we put in a another proposal to get 5750 and we got that piece together and we send for the equipment and then we called in a man from New Mexico who was familiar with radio since he's been on National radio and he came and he helped somewhere. I got another one from Prometheus.

06:16 And he came down and he helped us to put this ready together and eventually got up and on the air and that's how it all happened. And and since then. Well, I remember to that. We also needed a tower or somewhere we can put the antenna and we couldn't get a towel. We couldn't afford one and this friend of mine couldn't get me one. So she said what can we do another kid? Ms64?

06:43 Call Bridget power poles electric poles to get me 64 Paul have it delivered and dig the hole and set up for me. So she did share some down and they dug the hole with a pole in Randolph. We put them 10 on on that pole and we start broadcasting and I think that

07:05 It was

07:07 It was something I may be about five or six thousand two to do that, but it was done for us the donation and we will we get a little donation now and then but most of ours is Gramps at the Alena rights, and I'm sure she can tell you about the grants what we do.

07:27 So

07:30 Talk about your grandpa that you have helped. We have produced a couple of films that I'm not people Foundation through grants that we did. I have written one of them are starting from Spirit Mountain, which is

07:51 Preston interpreting and singing

07:56 Tribal song that talks about the creation story of the quits on and it was filmed by Daniel golden. She's a filmmaker. He's the tribal member and he filmed Preston talking about and singing the song and it explains the journey that the quit sons took the Creator took and how they ended up in in Yuma and it's being used in many universities college courses.

08:40 An example of tribal songs and how they communicate how their stories told in song and that's the case didn't and many Native American tribes here in California that have those songs that tell the story and we also that was a grant from the death certificate protective Council in San Diego. And then we I think I love you and I went to a meeting in the desert for Sierra Club the desert Committee in people from Nevada and other places are in that comedian we met them.

09:32 An individual that that was on the board of the questions and fund and he invited me to write a proposal and I wrote a proposal for something that Preston had talked about a lot cuz he wanted to gather Stingers from different tribes to get together and talk about their songs and and to figure out what the songs were about and because they are stories and so I wrote The Proposal and we got the money from the Christensen fund and we produced again Daniel golden with the filmmaker and we invited singers from

10:25 All the way from the Grand Canyon

10:29 And all the way down south to Baja, California Santa Catarina the pipe eyes because the songs that the Preston sings are part of and I think I like you mentioned a few minutes ago about the whole con group language group that is widespread throughout Southern California and Northern Mexico. So we invited Representatives singers from this different tribes to sing their songs and to tell us about how they learn their songs and how what they're doing to

11:13 To share it with the Next Generation and that's what they did and then filmed it and we have a film called sons of the, Colorado.

11:23 That came out in that project.

11:29 I've also written some proposals for the radio small proposals 7th generation has been very generous and supported them in the radio and part of the money that Preston was talking about a few minutes ago with a donation from the Seventh Generation fund and they've supported a mud prepare foundation for several projects that we've done. We had the puppet projects we had well, we did that little documentary that are Raven and friends that everybody likes for children to teach language to Children through puppets.

12:20 And

12:23 So now we're working on other projects trying to bring some money to provide some programming for the radio.

12:34 So you might want to talk about some of the programming that that you want to put on the radio like the senses the PSA that we're going to be doing pretty soon.

12:50 I don't know, you know more about that than I do.

12:55 We did a PSA 1 Prime didn't wait for the museum, but talk to you.

13:03 We did one.

13:05 We did a PSA for that could field museum in Imperial with your dad.

13:11 Owasso

13:14 I've I've got a lot of radio plays that I wrote it would like to put on the air and I think I've my radio plays our unusual. It's not the usual plays as you're here on radio. I started the

13:28 The techniques of the writings that the radio plays have been done in the past and I think that's the way I'm writing. It is different. There's more.

13:40 I get there more narration to say where you're at. Where is that one every actress speaks their parts and you don't know where it's coming from and you really have to listen to it and I let you know. I was listening sometimes I got lost. So I so I decided to write two more narrow narrative for the people can understand what's taking place what they're saying and then a lot of it has a lot of Native American influence. It has a lot of Native American things in it, then the nun Native Americans and it's totally different to when we use Native American things in there, but that's what I'm doing has a lot about

14:13 Tribal up beliefs travel waste some of the Traditions are put in there too. And

14:25 Play Just FaceTime, you don't have to turn towards me so stay on your microphone. But I just wanted to ask you. Did you hear me? Did you miss me cuz then you go away from your microphone so you can just stay facing them. Does that make sense?

14:45 Speak into the microphone and I guess

14:50 What's a drifting fading away?

14:56 Describe any of them my place.

15:00 What about him?

15:02 Talk about the first one that we produced will the sacred sharper is one of the questions that I wrote the wrong. But yeah, that's where a lot of it is coming into your radio station in different form. I think what I'm writing the radio plays about really

15:27 What security I think we would we depend too much and law enforcement security law enforcement security is not the greatest. They I went to a private security Academy visit my second occupation know they told him up there that investigation is is an arch.

15:48 And you have to be talented and you have to be gifted to be a good investigator.

15:54 So based on that, I noticed that long for some misses a lot of things because they tend to overlook a lot of little things that they should to them is not important forget it anyway so every little thing's important so I kind of use that that everything's important leftover look at everything and like when I was the captain of security I tore my security officers whenever they law enforcement work all day. I told him to watch them look at everything they're doing look at everything they say we'll get the reports look at to see if they left anything. They were look something because they tend to do that mainly because they don't care so so I'm right in my place where we do more investigative work and then the police do and I believe that private security could really be used instead of police in our reservation rather than the county or the priests. They don't do a good job. So that's what I'm really talking about in in my story for instance.

16:54 Things that that I talked about one of us crazy stories, I wrote was that there's a I have an informant to ask he has a drug problem is always talk to himself out of it. It was like, it's got a everybody thinks I'm saying or crazy while I always talked to him in the story and one day he comes in the store. He comes to my office to tell me something I said was so mad and he says well, I went to the police station told him that I saw a flying saucer need threw me out. So it's so I decided to come and see you because you'll understand. So tell me about it. So in the story, he tells me about a flying saucer.

17:35 And I listened to him and I said, okay, I'll look into it and he left and I'm saying why is he talked about a flying saucer way saw something. So I call in my office and we talked about that. He saw us something. We don't know what it is. Maybe it is a fine says whatever it is. Let's keep an eye open over there. He said it's over in a certain area. Okay, check that out always looking at what they did. They kept checking and checking something dead fly in and land it and then one of my officers went and grabbed it and said I got the Flying Saucer sitting here now. So let's go look at it. So we all go there in the play. We all run over there. Let's be careful how we open to that that little Spaceman might be a killer or something. You know, we all joke about it and what it is.

18:22 It's all what do you call the thing a drone? It's a drone. So that's a drone really that comes in and they were smuggling Laney College Aquatics or whatever into the reservation into the housing area. That's what was being done. And that's because that man sought that's why I checked it out. And that's the truth. The weather was a flying Southern and withdrawing but it was something that he saw and the police were stupid enough not him to check it out.

18:54 That's what I'm talking about. See you have to listen to everything no matter how crazy it is and follow up on it. And I've done that before I think I one day when I was there I when I was sitting there like in my office say they were they were going to rest this one of young man for breaking an entry. I said have you got the report and let's look it over. So we looked at the reports and I checked it out and I said hey over there to that house and find out what happened. You told me so I went to talk to the man that they're going to rest. I said what happened? So well, what happened was my son was coming to this area and this house and these kids went and try to beat him up and they hit him or something and he came over and told me so I went to ask for why that happened why you got there. They threw something at him and broke through that window and hit him in the eye. He had to go to the hospital. He showed me that I was there was taped a lot of tape on it. I guess it damage did some damage to his eye.

19:50 So I said I said are you okay said yes, so they threw something out at you and said yeah, so is it good? I'll check on it. So I went and I said go there to that made no sense because of the housing area. They always have made this go in there and check it now find out that what the glass of that he said was broken. Was it the glass fall outside or did fall in the checked inside the glass fell outside that means that is not breaking and entry cuz it was a break and entry the glass will be inside and didn't look at it that way.

20:28 So after I got that report after I saw that I took the report to the Sheriff's Department today you guys Overlook that you got your charging a man that told you the truth that somebody threw something at him and and you just want to charge him with a breaking and entering

20:45 So there's the proof right there. We got the report that the glass was outside. We have pictures of it. So they dropped the whole thing. That's the kind of things that law enforcement does and I think the tribal people should get their own law enforcement to do their own investigations and and a lot of Native Americans get in trouble and they get charged with something that somebody would only reporter investigated which they're not doing. So that's that's what my place about. I think I'm always talking about law enforcement and I'm always bringing up something they do wrong that are security strong enough to handle these things and protection. Also what all is on the spot they call us were there?

21:28 I had I had to bring up at the shop. A lot of fights had to stop a lot of domestic problems, you know, so there's so many I think selling narcotics selling dope. I have to be able to spot that and stop and get him out of there. Even when I saw cars around there and I wanted to check them out. I went to the Tribal Police and I said I want to make on the car there tell me and they said we have to have probable cause and I said I think cruising through there at 4 a.m. In the morning is probable cause to check it out any Police Department do it they wouldn't do it. But it likely I went to the highway patrol and I talked to them I said well if you help me I'll help you said fine. I'll help you when you need me told me so I told him what I what they wanted to know the nature and run around and put a make on that car find out the car was from Pomona California and what we are doing our reservation, so we ran a check on them and we got them and

22:26 Chase them off the reservation pick up at the police department's wouldn't do that. I don't know why they're just too lazy or something. So that's the kind of things that I write about in the myradioplace about the security force in our reservation that can that does its job also goes into a cultural things to and one of the couches things is that this man who did a lot of things he just dies and they can understand how did he die and the sheriff department coming in today? I know your people killed him. They got the power to kill him and they killed him that he got that you guys got away. Are you going to go to court and say that I wish doctor kill this man you go to court until a few out of there so that and that store. Nobody knows how we die. But he died and he was the worst person and that area I need the stuff. That's another story. I wrote about but there's other things that go into that but it was theirs are the kind of things. I want my right and I want to ride some more

23:23 And so but someday someday soon. We'll put it on the air.

23:30 That's about the radio. That's what you wanted to know, right because you're going to really deep and listening to the people that are telling you this story give you who would believe that there was a

23:47 Martian or something coming in landing while it was something like that because that drone is flying in by itself.

23:58 And it's all right. I've heard of things like that for they were transporting.

24:04 Dope and some of our own people with take it and

24:12 Disperse it or sell it.

24:16 So the police didn't

24:18 Do anything about it the local police for just the sheriff department and their tribal officers supposedly.

24:26 And even then they're not investigating very good.

24:31 And

24:33 It's it's like any other profession if your doctor you have to have a sixth sense about it and you have to be able to diagnose an illness or know someone else that can do something else that you are not able to do so.

24:51 It it takes

24:55 Interest a lot of very very deep interest and not to discourage the people that are asking for your help or whatever they're saying.

25:06 That's it. That's why I like the story. You know, that's something like that. I do have one other store that I wrote about it.

25:20 It's about

25:23 Guess there's a story there's a play. There's a movie called Death takes a holiday. Well, we have a story similar to that but he's he's not death really. He's the one that shows you where you're going to go once you're gone and he stands there to tell you where you going to go which way to go.

25:41 Anyway this person this one that does that. Tell them where to go.

25:46 He decides is is curious to

25:51 And The North Wind comes through every year and he sees it goes by every year the north wind comes and that's the Creator sending his power through.

26:02 It really him but fuck so he's watching that me one day you goes to that wind going by any jumps in the Window Phone. We get trance that's poured into the world of the living.

26:16 Any thoughts and looks around and he talks to people and this and that it is curious and his hand at one point to this man hit him with a car is going down the road. I'm on that same alarm and he's going down the road needs something passing me hits it and he doesn't know what it is. So we stopped it is thought it was a whirlwind or you thought was a coyote or whatever so he came busting into this world and he hit him on the road. Then he goes and picks him up and this man. He looks like a man.

26:48 And they take some home with him. He eats it is curious. He asked questions and this and that is Lenny Jason to his job and he hit his first of burrito. I'm energy eating energy. He said and then they did it could cause that secretary in and she comes in and they'll let you the one that said he told her go get his two burritos. Okay, so she gets a two burritos and bring them in and give it to him and he eats and then this is energy. I'm energy eating energy.

27:20 And then somehow he starts talking to the girl and he walks out and make it attract to each other.

27:29 So and then he has to leave, you know, it's on this has to leave to go back to where you came from and he wants to stay but you can't stay and you can't take her with him.

27:40 And so he leaves he disappears going back. So that is story that nobody really knows about about the other side and I know the story so I put that into another store to tell the end of somebody's kurian off serie

27:58 What is that about you know, but it's something I want to sell things. I want to Teach & Talk what I put into the play. That's what I'm saying.

28:07 So that is something that citrusy you know about where these two Old-Timers get together and they solve all kinds of mysteries murders in and they're old there older but they're brought back because it hurts so good at solving crimes and it's and it's a very interesting and funny conversation between the two of you. I am criticizing law enforcement again, and who are these two old guys get called into active duty again and why the conversation that goes back and forth, you know when we talked and this and that and

28:51 How do you solve the case they sell the case because they get down to the nitty-gritty like this. They don't just go over like these guys do when they they sell their case. They do this and that and one point where he says your you remember the time you pull that quick drawing shot that guy and got it got it until I thought you knew what you were doing. So there's this human you know that everything is funny to sometimes and I think that one it says about solving a case where

29:29 Law enforcement of different opinion about Native Americans, but these guys are made in these are Native Americans we understand what is a botanist outfit. Where's the others? They don't look Native Americans are different people how they think how they act and what they do but he does so he's able to communicate with them and solve the problem. So that's what about it. That's what this stories about these two and they think it's funny and it's funny to get Siri to different parts of that story that I wrote about but that's not to say that's another one we can put on the radio.

30:04 To listen to it. So it's up. I what I don't do what your radio place or movies and television that I say they Indian Isaac.

30:18 And I don't Indian eyes what I'm writing about. I right I write it the way I feel.

30:27 So

30:28 Can you?

30:30 Can I ask what do you mean by that? Can you explain pick up? What does that mean? Like you said they Indian eyes it what does that mean? You stopped before that?

30:41 Indian Isaac blame it for that explain it.

30:47 You didn't know.

30:49 Now over in denies it and other words like friends and some are we on the radio?

30:56 Know why not? Put it on Brinson sound.

31:02 Using certain words. I think what happened a long time ago is that native of parts of whoever played Native American was not Native American really so they invented greater these words to you. So that people know they were Native Americans like a princess in my story one of my story that they talk about alcohol to Firewater Firewater. I don't qualify. I watered my store. I call it paying for water instead or they talk about great spirit. I talk more like saying a lot of maker there's talk about great spirit. I don't talk but we so there's different keywords that has been created so that you know that it's a Native American

31:47 I don't do that, but you will know that it's a Native American the way we do I tell a story without going into that, you know what to use so I can I don't know what what does the word fridge?

32:01 There's I guess there's another word that's more feminine and that was to call when they

32:11 Exploited Native American women's they called her a squaw.

32:17 And that's a it's like it would be like saying she's a damned person or she's this she said

32:27 So

32:32 It is a native person asked why is that not a very nice word for non-indian says that it's a descriptive word. That's not

32:47 Like she's a hore.

32:54 So

32:57 Most probably most Indian languages are very definite about what they say.

33:08 There's no other words that describe it.

33:15 But you know which words that they're talking about?

33:19 So they made up that word.

33:24 That's not a native word if we set it.

33:32 I would say if the word I heard as a child was that.

33:39 That woman sells herself.

33:43 Mature ask she sells herself.

33:51 So probably that way in any language really every language for there is

33:57 Spanish English

34:00 Are any other language? There's probably a definite word. They use instead of someone else creating a word.

34:12 Am I right when I say that dude is that close to what you're saying Preston to use a certain language to let them know that you're at the Native American talking the other famous. When is the Indians are never on time?

34:32 And wait out with that word when we're doing Native American status when quadrennium and the thing was it that

34:43 They would get all the Indians drunk and they would be late.

34:50 Are they gave him at the wrong time?

34:54 So they would be there late because they cuz they wanted to prove that they were the Indians wanted to say pressure their government or anyone that's in power would say we're going to meet at 2, but they actually made an hour early or they met later an hour earlier. That's a year late.

35:17 Indian time

35:22 Indian time

35:24 Also, I think it in literature the Native American literature and also in films and and

35:35 Intellivision, I think what a lot of them.

35:39 What a lot of producers writers try to do is either romanticize the Indian, you know, he's an Indian chief. She's the princess and you're trying to avoid some of that or they're Savages and they're massacring. I think we have 5 minutes. Hillerman member hillerman hillerman writes about the navajos and he puts and everything by the there skinwalkers and there's this and that I can't even remember most of them, but they're all Navajo words that Navajo think that he could come by and saw all of that and put it together, you know everything to let him know that they are Native Americans you don't have to do that to know their Native American but he does all of that him and the general public loves that

36:35 And I'll be like that but I to me it's over engine izing and I don't want to do that. I can tell the way we talk without going to that when there's a lot of things that I could consider a good song, you know, but I don't really go into that. I use it just the way we talk and right now I can't think of the words right now because I don't know much.

37:05 Every question for anyone so what do you wish that people who?

37:14 Aren't Native American would ask you about your experiences.

37:24 Couldn't quite hear what?

37:38 Let's see. Something happened just recently just recently so I didn't know there were Indians here. It just happened not too long ago. Someone was telling me here.

37:52 A lot of kids don't know they are still Native Americans. It's like talkin about

38:01 History where history. We're not here today exists anymore.

38:12 What do you think about that?

38:15 That's really painful and and it hurt that it's hurtful to to hear people really believe that

38:29 We don't have to piece a certain tribes to don't have to speak the same way about how there's nothing. We don't beat on drums Street and we don't prance around doing it and things like that. We we have a different way of seeing and we tell her stories and so forth and turn a different every tribe is different. They're not the same to everybody like princess. They play every time I do movie they'll do it with the plane's engine. The plane's engine or they'll do the Navajo the price of one most well-known tribe get a chance to be on the film they talk about them, but they've been telling the same stories over and over and over and over the same thing. And so but there are the tribes they can talk about they won't do it because the American people want to hear that, you know.

39:20 The pow wow, Indian

39:23 Yeah, the American people that's what they want. So they don't want to listen to the other tribes how they do it now they are and also I think that

39:35 They are they are like how many times you going to talk about Wounded Knee how many times you can talk about custard how many you know, they keep doing it over and over and over cuz American public like that, but when they come and tell me about her what do I think of Custer's I don't know. I would have nothing to do with them, you know, but I think he's wrong what he did, but we have different beliefs and I think our ways

40:00 What we believe to be and we don't believe them that we don't believe what they believe and like friends and saw some guy came up to me the other day when we was having class. He came is up and gives me Cedar do I smoke myself is that we don't use that here, you know, and he gives it to me gives me Cedar to smoke my tablet that I don't do that. We don't smoke ourselves all the time either. It's very important. We do that mean I'm not going to carry a bunch of arrow-weed sand everywhere. I go and start heading in the mountains ahead smoke yourself for this know if they have their own way, but they seem to think that everybody does the same thing. They even what do they have? What did they use to Sage? They think that everybody uses sage and we don't use Sage here. We have to use the arrow weeds.

40:47 Why do we use her which was that? The first planted came up they say when why do they use Sage? They don't know but they do so every engine smokes himself with sage or not us. That's the difference again.

41:03 So

41:13 We done.

41:16 Have we talked an hour?