Details

Storyteller: Rosalie
Tribe: Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe
Created: 2018
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Transcript: I was born in Minneapolis at Fairview Hospital on January 30, 1940 to Esther and Arthur Carlson. We lived in nine different places in South Minneapolis. I had two brothers and two sisters. My father worked as a cook on the railroad and my mother was a housewife. Later, my mother did house-work and maid work in hotels. I would take care of my younger siblings when she worked. At the age of ten I started to babysit to earn money. In the summer I babysat Monday through Friday for ten hours a day and received ten dollars a week.

I graduated from South High School in 1958. From 1958 to 1961, I worked at the U of M Hospital as a clerk typist in outpatient bookkeeping. I went to Minneapolis school of practical nursing and graduated in 1962. I worked thirteen years as an LPN. I attended the U of M - Twin Cities from 1970-1973. My major was Social work. I took a break after 3 years and moved to California in 1973. I Attended Santa Ana College where I graduated with ADRN in 1975.

I then moved back to Minneapolis and became licensed as an RN. I worked full-time as an RN from 1975 to 2006, when I retired. I took care of my daughters two boys full-time for 8 years. My parents were alcoholics. From the time I was 23, I had custody of my 2 sisters and 1 brother when they were teenagers. I always wanted to be a nurse. A dear friend influenced me to go to Nursing School.

When I was growing up, my family would visit my grandmother who lived on the LCO reservation in Wisconsin. I did not know that it was a reservation until I was in my teens. My father’s parents came from Sweden and lived in Minneapolis. We spent very little time at my paternal grandmother’s, as my mother felt they were prejudiced. My father would take us to visit my grandmother without my mother. Both grandfathers were deceased before I was born.  

My maternal grandmother was Catholic, and she never practiced her culture. She referred to the people who practiced their culture as “Pagans.” As a result my mother never taught any of her culture to us to begin with. I learned most of my Native culture in the 60’s from my youngest sister and brother. I grew up in the catholic religion, so I didn’t get involved with my culture.

When I attended the U of M, they had American Indian Studies. I took Ojibwe for 2 quarters. I learned and did beading baby moccasins for Native babies at Children’s Hospital. It wasn’t until I was in Junior High that I started to feel some prejudice. I felt less accepted. There are people who have tried to make me ashamed of who I am.

The older I became, I have learned to be proud of who I am as a person: true, sincere and a caring person. I have met and become friends with many Native Americans through college, work, conferences, and social gatherings that I am proud to know. They have influenced me to continue to know and practice my culture more. I will influence my children and grandchildren about our Native American culture. Also I am letting my husband, who is Swedish and Norwegian, know about my culture.

I met my husband in May 1977. We married Nov. 21,1977. He had 3 children. We had our daughter, Mary Aug. 9,1979. My step-children, Julie, Ann-Marie and Casey moved in with us. Over the years our children have married. We now have 16 grandchildren, who range from 5years to 29 years old. My great-grand daughters who are twins will be one-year old in Nov, one will be 3-years old in Nov. and one will be 2-years old in Jan. We will have another great-grand child in March. Ollie and I will celebrate our 41st Anniversary Nov. 21st, 2018.