Calvin Harlan

Give us some background on your history and your tribe’s history. 

The history of Omaha is, it’s named after the tribe. We had camps up there up by Bellevue, we met the Mormons up there before they went West, you know. There is a lot of history tied up in this area—from the Kansas/Missouri border, all the way up north to Minnesota, along the Big Sioux River. That river used to be called the River of the Mahas, and now it’s the Big Sioux. 

The Omaha tribe used to like to meet at these chapter houses, these little groups, like the Horse Head Lodge, Little Skunks, little areas of the reservation where they lived. I belong to this society called the Big Crazy Society. We do a lot of community service, activities, donating our time, and it’s not affiliated with any program, but we’re just an organization on our own that does this. We try to assist with cultural history. I consider myself a lay historian. You can date me back to the time of Yellow Smoke, who was the last keeper of our sacred pole, one of the most sacred objects of our tribe. It determines what direction we should go when we’re out, where we should camp, things like that. The sacred pole, the Omaha term for it is “the Venerable Man.” My grandfather was the last caretaker of that, and I can trace my family lineage back that far. 

I grew up here, about four miles southeast, out in the country, out on the farm. I was immersed in my language, the Omaha language. I am one of 25 Native speakers remaining who can speak Omaha, out of 6,000 in Omaha and surrounding cities. I was actually born in the house, born at home. All of these tribal, cultural traditions and histories were passed onto me through word of mouth. I like to help out whenever I can. I teach Omaha wherever I can and talk about our stories and history. 

In a perfect world, the city of Omaha would say ‘We got our name from a tribe, something to be proud of. Let’s help them. Let’s see what they need. Let’s see if we can extend a hand.’ But that’s in a perfect world, and unfortunately, we’re full of imperfections. 

Do you have any specific connections to the city of Omaha? 

I have family there. Of course, my nephew Levelle and his family. They are one of those migratory families down there that move back and forth. I have half brothers and sisters who live in the community, and we’ve been involved with a few activities down there. At one point in time, we’ve done some work with the Omaha Symphony with the kids. They had this neat program where they took our Native music and interpreted it into all the horns and instruments. We tend to be in Omaha at least two weeks of the month, my wife and I. We have a good relationship with Boystown, too. We’ve had a sweat lodge down there for about eight years now. We go down a few times a year and facilitate a sweat for the Native students there. It really helps to do that because you have to know where you came from to know where you’re going. Those students tend to do a lot better, they tend to succeed. 

What could the city of Omaha do to build a stronger relationship with the tribe?

You know, that’s a two-way street. With what Levelle’s organization is doing in Omaha, that opens doors for a lot of things. We need to look at more cultural sensitivity training within the city’s programs. I think there’s a lot of education that needs to happen within the community. Any community can say they’re diverse, and that’s a great term, but what are they doing about diversity? What are they learning about the diverse cultures that are there? 

We were recently on the news for something that happened with our neighbor, Nate Phillips. I think that really opened a door for education. This is what I hope happens with Omaha. You know, every community I’ve ever been to, the Native people have always been overlooked. I don’t necessarily mean in social service programs, but if you ask a police officer in Omaha, Nebraska if they’ve conversed with a Native American, chances are, they say it’s a one-way street. That they’ve arrested them and told them what to do. Have they taken the opportunity to learn about us as a culture? 

When we look at cultures and how we’re raised and growing up, they are raised with the values of what it is to be Native. We live by a certain set of rules, norms, and moral fibers. When we say ‘brother,’ when we say ‘nephew,’ we really mean that. It’s a blood thing. I’ve always said this in all of my talks: other cultures make friends all over the country, but Native people make relationships.

I think the city of Omaha should take a look at our culture, our history, and I think they could learn something from us. We walk in humility, those of us who have struggled, and we say things with all honesty and respect. We know what it’s like to walk on the other side of the road and what it is to fight back from that. 

The fiber of who we are as Native men, as Native women, as Native people in general, is based in those tenants. You ask a lot of people what respect means, and they say ‘I don’t know, but I know.’ It’s innate. It just needs to be awakened. I think, on the other side of that coin, when we become slaves to our phones, to our watches, to time, the humanness is taken out of it. You have ten minutes to do this, then I have to go do this. We need the empathy. The Natives talk about ‘Indian Time,’ we get things done when it’s done. There’s a difference there. 

When we talk about family, we talk about everybody. There’s the core unit, but there is an extended family of whoever we choose to include in that circle. 

In a perfect world, the city of Omaha would say ‘We got our name from a tribe, something to be proud of. Let’s help them. Let’s see what they need. Let’s see if we can extend a hand.’ But that’s in a perfect world, and unfortunately, we’re full of imperfections. 

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