Boozhoo. I’m Walter Blanc, my friends call me Skip, like they do my father. I’ve lived my life learning and carrying on the traditions of my ancestors. My father often brought me along as he too learned from elders. From early on, I learned how to work with my hands while being guided by my heart. I learn best by watching and practicing. This includes rebuilding old cars as well as beading, woodwork, and other crafts.
My parents, Walter and Pat, have given me the strength to listen, learn, and laugh. These gifts allowed me to work with many elders of various tribes and nations. It is from them that I learned to love traditions and now share them with others.
I worked for the National Forest Service for many decades. Here I learned to feel comfortable and welcomed within all the landscapes Mother Earth offers. She’s taught me many lessons, and some not too gently. I learned to respect her and all the Creator’s gifts. I work with the Brothertown Nation for many years before I took on the mantle of leadership. I accepted the nomination and was elected as a Council Member and humbly serve my relatives.
This is one of my favorite pictures of me with my father.
My parents, Walter and Pat, have given me the strength to listen, learn, and laugh. These gifts allowed me to work with many elders of various tribes and nations. It is from them that I learned to love traditions and now share them with others.
I worked for the National Forest Service for many decades. Here I learned to feel comfortable and welcomed within all the landscapes Mother Earth offers. She’s taught me many lessons, and some not too gently. I learned to respect her and all the Creator’s gifts. I work with the Brothertown Nation for many years before I took on the mantle of leadership. I accepted the nomination and was elected as a Council Member and humbly serve my relatives.
This is one of my favorite pictures of me with my father.
Aquy! Greetings. I’m Renee Gralewicz, the daughter of Theresa and Leonard, the granddaughter of Henrietta and Howard, and the great granddaughter of Tressy (nee Quinney) and Samuel Brushel. We are members of the Turtle Clan. I’m an enrolled member of the Brothertown Nation and descendant of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans. Like many, I hold several titles such as US Army Major (Retired) and Fulbright Scholar, but none more honorable and humbling than Elder and Peacemaker for Brothertown. I proudly served on tribal council for several years.
My passion for learning sustained me throughout my years of teaching. My research interests always focused on helping make my communities healthier and welcoming to all. The past decade or two I’ve more closely attended to indigenous communities. Since retirement, my energies have been put into understanding, teaching, and sharing information about missing and murdered indigenous peoples. I currently am a member of the Wisconsin Department of Justice Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2 Spirit Task Force.
My passion for learning sustained me throughout my years of teaching. My research interests always focused on helping make my communities healthier and welcoming to all. The past decade or two I’ve more closely attended to indigenous communities. Since retirement, my energies have been put into understanding, teaching, and sharing information about missing and murdered indigenous peoples. I currently am a member of the Wisconsin Department of Justice Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2 Spirit Task Force.
