The old and the new

It was five years ago that we sat in the Onigum Community Center to witness the celebration of the life of “One who walks alone.” There were frost-colored memories of another day, 70 years ago, when Pauline Aitken came into my dental office with a bunch of little kids: Joe, Roger and Larry, in that order, perhaps 3, 4 and 5 years old. However there were also three or four others that Pauline thought should be seen by a dentist. Pauline was a wonderful mother, a long-time good friend of other members of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, and one who knew the importance of good dental care.

After meeting the Aitken boys that day, it was fun watching them grow up and assume important positions in both communities. They were all very good athletes in high school and later on, it was a blast watching them play with the Nighthawk Basketball Team and also on the golf links at Tianna Country Club. Although I became close friends with all the boys, Larry especially played an important role in our Circle of Time Committee and was an inspiration for us to form the Leech Lake Culture Alliance.