Mvskoke author releases new Indian Boarding School book, “Wees are Kneak Moments”

Written By: Braden Harper

(MUSCOGEE NATION) Native Americans who grew up in the 20th century post removal are likely to either have attended an Indian boarding school, or know someone who has. Sulli Mariah Lee (Mvskoke/Cherokee/Choctaw) is a former student of the Eufaula Indian Boarding School, and grew up with friends across the country who attended Indian boarding schools as well. Each former Indian boarding school student’s experience was different depending on when they attended and where they attended. Recent federal reports have discovered that many Indian boarding schools abused students, thus leaving behind a legacy of intergenerational trauma that is still seen today. Fortunately, not all former Indian Boarding School students like Lee had the same experience. Lee described her experience as warm and nurturing. These experiences inspired her to write her new book, “Wees are Kneak Moments”, which explores the Indian Boarding School experience of Lee and her friends.

Read this story on Mvskoke Media here. 

Lee was born in Oklahoma and is an enrolled Muscogee (Creek) citizen with Cherokee and Choctaw heritage. She enrolled through the tribe on her matriarch line. Lee was one of four siblings, and six half siblings in her family. Lee’s full legal name is Sulli Mariah Helen Ann Minyard Lee, but she decided to shorten it for the book.

Lee was enrolled in the Eufaula Indian Boarding School when she was five years old and attended there for the next 12 years. Although her first day of school was a long time ago, the memories of the experience are still fresh in Lee’s head.

“I remember walking into that big, pink building. It was just slightly a tintish pink,” Lee said. “It was the biggest building I had ever been in. It had indoor bathrooms, electricity and showers.”

During those days, students lived in the dorms during the school year and returned home with their families during the summers. Lee grew up in what she described as a dysfunctional household and had a complicated relationship with her mother. Due to this, Lee’s grandfather, Watty Albert stepped in to raise his grandchildren. Eventually when Lee reached the ninth grade she simply stayed year round at the dormitory, a place that provided more stability. During the summers all local Indian boarding school students would come together to room. These locations included the Jones Academy, Carter Seminary, Haskell and Sequoyah. 

“They kept us busy all the time,” Lee said. “We went to all the museums, we did cultural things everywhere, it was fantastic. And we got to meet all the other kids from the other schools.”

Life at the Dorm

Saturday mornings at the dorm were spent cleaning the facilities, which included climbing on tall ladders to wash every single window. Facilitators would regularly give tours of the school since it was marked as a historical site. As Lee described it, everything had to be spit shined.

Although Lee fondly remembers her schooling, she understands that not all Indian boarding school students were fortunate to share that experience. Even at the Eufaula Indian Boarding School, students’ culture was stripped away from them.

“I know there are a lot of stories out there of kids being abused,” Lee said. “The only thing I consider kind of abusive looking back on it now, is when we had girls that would come in who did not speak English. They (the teachers) would say, ‘Don’t speak unless you can speak English’. They spoke the (Mvskoke) language fully and it was our job to teach them English.”

Growing up at the Arbeka church, Lee grew up understanding bits and phrases of the Mvskoke language. She was one of the students that acted as an intermediary to teach her fellow students English. The different levels of fluency in the Mvskoke language would divide school yard student circles between those who could speak it and those who could not. This encouraged Lee to become more fluent in order to understand what was being said about her by other students.

Lee lamented on the matrons who helped essentially raise her and the other young girls at the school. One matron in particular was Maud Vann McInosh. Students referred to McIntosh as “Ms. Vann” to differentiate her from another matron who shared the same last name. Not only did McIntosh play a significant role in Lee’s life during school, she also played a significant role afterward when she got married and had children of her own. They enjoyed traveling together and embarked on a trip on October 1, 1971 to witness the opening of a new theme park in Orlando, Florida: Walt Disney World. According to Lee, although McIntosh never had children, she treated each student like her own.

“Ms. Vann was really, really like my mother,” Lee said. “All the other matrons were wonderful to us, they truly loved us.”

McIntosh was the aunt of famous Mvskoke painter Acee Blue Eagle. From time to time Blue Eagle would spend time painting at the dormitory. One of the students Blue Eagle took notice of was Lee, who would play with her doll on a big rock behind the school. Lee remembered that she viewed the rock as an imaginary kingdom, and was very selective regarding who was allowed around it. After establishing that McIntosh was Blue Eagle’s aunt, Lee allowed him to use her as a muse for his paintings.

“He took my hand and put the brush in my fingers and he put his hand over my hand and he would paint his pictures,” Lee said. “We would stand there for two hours and I literally thought I painted them.” 

Lee remarked that after that first encounter, Blue Eagle would return many times to paint at the school. Although students were forbidden to bother Blue Eagle while he was painting, he always made time for his favorite student. According to Lee, every time he saw her he would cheekily ask, “Hello your Majesty, may I paint today?”, to which Lee would enthusiastically respond with “yes”.

Lee graduated high school with a class of 68 in 1965.

Life After Eufaula

After graduating from the Eufaula Boarding Indian School Lee married her husband in 1965. This year marks their 59th wedding anniversary. Lee worked for 12 years at Shell, then worked for seven years at Tulsa Junior College, now Tulsa Community College (TCC). During her time working there it inspired her to go back to school. Lee did not have a set degree goal in mind, she simply took as many classes as she could that were available. Before she knew it she obtained a liberal arts degree and a degree in psychology.

Lee formed very close relationships with her professors at TCC. This included professors Mari Lou Martin and Harriett Slemp. They both knew about Lee’s Native American heritage, and gifted her a regalia dress. According to Lee, although she was grateful for the dress, it was not culturally Mvskoke. However, that did not stop Lee from wearing it to elementary school presentations around Thanksgiving holidays. During these presentations Lee shared Native American stories and culture.

Lee went on to pursue a bachelor’s degree in geology from Oklahoma State University. Rocks have been a lifelong fascination for Lee. She enjoys making jewelry with colorful, beaded rocks and can sometimes be found at local flea markets selling them.

Inspiration for the Book

At first glance, some readers might look at the title of “Wees are Kneak Moments” and think it is some sort of typo. Once readers open the book, they will see that the name derives from a personal moment between two of the main characters.

“The reason the book is called ‘Wees are Kneak’ is because in the book this guy is trying to propose to this girl and he gets all tongue-tied and instead of saying ‘you make my knees weak’ he says ‘you make my wees kneak’” Lee said.

The characters within the book are not real, however they are based on Lee and people she knew from throughout her lifetime. Some of these people had incredible life stories that astounded Lee to where she wanted to share them with a broader audience. Some of their stories involved difficult subjects like drug use and prostitution. Due to the sensitive nature of these stories , Lee wanted to respect the privacy of her friends by writing her book as non fiction.

Lee’s grandfather, a World War I veteran, would also serve as an inspiration for a character. In this way it acts as a tribute to the man who helped raise Lee at such a young age.

Writing the book began in 2020 when Lee had a broken leg and limited mobility. To make matters worse, the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the country, shutting down the world. However, Lee saw this as the perfect opportunity to focus on telling this story.

“Wees are Kneak” also includes characters from Lee’s graduating class. According to Lee, she has already passed on the book to some of her former classmates and received positive feedback.

Lee’s grandson, Kade Brummet produced the artwork for the cover, reproducing the image of the Eufaula Indian Boarding School building with the pink tint.

When asked about what advice Lee would have for fellow Native American storytellers, she simply said it is important that they are told. According to Lee, it is up to the next generation to make their voice heard.

“We have been a quiet part of society,” Lee said. “It’s up to our young people to be proud of who they are and escape the stereotype that they come from the outskirts of society because we have something more to offer.”

A book signing for “Wees are Kneak Moments” will take place on Saturday, May 25 at James Lee Automotive in Tulsa, which is located at 9928 E. 55th Place. Paperback and hard copies will be available for purchase on Friday, May 31. The book can also be purchased on Amazon in an ebook format.