Oral Histories

Interview of Sharon Buckley

Sioux. Came to Los Angeles as part of the American Indian Relocation.
Series:
American Indian Relocation Project
Topic:
American Indian History
Biographical Note:
Sioux. Came to Los Angeles as part of the American Indian Relocation.
Interviewer:
Dobroski, Sonja
Interviewee:
Buckley, Sharon
Persons Present:
Buckley and Dobroski.
Place Conducted:
Indian Revival Church in Bell Gardens, California
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History.
Interviewer Background and Preparation:
The interview was conducted by Sonja Dobroski; M.A., American Indian Studies, UCLA.
Processing of Interview:
The interviewer prepared a timed log of the audio recording of the interview. Buckley was given the opportunity to review the log in order to supply missing or misspelled names and to verify the accuracy of the content but made no changes.
Length:
1 hr.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Audio:
Series Statement:
The interviews in the series American Indian Relocation Project document the experience of American Indians who came to Los Angeles as part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' urban relocation program in the 1950s and 1960s. The initial interviews were conducted by students in Professor Peter Nabokov's American Indian Studies 200A class. The Center for Oral History Research then conducted additional interviews to expand on those first student interviews.
Growing up on the reservation, reservation life--Going to boarding school, coming back to the reservation during the summer--Going to Haskell junior college--Applying for relocation, why she chose relocation--Coming to Los Angeles, why relocation, why Los Angeles?----Back to discussing reservation life, growing up on the reservation--Arriving in Los Angeles, BIA involvement, initial impressions of L.A.--Getting settled in Los Angeles, meeting other natives on relocation--Getting jobs, finding jobs, BIA transition support--Socializing, meeting her husband, BIA social events--Getting an apartment, getting married, other native friends getting married--BIA involvement timeline--Friendship with other Native women, moving in together--Going back to the reservation while in Los Angeles, bringing her children back to the reservation-- Culture shock in Los Angeles.--Health care, insurance in LA vs. the reservation--Socializing with other relocatees, homesickness--Prejudice/stereotypes on the reservation v.s. prejudice/stereotypes in Los Angeles--Working, having a family--Teaching children about being Lakota, transmitting Lakota heritage to children, talking about star quilts--Raising children on the reservation v.s. raising children in Los Angeles, her boarding school experience--The best part about moving to L.A., Catholic boarding school, giving her children opportunity--Religion, Catholicism--The worst part about moving to LA--Wanting to live back on the reservation, living there for 6 months, visiting for 6 months, getting health care on the reservation--Wrapping up her experience with relocation.