YELLOW WOLF: A NATIONAL PARK SERVICE SUPERINTENDENT’S STORY - Last night we attended a talk given by Gerard Baker at NDSU sponsored by NDSU Press. A Mandan-Hidatsa Indian, Baker grew up on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. His youth was spent breaking horses, running cows, and doing chores on his family's ranch. At night, he and his family would listen to stories told by tribal elders—stories of warfare, great hunts, tricksters, and survival.
From that upbringing he worked through a series of jobs that took him to the top of the national park system where he served as superintendent of several of them. His insistence at including the Indian story as a part of history did not always sit well with people who thought otherwise. Baker was a great speaker who exhibited Indian humor that I came to know well in my professional career.
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