People in the 10: “I always come home.”

When I grew up, everybody was poor. We didn’t know we were poor. I think the way I was raised and the culture and tradition that surrounded us; I think that is something that draws you back to home and the people. It may not necessarily be your tribe, but the people. I’ve been in the service, and I’ve traveled to different places. In high school, I went to different places—my career with the forest service and with the tribal government, with the governor’s office. I always come home. I think it is just a special place here. As some tribal people say, ‘it has good medicine.’ The only sad part of the cycle is losing people. People we grew up with, people that we’ve been close to. Those memories are also connected to home. And sometimes that’s what drives me to stay. To express or share what I know, of what people taught me in my years on earth. -Ivan Posey