J. Ahniwake Van Vleet

My beautiful sister.

Memories of my cousin Ahniwake: she was named after our grandmother and I was jealous. As cousins when my family visited, she and I played and slept in the attic of my grandparents Claremore home. We `fished´ for tadpoles in the nearby creek. On another visit, she talked me into riding on the handlebars of her bike which promptly crashed sending me sprawling on the gravel. I still have the scar on my knee. When her family moved to Siloam Springs, I spent a week of summer vacation with them. She and her friends took me to the movies to see Rock Around the Clock. We sat on the front row through two showings!
We lost touch until meeting as adults in September at the Cherokee Homecoming event. We watched our cousin Jim compete in the bow and arrow contest and sat through a story telling by one of the elders.
The last time I saw her was when I was in Denver one year in July. She and her husband were so gracious. I visited their home and enjoyed the beautiful gladiolas of Dwayne´s. They rented a van and took me and another friend of theirs sightseeing in the snow covered mountains.
Ahniwake holds a special place in my heart and I am grateful to have had her as a cousin. Rest in peace dear one. Say hello to Grandma Gardner, Will, Jack, Jim and Buddy for me.