'They should do a prison only for Indians'
Prague 2007: Common Ground
Wayne Brown, a 62-year-old inmate at Montana State Prison, goes by the nickname “Hobo” because of his once-itinerant lifestyle. Now serving his fourth prison term, Brown won’t be released until he is in his 80s. Other Indian inmates chose Brown to serve for six years as the pipe carrier — an important and respected role in traditional Indian culture.
Could you tell us something about yourself, where you grew up and your short life story?
I grew up around Great Falls, place that they called Hill 57, a place, where they mostly kept, you know, mostly Indian people. They just put them all together and they gave them a piece of land, then later on they took it away from them.
I think that people treat Indian people differently than white people out there; even the guards around here treat them in a different way. Me and other three people, we sued the prison for digging in our medicine bags. See, that’s been seven or eight years ago now. And it still goes on every now and then.
Because they say they have to search them?
Yes. The thing is, we could take them and dump them out, and show them, without them touching it and seeing, what is really in there. None of the Indians would ever put anything but the medicine in the bag, because they would get in trouble with other brothers around here.
Because the medicine bags are quite sacred?
Yes. But it’s hard to get across to some white people here. You are Indian, too, aren’t you? [Reporter Marie Novakova responds that she is not.]
How did you grow up?
I grew up with my family, with brothers and sisters, but I left early, like when I was 14 years old. I quit school because a teacher, she started pulling around, so I just left. I started to work with a farmer, he was goofy, too. I stayed for about a year there. My father was a stone mason, he has got some things over there in Missoula, you know the Catholic church, St. Francis, he made it. I was very close to my family.
When I left the farm, I just tramped around the country. My nickname is Hobo. I’ve been here four times. I was nineteen when I first got here, it was the old prison, bad there, you really had to watch yourself. Two of my sons came here too, they lived with me, I made sure they came to my cell. I told them that if they ever came back I’m gonna beat them up.
Why do you think so many Indians come here?
They got no choice. When I was in that Polson jail, don’t get me wrong, but you see people coming there, that are related to someone or they are a different color, their time was less than the other people. With that area up there, 80 or 90% people are down here. No good. I think they are under investigation now. They are trying to find out why there is so many Indians being sent here from there. I think they should do a prison for only Indians. They get the sweat house and their medicine bags and their culture. It’s looked down on here and if you are into it, into your heritage, it really bothers you to see the things like that happen, to look at it. I’ve been doing the sweat for 13 years now, every week. Most of the Indians do it.
You have to realize too, some of the people here are sidewalk Indians. Those are the people that have been born in the cities. They are Indians, but they don’t understand their culture. But it has been learnt to them by some of the old people.
Do the Indians here stick together?
They used to. Because of the sidewalk Indians they don’t anymore. I get to talk to them, once in a while. I always tell them, go to the college and get a lawyer’s degree, then they can help their people, they know what to do. Once they understand the other side, then it is easy for them to help their own people.
Do the Indians here get along well with white people?
Yes. I have three of them coming to the sweat with me tomorrow. You have to invite them, but I feel like anybody can come there. Any holy place you come to pray. Even inside the sweat, we have these colored ribbons up there, red for Indian, black, that is for the colored people, yellow one for Chinese and one for the white people.
Could you explain a bit why do you think there is more crime among Indians?
Look where and how they live.
Alcohol has always been a thing brought by white people. The older Indians drank it and now their kids drink it. My son is like that. Now he’s doing pretty good, I have a medicine pipe at home and I told him “If you quit drinking I will give it to you”.
You know, I think when some get in trouble, and they get locked up, a lot of them don’t know how to read, lot of them don’t understand what is going on, it was just like me trying to sign that paper [Mr. Brown was struggling a bit to sign an official permission for our visit]. I’m sixty-two years old and I don’t know how to write and read. I left the school at the 4th grade. Teacher put me in front of the class and tried to make me spell a word and I couldn’t do it. So she called me a dummy. You know, it’s different for how some people feel about things. I thought I was always wrong for to hear what she said, that’s why I left, never went back.
Did your parents have any trouble with your leaving the school?
No – it was your own choice. I wish I stayed there, though. I’m going to school here right now. I’m trying to get GED, but even that is hard for me, because I don’t understand the words. If I had gone to school, I would like to go to a college. My brother now works in Russia on buildings, he does very good. He comes to visit. All the family stays in touch. If I need money, I draw people’s faces.
I get out in 2026. I’ve been here too many times, so they call you a loser, I guess. But they don’t understand what might be going on. I think once you are in a place like this, you are forgotten by many people.
What would you do to help your people, if you could?
That’s my job here, that’s what I’ve been doing here. I tell the young people a good story how they should or shouldn’t be, some of them have little kids – they can’t be around them. I was never around my own kids. Lot of young Indians do not know anything about their heritage, but they are interested in learning.
They write me sometimes, some of the kids. It’s good to hear that they are sometimes doing good, they have families.
Do you think Indians are treated differently in the courts?
I think they get more time. I think it’s bad to look down on people. I wish I could change my life around and be all right. But I need to wait to another door to come around, I guess… I am also a Christian, I come to church here…
Aw, I never talked so much in my whole life.
Can you talk about why are you here?
Well, I have been here too many times. And they look at you and say that you are threat to them. If they think that, they try to put you away and keep you there for the rest of your life.
See, what did I do? It seems so long ago. I’ve done just about everything.
What do you think it was in your life that went wrong? I mean, why did you do all those things?
I wish I would have got the school. I just let my pride to take over. The kids made fun of us, me and my brother would fight against them. I have twenty-six brothers and sisters, altogether. Four of my brothers already died of diabetes.
Are you bored here?
Yeah. Like when I draw it helps me. I don’t read yet, maybe soon I will.
What is the worst thing about being here?
The worst thing? Being away from your people. I have 37 grandchildren. I often have visits here. My mother would come here from Seattle on the bus. She is in her 80s now.
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