In Memoriam: Maxine Wildcat Barnett | Yuchi

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zOyaha

Children of the Sun

Tribal Nation

Yuchi

In Memoriam: Maxine Wildcat Barnett
Maxine Wildcat Barnett

Born to Yuchi parents and raised on her father’s allotment in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, Maxine Wildcat Barnett learned to speak English at public school but was allowed to speak only Yuchi at home, at the insistence of her grandma Eliza. 

She never forgot those precious words.  Today, Maxine is the last elder speaker of Yuchi, which is a linguistic isolate that has no known relative among other Indigenous languages. It is notoriously difficult to learn, and there are few remaining native speakers. But, like her grandma, Maxine insists on passing it to the next generation.

“When you lose a language,” she has said, “you lose your songs, your culture, the things you used to do together as a family. My language keeps me going.”

At age 93, Maxine is golaha, or “grandma,” to some 50 children at the Yuchi Language Project, a non-profit organization where she has a crucial role bridging the gap between her generation of first-language speakers and the next. And it is happening – Maxine reports with joy that for the first time since she was a child, she is seeing young children speaking Yuchi as their first language. 

Maxine moves about her daily work of reclaiming Yuchi culture with contagious enthusiasm. Still driving, Maxine makes her daily rounds in the small community she calls home. 

Maxine leads the traditional naming practices so that children and others can carry a connection to their Yuchi identity. She teaches ancient stories about ceremonial songs, and has advised a youth production that brought the drama to life. 

She creates curriculum materials and serves as a board member for the Yuchi Language Project. She even supplies the Yuchi voice for the childrens’ cartoon series.

Maxine serves as an advisor to the Yuchi three sisters garden project, demonstrating old methods for preparing traditional foods. She shares her knowledge of medicine practices, and most importantly, her understanding of the original Yuchi worldview. 

She has been featured in National Geographic’s Vanishing Voices issue and in Cultural Survival, as well as other local and national Indigenous media.

The most important thing to Maxine is that she upholds her grandmother’s legacy to pass the Yuchi language and culture to the coming generations. 

Please join me in celebrating Legacy Leader Maxine Wildcat Barnett.

Maxine-Wildcat-Barnett-Uchee-Creek-Alabama

MORE INFORMATION

Writings

In Memoriam: Honoring Maxine Wildcat Barnett

Maxine’s goal was to ensure the Yuchi language was passed to the next generations. She effectuated her legacy using the Spirit Aligned Leadership Program to sustain and support her efforts. For some time, she was the last fluent Yuchi speaker – before she passed, she accomplished her goal in transferring the language to Yuchi youth.

These are unpublished writings by the late Maxine Wildcat Barnett. In this, she shares what it means to carry on her language and what her homelands mean to her.

Audio / Video

Interview

The Yuchi community celebrate Maxine Wildcat Barnett’s 94th birthday and capture her wise words on the importance of knowing who you are and your people’s history.

Video

Gallery


Photos

Images from Maxine’s 94th Birthday in Oklahoma. Gail Small and Katsi Cook joined in celebration.