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Phyllis Farmer passed onto Creator’s Land earlier this month. She was 91. Auntie Phil was the last of the surviving children of Cecelia and Chief Irving Powless Sr. She was a wonderful, kind soul who loved to laugh and help others. Her favorite color was purple and she made a mouth-watering rice pudding at all family get-togethers. Often when you would run into her, she would be busy crocheting to get ready to go to the next craft fair where she sold her hats, scarves, and sashes. Auntie Phil will be missed by all who knew her.
Part of thinking about her, I began going through some old family photographs. When I saw this one, it made me smile.
The photo was published by the Syracuse Post Standard around 1955? Auntie isn’t married yet, her name is listed as Phyllis Powless. Auntie Phil, my grandmother Cecelia, and my mom Helen (who also isn’t married yet to Phyllis’ brother) are pictured as part of the Onondaga Nation Women’s Auxiliary Volunteer Fire Department. The caption of the photograph recalls that the Nation’s volunteer fire department was the first all indigenous department in the United States. The community takes a lot of pride in our commitment to work hard to create our own fire department.
Because the Onondaga Nation is a sovereign nation and still maintains our traditional government, we do not accept federal or state funding that is not negotiated in our treaties. Therefore, the entire community came together to fundraise to make this a success. Parades, social dances, turkey shoots, and publicity shoots, like the one with Auntie Phil were a must.
This photo is a great reminder of how hard our elders worked to create the fire department.
Da•ne’tho’,
~Dehowähda•dih