Poet brings story of indigenous identity to Sisters

Chris La Tray is a Métis storyteller, Montana's current poet laureate, a descendent of the Pembina Band of the mighty Red River of the North and an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

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Chris La Tray grew up on tales of adventure that sparked him to become a poet and a memoirist, currently honored as Montana's poet laureate.

He will celebrate his new memoir - both personal and historical - at Paulina Springs Books in Sisters on Tuesday, September 10 at 5 p.m. (note the early event time).

"Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian's Journey Home" is a testament to the power of storytelling, to family and legacy, and to finding home.

"I'm committed to uncovering the culture of my people," said La Tray. "I'm committed to learning as much of the language as I can. I've always loved this land, and I've always loved Indian people. The more I dig into it, the more I interact with my Indian relatives, the more it blooms in my heart. The more it blooms in my spirit."

Growing up in Montana, Chris La Tray always identified as Indian. Despite the fact that his father fiercely denied any connection, he found Indigenous people alluring, often recalling his grandmother's consistent mention of their Chippewa heritage.

When La Tray attended his grandfather's funeral as a young man, he finally found himself surrounded by relatives who obviously were Indigenous. "Who were they?" he wondered, and "Why was I never allowed to know them?" Combining diligent research and compelling conversations with authors, activists, elders, and historians, La Tray embarks on a journey into his family's past, discovering along the way a larger story of the complicated history of Indigenous communities-as well as the devastating effects of colonialism that continue to ripple through surviving generations. And as he comes to embrace his full identity, he eventually seeks enrollment with the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians, joining their 158-year-long struggle for federal recognition.

In an interview with The Nugget, La Tray recalled growing up "way out in the country" with little contact with friends.

"I just kind of lived in my own imagination," he recalled.

That imagination was stoked by reading the vivid fantasy works of the likes of Texas pulp writer Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan of Cimmeria, and J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings."

"My connection to adventure was stories about barbarians fighting civilized jerks, and Rangers fighting orcs," he said.

Those tales of high adventure sparked a youthful impetus to become a storyteller in his own right.

"It just seemed like a cool way to make a living," he said.

As he grew into his calling as a writer, he esteemed independent sorts such as Jim Harrison, who refused to be confined to one genre or mode of expression. Harrison was a poet, an essayist, a short story writer, a screenwriter, and a novelist.

"That's what I liked," La Tray said. "People who wrote whatever they wanted."

La Tray said he will read briefly, then open the event to a conversation about whatever the audience is interested in exploring.

"I would hope they come away knowing who the Little Shell are and what it means to be landless Indians," he said.

Paulina Springs Books is located at 252 W. Hood Ave.