Wednesday, September 30, 2009
I send my thoughts and prayers to her family at this difficult time. Although I did not know her personally, I came to know that she was highly respected throughout the community and great kindness and compassion toward indigenous peoples. As a fortunate recipient of a 2008 Lynn Reyer Awards in Tribal Community Development, my research has included building relationships with a small group of elder women from the Sovereign Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy I am truly blessed to have had this opportunity. Just as the Three Sisters [their tradition of the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) was as staples for the Haudenosaunee] are revered as their true sustenance, Carolyn M. Reyer provided sustenance for those who of us are grateful and appreciative of her efforts and contributions in promoting research and education with indigenous peoples, while emphasizing our interdependence on one another.I was truly blessed to have had this opportunity. Please pass my deepest sympathies on to her family. Very sincerely, R. Saya Bobick