Bertha Little Coyote: L342
1912-2003
(A tribute by Virginia Giglio)

Bertha Little Coyote died last Sunday, Feb. 2, 2003. It was one day before
her birthday, she would have been 91 years old. With crying and wails we laid
her in the grave. Everyone had a story about Grandma, about Auntie, about
Mother, about Sister. Folks spilled out of the packed church and into the
street in Seiling. The casket was light with her frail body, but heavy with
offerings.
The Lighthouse Baptist Church was the host of the event; the old Indian
Mennonite Church in Seiling was Bertha's home church, but has been without a
pastor for years. The Tuesday night wake started at 7 p.m. and lasted until
midnight. Not wanting to leave Bertha alone, several people camped in the
church over night.
Father Pete Powell, author of "Sweet Medicine," an exhaustive two volume
tome on Cheyenne religion, came all the way from Chicago to officiate at the
cermony. For 45 years Father Powell has called Bertha "my beloved Mother."
Other ministers, singers, musicians, speakers at the wake and funeral
included Gerald Panana, Bertha's brother Bernard Albaugh, Clifford Koehn,
Moses Starr, Greg Hart, Virginia Giglio, the Rusty Needles Sewing Circle,
Roy Bullcoming, Joan Swallow and Joan Black. Many others paid tribute to
Bertha in story and song, and the services were extraordinarily beautiful.
Everyone had a chance to sing hymns in English and in Cheyenne at both the
wake and the funeral, joining in with Issinihani Jesus and Cheyene Amazing
Grace with great feeling.
Bertha was dressed, at her request, in a nightgown and wore no shores.
These reflected her certainty that she would be going to sleep and waking in
heaven. She had pre-selected a lavendar casket, and most flower memorials and
shawls decorating her bier were in shades of purple, Bertha's favorite color.
A picture placed in casket represented Bertha's beloved dog tomi, who pre-
deceased her.
The giveaway for Bertha lasted about two hours. Blankets, shawls, dress goods,
dishes, plans, grocery baskets, books, and money were given away in Bertha's
honor. Mrs. White Crane and Mrs. Bullcoming, both beloved elders, were among
the many who received gifts.
As Bertha left behind her earthly home, we were reminded of her name,
E-no-ze, meaning "Sunset," the time of day when everything is left behind.
As the graveside singer sange "En-no-ze" many were overcome with tears and
wails. But Bertha's sunset left us feeling grief but not emptiness, because
she touched us all with beauty, blessedness, and truth. No one who ever met
her will forget her, for her power, strength, and authority made an indelible
mark on us all.
Virginia Giglio coauthored "Leaving Everything Behind: The Songs and Memories
of a Cheyenne Woman," the story of Bertha Little Coyote, published by the
University of Oklahoma Press.