00:00:01.000 - 00:02:12.000

Alika Jimenez: Okay. Hi, my name is Alika Jimenez. I'm a sophomore at Rice University and I am helping with this research project with the Texas Tribal Buffalo Project. Corrie Pauley: Okay. My name is Corrie Pauley and my maiden name is Enriquez. I am hoping that this may help others and possibly myself in reconnecting with our identities, our culture — family. Alika Jimenez: Thank you so much. The first few questions kind of come together. So do you have a tribal affiliation? If so, where were you born? Where did you grow up and where is home to you and upbringing? Tell me more about that. And if you don't have a tribal affiliation, that's totally fine. Corrie Pauley: Okay. As far as I know growing up I was just always told that I was Mexican Indian. I know my father was born in Alice , Texas so there are roots there from my Indigenous relatives. I think I've narrowed it down to Coahuiltecan , possibly Lipan Apache, but I don't have any concrete verification of it, so it's kind of like I said, my journey is very much in its infancy right now. So I was born in Belvedere, Illinois. I moved around a lot growing up and traveled a lot and home for me right now is Waxahachie, Texas where my family is. My family is very important to me. I've got four children and I guess on my mother's side, her side of the family, they all pretty much were in and out of Lufkin, Texas all their lives and New Mexico. So we have a strong connection here in Texas, at least as far as that goes.

00:02:12.000 - 00:04:56.000

Alika Jimenez: That's very interesting to hear. You mentioned moving around a lot growing up. How was that for you with understanding your identity and with meeting family? What was that experience like? Corrie Pauley: Well, my mother and my sister and myself lived in Illinois until I was about 10 years old and we had to move. We moved to Colorado and I lived there until I was in my early twenties. And I will say that living up there was at the time I couldn't quite understand why my mom would take us to some of the places that she would take us to. She used to take us to Central City all the time when it was a touristy attraction. It was like a old , Wild West town. They had a lot of old Western themed and Indigenous - type stores and things like that. And I never understood the draw as a teenager, as a preteen. It was neat at first, but she was always taking us up there and looking back now, I think that was kind of her way of showing me this is part of who you are. Corrie Pauley: She just maybe didn't quite know how to connect the dots. So that in itself was kind of neat. And then I've lived in Kansas, I've lived in Kentucky, I've lived in Florida. A lot of that to me really just kind of introduced me to a lot of different people, a lot of different cultures, and an understanding of how we are also very unique and yet very special in who we are. It kind of just made everything make sense over time. So growing up and as an adult, I always thought that that was neat that I got to experience and I do get to experience a lot of different cultures and heritages throughout my life, through my family and the way we had moved about and traveled a lot. Alika Jimenez: Wow. Thank you for sharing that. I would love to hear more about your moving around or just your childhood in general. Could you share any memories that stand out, whether it's related to Indigeneity or culture, anything that you'd like to share?

00:04:56.000 - 00:09:54.000

Corrie Pauley: Right. Like I said, when we moved and lived in Colorado a long time, there was a lot of, I remember my grandfather taking us to Pueblo and getting to see the, I can't remember the name of it sadly, but getting to see the dwellings of the Pueblo people, and that was so neat to me. There was a part of me inside that was like : this is home. I understood it in a spiritual sense and there was a connection there that was like, this is where I come from. It kind of felt like very deeply in me that yes, this is part of my heritage, this is part of who I am, and things like that were really part of just a feeling of a connectedness for me. I always enjoyed when my grandfather would take us to do things like that. It was something that he was very connected to and it just was something that was very special for him to share with us. And he would take us all over New Mexico and show us all the different places that his father worked for the railroad in New Mexico and things like that. And so it was just really neat all the time to just feel that connectedness. Alika Jimenez: Yeah, for sure. You mentioned you grew up and you were kind of told you're Mexican Indian, so there was like a different name for what you were. And I'm curious for how you said also that your journey is kind of new, and I'm curious of how your childhood and now your adulthood has –like when you started to move and try to figure out where your Indigeneity lies, like what triggered that for you? Have you always known and just been like recently : I want to figure out more so what this is about. Corrie Pauley: It's always been a part of me because I think I've always felt that there was kind of something missing for me . Me growing up, my mother's side of the family is very much Irish, Scottish, British, and I learned a lot about that growing up as well. And then it was always kind of, because there is that disconnect on my father's side of the family, which is where the Mexican - Spanish and that sort of thing is coming from. There was a disconnect from when I was 10 and really recently within the last year, it was just something inside me that just really said, this is important. My children should know these things. They know that we have Irish, we have Scottish, we have British, some German and that kind of thing, but there's a part of me, a big part of me culturally speaking and that sort of thing that is missing. Corrie Pauley: And I've always known that. And it really just hit me that this is something that I want to pursue and understand the rest of my makeup, who I am, what makes me me. So yeah, I did, my husband actually bought me – as a gift –a MyHeritage DNA kit. And so that was really fun and interesting. But again, we hit the same wall where unfortunately don't, I'm not very connected anymore with my father's side of the family. And so that part's been hard. I don't know. And they have hit the same genetic and oral history wall that I have is that we don't know past my grandparents on that side where to go. There's no documentation on certain things. But yeah, it is kind of like a part of me is missing, and I've always known and felt like we know this side of the family is important. What about the rest of me? So yeah.

00:09:54.000 - 00:11:40.000

Alika Jimenez: Are there any things you've been able to do or find that have made you feel like you've been able to feed or find that part of yourself that's missing? Is there anything that you are able to connect in terms of that? Corrie Pauley: Well I mean, funny enough, just simple things and it's kind of odd, but my husband has actually learned how to make fry bread for us. So we eat a lot of that with, it's just a special little thing that he went out of his way to learn how to do for me. And when I can find the time, I try to learn how to do beadwork. These, I actually made these earrings that I'm wearing and just a lot of, I guess what you would call maybe meditations and kind of just in my own way connecting with, I really watch and listen to a lot of different tribal histories and things from multiple tribes. And that's kind of one way that I feel like that for me, again, is a connection to maybe part of who I am. So, yeah. Alika Jimenez: Thank you. Those earrings look beautiful also. Corrie Pauley: Thank you.

00:11:40.000 - 00:14:25.000

Alika Jimenez: Yeah. So I know you again mentioned that it's been a difficult disconnect with your father's side of the family, so it's okay if there aren't any, but I'm curious if you've been able to hold on to any stories or traditions from that side of the family, even if there was a disconnect, if there has been anything that you've kept. And if not, that's okay. Corrie Pauley: I can't say that there was really stories. I do know that there was a time, and I cannot remember how old I was, but I know, and it leans more towards maybe the Mexican side of things, but I remember one time when I was really young being at my grandparents' house and my grandfather had put on a sombrero and was doing kind of a dance for us that he just went with it and was having fun. And that will always stand out in my mind as something like : oh, okay, this is interesting , a nd wow, my grandpa's silly. But it kind of just was one of those things that will always stay with me. But there was not a lot of stories that we heard, unfortunately. I think more than anything, sadly, there was a lot of trauma. So yeah, it's one of those things that not a lot was talked about. Alika Jimenez: Yeah, that makes sense. You mentioned you're trying to get into bead work, and I'm kind of curious about how big of a role art plays in your life and if you do dance or other types of art, if that's important to you. And if you could tell me more about that. Corrie Pauley: I would love to get into dance. I would love to verify more firmly my heritage because I think ultimately there's a part of me that would absolutely love to join in any kind of powwow festivities that I would love for my children to just even see, one of my big dreams would be to take all of my kids to go see the Gathering of Nations . I just think that would be amazing. I've been to several powwows as a audience member, just never as a participant, and I think that would just be amazing to learn how to do those things and be part of that.

00:14:25.000 - 00:17:38.000

Corrie Pauley: But I am kind of, I do, and I don't have one specific crafty thing that I do. I have mastered crochet, which is not necessarily an Indigenous thing, but I do crochet and like I said, I'm learning how to do bead work and I've made crochet clothing and hair pieces and things like that. I actually have right here a hair bonnet that I made for just because, and then I'm just all around crafty, really honestly. My youngest daughter calls me R arity, like my little pony Rarity because I'm just crafty everywhere and I love fashion and that kind of thing. I actually also even had made over my craft desk a few years ago, and I'll see if I can kind of show it to you. I put some fabric on the top of it because it had been peeling off, and so I just repurposed it. So I'm kind of crafty here and there. I don't have maybe one specific craft that I generally just stick to. I kind of do a lot of this and that. So yeah, I used to– and what really started it was having kids. I originally wanted to make baby blankets for them, and when that didn't work, I went to hair bows and then I would recycle their clothes instead of just giving them hand me downs. I would take some of their old clothes and my kids have pillows made out of their favorite t-shirts. Corrie Pauley: My last daughter had gotten t-shirts from the older kids that I made into little dresses and things. So yeah, I guess I'm a dabbler in the crafty area. I don't have one specific skill , but it helps me keep busy and feel like there's something that is part of who I am and where we come from all in that melting pot of connectedness that I have. Alika Jimenez: That's so cool. Just all these different little things that you've picked up and learned how to do. That sounds so awesome, especially for your kids to just have these little pieces of art that are connected to you. That's amazing. Corrie Pauley: And I can tell too that it has – and I love music , t hat was the other thing –and I can tell too that it's kind of been passed on. My youngest daughter, the baby of the family, she paints a lot now, and my oldest son, he draws a lot. My middle son has picked up the guitar, drums, keyboard. So it's kind of being passed down in these different little ways of, and I love it. It makes my heart soar that they're all just so crafty in their own little ways, and I know that I did that. So, yeah.

00:17:38.000 - 00:18:56.000

Alika Jimenez: That's amazing to hear about. That sounds like such a creative family. Corrie Pauley: We very much do try to be very crafty. My older kids also have dabbled in tattooing and that kind of thing too. So yeah, we bought them both tattoo machines, and so they do that a little bit here and there too. So yeah, it is kind of one of those things where I pick up bits and pieces of our cultural artistry and just kind of blend them all together, and they have picked up on that and they have ran with it. So yeah . Alika Jimenez: Everything you say adds to my level of shock that all of you could do all of those things. That's so cool. Corrie Pauley: And my oldest plays guitar too. My oldest son, he plays guitar too, but I think he's more into the drawing and sketching aspect of things nowadays. Yeah. But yeah, it's been an amazing adventure with my children to see them pick up at least those little bits of what I can pass on in the grand picture of what our culture is. Yeah.

00:18:56.000 - 00:21:33.000

Alika Jimenez: You've mentioned a lot about your family and your kids and your husband learning to make fry bread, and I want to hear more I guess, about how your family and that community to you plays a role in your life, and if you talk to them a lot about trying to figure out your Indigenous connection and how that is for you. Corrie Pauley: Well, honestly, and I've always let my boys, with my boys, I've always let them choose as far as like, their hairstyles are – up to a certain point because obviously some of the schools have their rules. And I was very heartbroken when my oldest son was in maybe fourth or fifth grade and they had sent home a letter saying that his hair was too long, “Can you please cut it? ” And I couldn’t–I went back and forth with my husband over it for a few days. I just couldn't do that, and I had to take him to get his hair cut, unfortunately. My son cried during that haircut– at the time it was something he didn't want to do himself and that is one of the things he does today by his own choosing to be connected to our cultures and heritage. But there was no, like I said, this was years ago, so I didn't really have any kind of verification whatsoever to say, “No, this is how we are. This is who he is. ” But the older he's gotten, he lets his hair grow out and that is his choice. And I absolutely tell him every day that that is who he is, and it's important because there were a lot of our ancestors that couldn't have that choice. That is one of the little things, and I tell him all the time, and I tell my daughters, “You don't let anybody touch your hair unless you give them permission and you know what their intentions are. ” That is one of the things that I have learned that maybe is more a multi - tribal thing, but I do very much tell them that is an important thing to our culture and who we are for sure. Corrie Pauley: Yeah. Alika Jimenez: And you also brought up you've been to a few powwows and I'm curious as to how your experience has been with attending or going to events with other Indigenous people, and have you been able to find community where you live now or in other communities with other events, with other native people, how that's been for you?

00:21:33.000 - 00:25:07.000

Corrie Pauley: Well, I mean, it was kind of half and half, and I haven't been to a powwow since I was in my teens, unfortunately. But I would say attending them, it was about 50-50 at the time. It was more like maybe as, like I said, a watcher. And a lot of people at the time kind of weren't into, oh, what's the word I'm looking for, sharing and maybe being as open as they are getting now. So I would kind of get the : “Come on in, join us and participate.” But I would also get kind of looks for maybe not looking quite like I belonged there, so it was kind of 50 50. Corrie Pauley: And I don't know if maybe that was the way I presented myself or that kind of thing, but I definitely, I do miss it and I do miss being able to attend that. And here where I live in Waxahachie, a lot of representation as far as artwork and that sort of thing, but there is not very much of a presence we're represented in most definitely as a mascot. And yeah, there's part of me that is kind of okay with that because at least there's that fine thread that could be a stepping stone. But I feel like if they're going to do that, they need to have far more representation here in other areas such as maybe having some kind of get-togethers and events, like a little powwow or things like something that there needs to be more representation rather than just wear artwork or jewelry or what I'm saying. There's a missing pieces that should be there for that. Waxahachie tries occasionally to add Indigenous things to their parade for Christmas in 2023 there was a troupe of Aztec dancers who participated , a nd are local here to the town, but I haven't come across anything more than those small appearances. Alika Jimenez: Yeah, definitely. Do you ever get the chance to show your artwork or anything like that? Or is it a different type of thing? Corrie Pauley: I mean, I wear what I make my children wear what I make. So in that respect, it's getting out there in our local community and being seen. I had made my daughter a pair of pants and a shirt, and there was definitely a – and it was crochet –there was definitely a, “Oh my gosh, where did you get that? I would love to have something like that.” And every time that she would say, “My mom made this for me, she's right here.” And they were just like, “I can't believe that.” So I mean, there's definitely maybe an area where it could be a plausible thing. I just don't know how to go about, maybe quite getting out there in the business side of that. I can make till I'm blue in the face. I just am not very good with the numbers and that sort of thing to maybe be in full force yet

00:25:07.000 - 00:27:36.000

Alika Jimenez: Math's not my thing either. I get it. Corrie Pauley: The business side of it is like, okay, I'd be at a loss, but then making it and everything I make, I like to think that there is a little bit of me in there. I always, as I'm crocheting or as I'm beating, I am always thinking of this is my intentions are good. This is going to know that there is absolutely a heart and a soul behind what is making this. Alika Jimenez: Definitely. Shifting to, there's some questions about a very different area than we've been talking about before, but do you have any memories that stand out involving food or cooking or meal times, anything like that that you want to share? Corrie Pauley: Very much so. Actually, funny enough, the one big thing to me that stands out a lot was when I was young and we all really lived in a very close family unit, like my grandparents on my mother's side, my grandparents on my father's side, all my aunts and uncles, we were all very close in the same state. And I remember growing up that we would have a lot of family get-togethers and barbecues with my father's side of the family. And one of the big things that I always remember and miss very much was that my tio Felix would slaughter and prepare goat meat. And it was amazingly delicious, and that constantly stands out in my brain, and I haven't had it in years, but it was just, I remember it being the most delicious meat on the table of a plethora of meats to choose from. That was my favorite. Yeah. And I always tell my husband about it, one of these days, I need to get you back. I need to get back in touch with them, and we need to get the kids and us back up there and have my tio Felix do that. And I'm telling you, it's the most amazing thing you'll ever taste. So yeah .

00:27:36.000 - 00:30:00.000

Alika Jimenez: That sounds amazing. Ugh, just thinking about it . Corrie Pauley: I mean, it was delicious and you wouldn't think, oh, goat, you wouldn't think it's an edible thing, but I don't know if it was the way he prepared it. I don't know what the seasonings were. I just know that that was always a big deal for us growing up when they would do that. And so yeah, that always stands out in my mind. Alika Jimenez: Have you been able to hold onto any recipes or any sort of food that you grew up with, or not really. I know the fry bread kind of came up. I'm curious more about that. Corrie Pauley: Honestly, if there was any kind of thing that stood out as far as recipes go , would be probably more from my mother's side, which tends to be more towards the Irish . With every couple of years I will do cabbage and corn, beef and potatoes and that kind of thing. But my husband has also very much so learned a lot of the green chili posole . We do pork green chili soup in the fall when the Anaheim peppers are really good. And maybe that was the one recipe, and it's not even really a recipe. Fire roasting Anaheim chiles is one of the things we do often in the fall. I stand out at the grill with my husband and he'll grill, and then I peel 'em and prep 'em for whatever meals we're going to have . Is one of the things that maybe was passed down funny enough from my mother's side instead of my father's side. But yeah, no, I mean there's no real other recipes that I could say sadly, like I said, with the disconnect or the loss of maybe family stories and connectedness on my father's side, there's not really a lot there. It's kind of like I said, and that's that piece that has always felt like it was missing.

00:30:00.000 - 00:33:23.000

Alika Jimenez: Yeah, that sounds really hard. You mentioned thinking about reaching back out to that side of the family, but it sounds like it would be very difficult for you. Corrie Pauley: Yes and no. And many years ago, that's the other hard part is I don't know how, which family members on that side would be legitimately interested in trying to trace. I know my aunt, but that was something that I learned really recently last year that she had tried with her sisters to try to trace our family tree. My aunt could only get as far as her dad Pablo Enriquez (my Grandfather) because when he was young his parents both passed away and his sister raised him. So there is a lack of records maybe or family to tell anything like that. My Grandmother Geneva (Servin) Enriquez didn't work or drive or things like that. So she never had a social security card or driver's license. That is the wall we keep hitting in finding out about our ancestors. But many years before that, one of my uncles kind of was just like, “We didn't come from nothing. There's nothing to be proud of behind that,” and just let it go kind of thing. And I was kind of hurt by that, and I understood maybe where that was coming from on his side, on his part, but at the same time, I just thought, well, but you don't know. Maybe we really came from something great past the things that caused you pain. So again, and I did recently reach out to my cousin to try to maybe get in contact with my aunt. Now I'm kind of waiting to see what, if anything will come of that. Alika Jimenez: Good luck. I hope something happens with it. Yeah. A little bit more about, I guess food, more so health. How do you balance modern healthcare with traditional health practice? Are you just more, do you lean towards either side? How do you handle that in your life? Corrie Pauley: I've definitely started trying to make sure that we include more vegetables in our meal. Squash was not a normal thing in our house until probably about two years ago, and that was – my sister had grilled some squash – and it was one of those things where it was like everybody enjoyed it, and so now we squeeze it in where we can in the meals . Definitely more vegetables in the house than maybe were. Less fatty meats. We tend to lean more towards a good lean beef and a lot of chicken. And my husband has high blood pressure, so we kind of do watch and try to make sure that we're getting more healthier options and we cook a lot more ourselves rather than doing fast food or restaurants and things like that. As far as healthcare goes, it's a little difficult for me. I have a little clinic that I can go to, but it's not the greatest and it's not the worst. So I just maybe monitor what I eat and drink and things like that and make sure that they're healthier options and really kind of try to just take care of myself mentally and physically in that respect. And the same for my kids. Yeah.

00:33:23.000 - 00:35:59.000

Alika Jimenez: If you feel comfortable sharing, would you mind sharing more about how, you mentioned meditation earlier, how you can take care of yourself mentally. What is that process like for you? What's important for you there? Corrie Pauley: That process for me kind of either involves, I will just throw some headphones on and put some music on and find a quiet spot in the house and just go inward and find the inner chill as it were. The other thing that I kind of tend to lean towards is hot baths. Funny enough, I love a good hot bath, and I will go sweat it out, and I like to try to laugh a lot. So when there's a stress– and my husband's the same – if there's a stressful situation that comes up, we kind of try to look at the good aspects of what could come out of it and laugh about what we can. We try to bring a lot of laughter into our house and a good nap once in a while never hurt. O r I'll sit down and do my crochet or bead work or those kinds of things. Just little quiet moments where I can reflect on, “Okay, today's not been a very bad day. It had its moments, but we're all still alive, we're all breathing, thank the Lord.” So yeah. Yeah, just kind of little peaceful moments that we can grab here and there. Just focusing on breathing and yeah. Alika Jimenez: Yeah, I'm definitely a fan of the headphones on quiet music time, taking a walk. Corrie Pauley: I used to do that a lot. I will admit I've probably gotten a little less than I would like as far as being out walking within the last few years, but I am very physically active at work. I work with toddlers and they keep me on my toes, so yeah .

00:35:59.000 - 00:38:42.000

Alika Jimenez: That makes a lot of sense. I have a four-year-old sister, and so … Corrie Pauley: Yeah, they're all over the place. Alika Jimenez: Mhm. And then thinking about sort of outside – if you have the ability to go outdoors and see nature – are you able to find ways to spend time in nature, and how important is that to you? Are there any specific parts of nature that feel special at all? Corrie Pauley: I find oftentimes, for whatever reason, I'm drawn to water, lakes, creeks, that kind of thing. We have a very big walking trail here in town that is very forested. So I mean, the path is through just trees on both sides. Some of ‘em actually have spots where there are just bamboo walls in it that just grow wild. So there's a lot of birds, a lot of squirrels, different little critters, snakes, lizards. And we actually, when we first moved to Waxahachie about five, ten years ago, my kids and I spent a lot of time walking up and down those trails and we would look for birds, squirrels, lizards, snakes, the whole nine yards. “What can you see in the creek there? Do you see frogs or crawdads or little fish or all that kind of stuff?” We spent a lot of time together out there walking those trails, and they had a blast, and I enjoyed it. It was always so beautiful. Alika Jimenez: Yeah, that sounds lovely. Corrie Pauley: I mean, I even enjoyed sitting out on my back porch, and we have two little trees kind of in our neighbor's yard where I will just sit and lose time watching the birds come and go. We have a lot of cardinals, blue jays. Once in a while I'll see a hummingbird. We've had a couple raccoons and possums through the yard. So yeah, just sitting out and watching butterflies, bees, all that kind of stuff, even, it doesn't even have to be out in nature, but on my porch, I'll sit and just kind watch the grass blow and the breeze and that kind of thing. So yeah, there's always a little something whenever I'm outside that I'm like, okay, I could do this. I like this. It's fresh air, the sun, there's always an appreciation.

00:38:42.000 - 00:42:21.000

Alika Jimenez: Yeah, definitely. Kind of along, I guess, feeling connected and appreciative of nature in your just general life, do you consider yourself spiritual at all? And if not, that's alright too, but does it play any role in your wellbeing or your life. Corrie Pauley: I do. I was raised Episcopalian, which you know, was a good foundation, but I also do a lot of meditation on, what's the word I'm looking for, that interconnectedness of where we're all maybe one soul. There's a lot of us that create this whole, and so that to me is important. It's kind of like the whole, it starts in the family and spreads out the roots. Everything is all connected. And to me that is a very important thing. We all share different little things that make us all unique and special and connected. Alika Jimenez: That makes a lot of sense. I feel like you've brought up family a lot, and I know we've talked about it a little bit, but is there anything else you'd like to share about what family means to your community? Corrie Pauley: Family and community to me have always been important. It was how I was raised. For whatever reason, we just always had the ability to come together and we could make an event out of little, I mean, it's very much in, and then as I grew up when I was 10, 11 years old and we moved ever since that time, it was kind of like my family spread out. So we're now, as an adult, we're now very much harder to get to in a sense. And so for me, it kind of tipped things over to a weird, and I keep my children very close to me because of it now, I think because there's a sense of, “Well, now I can't just go down the street and see my sister now. I can't just go down the street and see my aunt or go across town and see.” So we're very scattered now. But when I was growing up and was very young, that was the impression that I was always given, was that it's important to stay close, stay connected, and we do very much talk a lot on the phone and that kind of thing, and we do video chats together, but it's not quite the same. You're not in the same house or you're not able to just drive down across town to go see them.

00:42:21.000 - 00:46:27.000

Corrie Pauley: But yeah, family to me is just a very important thing. And community too. I mean, there has to be people that you can be able to talk with and share different views and opinions and things like that. And you can always learn something from anybody that you meet that maybe you didn't know. So again, kind of stems from I think people need that close look, that closeness, that connectedness. Alika Jimenez: Definitely. And then I think this is going to be sort of the last broad question, but what is the last, I guess, thing that you want to leave behind for your kids or for future generations in terms of culture and knowledge that you have? What do you want to leave for people watching this to understand and for your family as well? Corrie Pauley: Physically speaking, as far as leaving something for my kids, I think one of my biggest goals is to get enough– I would love to have some land to leave them where I know that they can have a place to live that would belong to them and be theirs, because I have bounced around, moved around a lot and that kind of thing. And I feel like from childhood to adulthood, it was like having, like I said, we had a very close knit family group that just eventually over time spread out. And no, I wasn't left with any kind of, this belongs to me, and it was my grandmother's or my grandfather's and my grandmother had grapes and grew green beans and stuff around her home, but I don't, that's not mine now. I don't know who it belongs to. And so for me, as far as my family goes, I would love to leave them with a place to call home that belongs to them, that they can learn. My youngest daughter very much has a green thumb, but we have nowhere to grow stuff. And so I would love to see, and I would love to learn with her, maybe growing different foods and having a garden of our own and place to do that. Corrie Pauley: And then as far as the broad community, be open-minded, be willing to learn, be willing to share. There's very much out there a need for people to open up and be willing to learn and explore who others are so that we're not so inundated and bombarded with hatred or other things that are damaging to human beings as a whole, not just culturally speaking, but that's important too. People have to understand that that connectedness is something that fills a gap in the heart and the soul. So if that's what they're expressing in their fashion or their culture or their hair, that's who they are. Don't take that away from them. I just don't think that there's a need to be ugly about it. I think people need to just understand that as a society, there are very much a part of who everybody is. It's where we come from.

00:46:27.000 - 00:47:45.000

Alika Jimenez: Definitely. Corrie Pauley: Yeah. There has to be a willingness to open up and learn. So yeah, that's kind of where I would go with that. Alika Jimenez: Yeah. Thank you so much for sharing that. I hope that everybody really who's watching this really takes that to heart. I think if they're watching this, they probably are, but hopefully it gets shown to people who need that message. Corrie Pauley: Yeah, like I said, I just really hope that more than anything, it opens doors for people because for me, like I said, I come from a very mixed cultural background, and that one piece for me would make me feel more complete and more whole. And so anybody out there that is looking for the same oneness with themselves, that's important. So I guess don't be afraid to reach out. Don't be afraid to communicate with people that these are the things that you're trying to find and learn. So yeah.

00:47:45.000 - 00:49:29.000

Alika Jimenez: Thank you so much for sharing that. I'm going to end the recording and then I'll debrief you on the next steps unless there's anything else you'd like to add. Corrie Pauley: Like I said, I think that maybe one of the other things that I would say is to, I maybe have a willingness and a open mind to a healing process. One of the things that I didn't talk about was that my family, most definitely, on my father's side, there's a lot of trauma. And so I know in the back of my mind that in tracing that side of my family, it might very well dig up some painful truths or things like that. But I also know that hopefully maybe it would also bring about some kind of healing. And so yeah, don't let the trauma stop you. Don't let the trauma eat at you and fight through it, power through it, and hopefully there'll be the healing ultimately of whatever it is that you've been fighting through. Alika Jimenez: Thank you so much. I'm going to end the recording now.