Indianz.Com > News > Yellow Bird: Funeral for William Littleghost

Yellow Bird: Funeral for William Littleghost
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Filed Under: Opinion

"William “Ambrose” Littleghost, in death, gave people one more cultural experience -– his very traditional funeral.

Ambrose passed away Aug. 1. He lived on the Spirit Lake Nation reservation in North Dakota for most of his life with his wife, Anna, and their children, but he was called to travel around the nation and even to foreign countries to teach about the Dakota culture.

He was a regular speaker in UND classrooms, as well as the classrooms of other colleges and universities around the region, and you often could find his name among conference presenters. He probably was the best-known speaker of the region on American Indian culture.

Many will remember Ambrose as the man who so often was chosen as the spiritual adviser for the annual powwows of UND (Time Out), North Dakota State University and others. He rarely missed those powwows.

Even on the coldest days, Ambrose and Anna would drive from Spirit Lake to the Grand Forks or Fargo areas and stoke up a fire to heat rocks for an inipi or sweat lodge. Throughout the 25 years that I lived in the Red River Valley, he continued to provide spiritual, healing ceremonies for students and the community."

Get the Story:
Dorreen Yellow Bird: Grace, tradition mark spiritual leader’s funeral (The Grand Forks Herald 8/13)
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