Walking past the mosaic on Foster Street at the DuSable Lake Shore Drive underpass in Uptown is almost like stepping into a family scrapbook come to life.
The mosaic includes photos of Native Americans with roots in Chicago. Native Americans from all generations smile down from their places on the wall. Small children sitting on their parents' laps, wrinkled faces with wise eyes and young adults in traditional dance clothing are all photographed and worked into the mosaic.
The mosaic was installed around 2008 but underwent a much-needed facelift Thursday as volunteers cleaned the tiles thanks to a grant from the city's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Some tiles are falling off or are damaged, so a larger restoration might be necessary soon, said Christine Redcloud, a member of the Ojibwe tribe who is pictured on the wall along with her mom.
"We're seeing it crumble, so that's why we're here today," Redcloud said, looking at a photo of her mother on the wall. "It's very nice to come here, to see my family, for my son to know this was her."
The mosaic was cleaned by people who had photos of themselves or close relatives displayed on the wall. Native American music pulsed from a speaker as volunteers scrubbed with brushes and sponges and wandered slowly along the wall, pointing out people they knew or had stories about.
Older community members with knowledge of their family's and tribe's history held impromptu story times. Raphael Wahwassuck, a council member with the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation who's been involved in the fight to return Illinois land stolen from the tribe, recognized his two grandfathers and one grandmother on the wall.
"Growing up, my family always told me about a time when our people lived in this area," he said. "For me, it was always a question of how do we make sure people don't forget that?"
Native American history has largely been erased since European settlers brutalized tribes across the country several hundred years ago. That makes it that much more important to pass on cultural traditions, art, music, dance and stories, said Cyndee Fox-Starr, cultural coordinator at the American Indian Health Service of Chicago in Irving Park.
"Just like it's important for people to have Christmas, we do it to remember our culture and our ancestors," said Tevelee Gudino, who has Apache roots in the Chiricahua and Warm Springs tribes.
A photo of Fox-Starr, of the Omaha, Odawa and Potawatomi tribes, as a toddler sitting on her dad's lap is on the wall. Her mother is pictured a few feet away. Looking at her mom's solemn face, she commented how her daughters tell her they look alike, but she doesn't see it.
"It just feels ... home," Fox-Starr said. "We're not forgetting who we are or how we came to be."
It's clear memories surge in the minds of people gazing at photos of themselves or their relatives.
"That was a long time ago," Redcloud said with a nod and a chuckle, pointing at a photo of herself in a traditional dance dress. She estimated the picture was around 30 years old. "It's nice to remember that I used to dance like that. I haven't had a jingle dress on in probably 15 years."
