Page 45 - Wayne County

shut in, the elderly, someone injured on a job, or any type of hardship.” A practice she continues to this day, for Faren random acts of kindness are simply a way of life, engrained in her as a tribal characteristic. It was not something you drew attention to - you simply helped any time there was a need.” This is the Cherokee word “Gadugi,” which means, ‘working or coming together.”’ The sign of power or infuence in Native American Culture is to give away what you have. “It is not about how much you have but how much you give away that elevates the heart with a sense of power. We are not here for ourselves, we are here to interact and infuence others.” It is more blessed to give, indeed. Most children on the reservation attended the Indian School, but circumstances were a bit different for the Sanders family. Her parents being federal employees - her mother a teacher and her father a postal employee - she was required to go to public school. Faren recalls solemnly, “There were some subtle discrimination issues, particularly families that didn’t like Indian children attending previously all-white schools.” Overall, she considers this

decision a beneft to her education, through exposure to many different experiences. She would ride the bus home from public school and resume “normal life.”

One of the most life-changing opportunities for Faren was her involvement in the cast of

Unto These Hills , the second longest running outdoor drama in the United States. She began acting in crowd scenes at ten, then becoming a dancer, singing in the choir, and eventually - in her teens - landing a character in the script. Faren played the roll of Nundayeli, daughter of the hero. Cumulatively, she totaled eight seasons in the drama. Faren lends this to her strengths in acting, vocal projection, and singing. Continually working with professional actors and actresses who came to join the cast, Faren noted, “The training was invaluable to me, and the play itself is a wonderful retelling of our history. I am very proud of my association with it.”

Perhaps the years spent learning through her various roles in this legendary drama laid the foundation of what was to come, her path full of honors and recognitions, including a

OPPOSITE PAGE Faren feels a special connection to nature so it is no wonder that she chooses to draw and work on most of her art in a room at her home that overlooks the marsh. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Faren with her art in Cherokee, N.C. An original painting by Faren. Faren shows her original Heron painting that was published in the 2012 Cherokee Heritage Calendar.