Grandpa is Watching over Us

All Indian people’s spirits turn into an animal. An animal appears to guide you. When a person dies, we may see things we haven’t seen for a long time…like roadrunners. We talk to them—"That’s Grandpa!" Chicken hawks-- My kids’ great grandpa-- (Pablo Ormega)—he was paralyzed with a stroke He would draw pictures of chicken hawks, make motions with his hands.

When he passed on, he said he was going to be a chicken hawk. My kids see him; they are playing on the baseball field, or at school—when they see a chicken hawk flying overhead, they say, "There goes Grandpa." They know he’s there.
Audrey Martinez, Interview, March 21, 1996