MeetShaya

"We require love and acceptance. Our nature is to find a connection to a special person or
combination of people in order to enrich, enhance, and deepen our lives. My destiny was to connect
with the rich past of my people, the Monacan Indians.

By breathing life into a lineage of strong, beloved matriarchs, I have been able to start anew. What
was a hard life, fraught with challenges and illness, is now one of harmony and remarkably improved
health. I believe that the links I forged with my heritage are responsible for that new life.

I am grateful to share Ancestral Spirits Awaken Me; it is one of my greatest accomplishments and
delights. I hope that reading it will bless your spirit and give you strength."

                                     -- Violet April (Shaya) Ebersole
                                          March 2006

Shaya, a Monacan Indian descendant, enjoys searching through archives and historical
information to learn more about her lineage. Her research has taken her to such places as
Natural Bridge, the holy ground of the Monacans; and Lynchburg and Williamsburg, Virginia,
two childhood homes of her great-great-great grandmother, Mary Ann Penn. In 2005 Shaya
applied for recognition as a member of Mary Ann’s Indian tribe and is awaiting an answer.

Shaya epitomizes her Indian name, Shayaholta Monticoma, meaning one who helps those in
need. That cherished name was given to her in 1991 by an elderly Indian who met her at
her church, where she would sign for deaf parishioners. A cancer survivor, Shaya helps
individuals afflicted by the disease by driving them to their appointments and to other
places. In the 1990s she helped parents learn to communicate with their deaf children.

Although life was hard, Shaya’s family loved her unconditionally and taught her patience.
But it was her grandmother Violet who gave Shaya gold: stories about her Indian heritage
that stirred Shaya’s imagination. Reenergized, Shaya never gave up, and her health
improved through diet, exercise, and meditation. She concentrated on the sounds of nature,
feeling the movements of breezes and appreciating wildlife. In essence, she returned to a
life that her ancestors enjoyed and revered.

Generations of powerful women began coming to Shaya in her dreams, sitting and talking
with her in the cool, dark, misty garden:

"With every dream, I felt even more compelled to search for my family history. I found peace and
harmony in my connection with my ancestors. I saw how these women survived their life trials, and I
felt a growing bond.

My health improved as I could feel the strength of my female ancestors within me I could smell their
homes, taste their food, and sense the activities of their lives. I realized that I was experiencing their
emotions, passions, and wishes."

Matrilineal Bloodline

The following Native-American women cherished family. Although customs were lost over
the years, Shaya has rekindled the Monacan spirit in her family saga, Ancestral Spirits
Awaken Me.

The prevailing love of these women has been passed down through three more
generations. Their saga is dedicated to Shaya’s five grandchildren: Travis, Tricia, Tiffany,
Gabrielle Violet, and Kyleigh Belle.

Mary Jane Boatwright (1810-1844): The first of a long line of strong, resourceful
matriarchs, Mary Jane lived through the upheaval of losing her parents and grandparents to
smallpox when she was only 18. In 1837 she married William Penn, a local Lynchburg,
Virginia, stonemason, and gave birth to a daughter, Mary Ann. Facing an untimely death to
illness five years later, Mary Jane was unable to instill much of the Monacan culture in her
daughter.

Mary Ann Penn (1838-1924): Thirteen-year-old Mary Ann was sent to a Williamsburg,
Virginia, insane asylum when an accidental whipping left her almost deaf and temporarily
blind. In 1862, at 24, Mary Ann was raped by Union soldiers. Released from the asylum
during the Union occupation, she walked to Cincinnati, Ohio, relying on her knowledge of
nature and her instincts. After being sheltered by the Friends (Quakers) of that city, she
started a new life with her child, Maggie. In 1865 Mary Ann married Abner Cox and 10 years
later, Ben Holmes after illness cut short Abner’s life. Although Mary Ann was unable to cling
onto the ways of her people, she passed on a rich Monacan heritage, without knowing it as
such, through her five children, 19 grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Maggie Cox (1863-1913): Mary Ann’s firstborn, Maggie, was named after a toddler in
Williamsburg, Virginia, whom Mary Ann met one afternoon during an outing to town. With
three years of schooling, Maggie was a curious child who helped her mother read lips. A
happy, loving spirit, Maggie married Sam Tiberghien, her true love. Together they had 14
children before Sam was murdered because of a gambling debt. Desperate, Maggie
remarried and had five more children. Faced with a difficult second marriage and illness,
she died at 50, leaving Mary Ann to watch over Maggie’s youngest surviving children.

Belle Tiberghien (1887-1960): Having attended school until age 12, Belle began to help
support her family by working in a factory. Although close to her mother and sisters, Belle
could not get along with her overbearing stepfather and she finally left home at age 16.
Belle’s fortitude was tested many times during her life. After suffering through an abusive
marriage and subsequent divorce, she ultimately found happiness with her second
husband, Paul Kerske. Unfortunately, he died during the Depression, leaving Belle to raise
her two children.

Violet Hall (1914-2002): Belle’s second daughter, Violet, was raised part-time by her aunt
Amelia. Violet Hall married a barber and they had three children. After her children were
grown, Violet moved to Florida, where she cared for her mother and her aunt in their later
years. Violet is Shaya’s grandmother.

Violet “Betty” Perin (1934- ): The first-born daughter of Shaya’s grandmother, Betty
married and raised two children, a boy and girl. A patient and loving mother, she struggled
to get by when her children were young. She, too, moved to Florida after her children were
grown so that she could live near her mother. Betty and her sister Peggy cared for Violet
Hall until her passing in 2002.